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The Biography of Bill Daily

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The Bill Daily Biography

billandthemonkey.jpg

  Bill Daily, the man we typically remember as thoughtless Roger, from "I Dream of Jeannie" led a career of humorous roles, and still continues to pop up in a current sitcom every now and then today.

  Bill was born on August 30, 1928 in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill's father died when he was very young. He was raised by his mother, along with the help of his aunts and uncles. His young life held a change for him when he was eleven. He and his mother moved to Chicago.

  By the mid-60's, Bill was into acting. One of his first television roles was in the 60's sitcom, Bewitched. He played the role of Mr. Johnson in the first Christmas episode titled "A Vision of Sugar Plums." He also appeared in an episode of The Mike Douglas Show. The next year was a big year for Bill. He appeared in an episode of My Mother the Car, in which he played Phil Durkin in the episode "The De-fenders." The greatest happening for him that year was not that role, however. It was in 1965 that he earned the role of Captain Roger Healy in I Dream of Jeannie, this starring role would continue on for the next 5 years.

  In I Dream of Jeannie, Bill co-starred with Barbara Eden(Jeannie), Larry Hagman(Captain/Major Anthony Nelson), and Hayden Rorke(Dr. Bellows). Bill's character, Roger, was the bumbling pal of Anthony "Tony" Nelson, who loved girls, money, and often found himself speaking without thinking. As I Dream of Jeannie grew in popularity and moved up the rankings, Bill Daily earned himself a permenant seat in television history. In fact, it is his role as Captain/Major Roger Healy that he is best remembered for. However, on May 26, 1970, after 139 filmed episodes, I Dream of Jeannie came to end, along with Bill's role of Roger Healy.

  It wasn't long though, until Bill was back into the swing of things. Only two years after I Dream of Jeannie came to an end, Bill was back on television. On September 16, 1972 The Bob Newhart Show aired its first episode. It was on this sitcom that Bill played the role of Howard Borden, a divorced pilot who lives near-by Bob(played by Bob Newhart) and Emily Hartley(played by Suzanne Pleshette). Howard was an annoying neighbor with an even more annoying habit, he always came right into the Hartley's apartment without knocking. Bill's role as Howard Borden continued for the next 6 years, but on April 1, 1978 that role as Howard Borden also came to an end.

  In the 1980's, Bill took on starring roles, mostly as doctors of some form, in a couple of short-lived sitcoms. In Small and Frye, which aired for a little over 3 months, Bill played the role of Dr. Hanratty. In 1988, Bill appeared on television as Dr. James Shepard on the sitcom, Starting from Scratch. The show only lasted one year, however. Bill was also a recurring guest star on the popular, late 80's sitcoms, ALF. He played the role of Larry the Psychiatrist from 1987-1990.

  In addition to his roles on television, Bill Daily also appeared on several game shows. He was even a semi-regular on Match Game, which he made 85 guest appearances on throughout the years. Today Bill lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He works as a director directing plays at the Children's Theatre there in Albuquerque.

Notes on Bill Daily
 
  • He is an actor, as well as a director and a writer.
  • He has a pet dog named "Hi Bob."
  • His height is 6'.
  • He has a son and a daughter, both of which were adopted.
  • He was a guest on the NBC 75th Anniversary Special.
  • He appeared on Match Game 85 times:

                       Match Game 73; 5 episodes

                       Match Game 75; 10 episodes

                       Match Game 76; 15 episodes

                       Match Game 77; 10 episodes

                       Match Game 78; 15 episodes

                       Match Game 79; 20 episodes

                       Match Game 83; 5 episodes

                       Match Game 84; 5 episodes

  • He appeared on the game show, Tattletales in 1975 with his wife, Pat.
  • He appeared on the show again in 1982 with his wife, Vivian.
  • He makes appearances nationally for TvLand.
  • Bill divorced his first wife, Pat, sometime between 1975 and 1982.    
  • Despite the fact that Bill appeared in almost all of the I Dream of Jeannie episodes, his name never appeared on the opening credits.

Created by Hannah 2002