Bill Daily, 91, actor on ‘Newhart,’ ‘Jeannie’ sitcoms, dies

LOS ANGELES — Bill Daily, the comic sidekick to leading men on the sitcoms “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” has died, family said Saturday.

Daily, 91, died of natural causes in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, at his home where he had been living with his son, J. Patrick Daily, spokesman Steve Moyer told The Associated Press.

Daily was not a household name but he was a household face, familiar to many millions of baby-boomer viewers in the 1960s and ’70s from two of the era’s biggest shows.

He played Major Roger Healy in “I Dream of Jeannie” from 1965 to 1970. Healy was the astronaut partner to Larry Hagman’s Maj. Anthony Nelson as both tried to contain the antics of Jeannie, the childlike blond bombshell who lived in a bottle played by Barbara Eden.

Eden said on Twitter that Daily was “Our favorite zany astronaut.”

“Billy was wonderful to work with,” Eden said. “He was a funny, sweet man that kept us all on our toes. I’m so thankful to have known and worked with that rascal.”

Two years later he landed a similar role and had an even longer run on “The Bob Newhart Show” as aviator Howard Borden behind Newhart’s psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley for 140 episodes from 1972 to 1978.

Newhart, 89, said in a statement Saturday that he and Daily had been friends since both were trying to break into comedy in Chicago in the 1950s, and Daily was a clutch comedian that could make anything work.

“I called him our bullpen man. Whenever we were having trouble with a script on the show, we’d have Bill make an appearance,” Newhart said. “He was one of the most positive people I ever knew, and we’ll dearly miss him.”

Daily was born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Chicago. He said he was always a class clown despite losing his father while still a child.

Before acting, he tried to make it in show business as a jazz bass player, playing in a combo called “Jack and the Beanstalks.” Appearing in variety shows drew him into standup comedy and then acting.

In his last well-known role, he played a psychiatrist on the sitcom “Alf ” from 1987 to 1989.

Daily was married three times. His third wife, Becky Daily, died in 2010; they were married 17 years.

He adopted two children, daughter Kimberly and son J. Patrick Daily.

At Bill Daily’s request, no funeral is planned. He just wanted his loved ones to have a party, which is tentatively planned for next year, the family said.

Bill Daily