Bill Daily, ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘Bob Newhart Show’ Star, Dies at 91

Comic actor’s family announced his death

bill daily i dream of jeannie
Getty Images

Bill Daily, the comic actor best known for his roles in the long-running sitcoms “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” died Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at age 91, according to his official Facebook page.

The Iowa native served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War when he was transferred to the entertainment unit.

He then worked in a local Chicago television, where he collaborated on comedy bits with a young Bob Newhart — later his co-star in the 1970s sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show.”

After landing a series of one-episode roles on 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “My Mother the Car,” Daily was cast as Major Roger Healy, the girl-crazy best friend of Larry Hagman’s Army major, in “I Dream of Jeannie.”

The sitcom, which also starred Barbara Eden as a female genie discovered by Hagman’s character, ran for five seasons. Eden paid tribute to her long-time friend on Twitter.

Two years later, Daily reteamed with Newhart on the hit sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show” — playing the perpetually jet-lagged airline navigator and co-pilot Howard Borden who was a next-door neighbor of Newhart’s shrink.

He later had recurring roles on such shows as the ’80s cult hit “ALF” and the ’90s comedy “Caroline in the City.”

Comments