Charles Nelson Reilly
Reilly as "Randy Robinson" on the CBS television series
Arnie in 1971
Born: January 13, 1931; New York City, U.S.
Died: May 25, 2007 (aged 76); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place: Cremated
Education: Hartt School of Music
Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13, 1931 May 25, 2007) was an American actor, comedian, director, and drama teacher known for his comedic roles on stage, film, and television. Reilly performed in the original Broadway casts of
Bye Bye Birdie,
Hello, Dolly!, and
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His television credits include
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and
Match Game. A recording of his autobiographical one-man play
Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly was adapted into a 2006 independent film.
Early life
Reilly was born January 13, 1931, in New York City in the Bronx, to an Irish-Catholic father and a Swedish Lutheran mother. When young, he would amuse himself by creating puppet theater, and his mother often told him to "save it for the stage".
At age 13, he survived the 1944
Hartford Circus Fire, which killed 167 people in Connecticut, and he was afraid to sit in an audience ever again. Because of the event's trauma, he rarely attended theater, stating that the large crowds reminded him of what happened that day. As he often stated on
The Tonight Show and other such venues, even as the director of a play or stage production, he preferred to sit at the back of the house or the back of a balcony near the exits to preview his work, including one time where his leading lady's costume caught fire ( but on recounting this episode to Johnny Carson, Reilly assured him "but you know, these things always work out okay." )
Reilly developed a love of opera and wanted to become an opera singer. He entered the Hartt School of Music as a voice major, but abandoned this pursuit when he realized that he lacked the natural vocal talent to have a major career. However, opera remained a lifelong passion, and he was a frequent guest on opera-themed radio programs, including the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. He directed opera productions for the Chicago Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. He was good friends with opera singers Renée Fleming, Rod Gilfry, Roberta Peters, and Eileen Farrell.
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