Charles Nelson Reilly

Charles Nelson Reilly, 76, who won a Tony Award for the role of Bud Frump in the original 1962 Broadway production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and later became known for his ribald appearances on the "Tonight Show" and various game shows, died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times. A full obituary will appear in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

Though best remembered for his irreverent 1970s and '80s TV game show appearances, funnyman Charles Nelson Reilly (who died of pneumonia last May) also had a colorful family and a lengthy, award-winning acting career. It's all enjoyably recounted in "The Life of Reilly," a filmed adaptation of his oft-staged one-man show, shot in 2004 during two final performances at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre.

Charles Nelson Reilly, whose persona as a wacky game show panelist and talk show guest overshadowed his serious work as a director and Tony-winning actor, has died. He was 76. Reilly, a longtime resident of Beverly Hills, died Friday of complications from pneumonia at UCLA Medical Center, said Paul Linke, who directed Reilly's one-man show "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly." "The average person thinks of him as being on 'The Match Game.'

THANKS for Charles McNulty's thoughtful piece on Charles Nelson Reilly ["A Gift for Connecting," May 30]. As usual, it's the funny people who turn out to be the most serious and intelligent folks in showbiz. It's too bad that most people will only remember him for "Match Game." RICHARD ZUELCH Lakewood I was lucky enough to know Charles Nelson Reilly. He was a loving, funny and caring guy. He was a great teacher and a wonderful director. I remember one day, I was shopping at Ralphs on Coldwater and Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

In the '70s, a golden age of TV comedy, the two funniest men on the air were launching their wit from most unlikely platforms -- network game shows. No one on Peter Marshall's "Hollywood Squares" could compete with center square Paul Lynde, whose riotous ripostes were typically underscored by a sinister, almost sniveling laugh.

Sitting down to talk about his life in show business, Charles Nelson Reilly begins: "Paris. I was born in Paris." His face, however, indicates otherwise. Blooming there is one of his trademark grins, which seems to defy human musculature by stretching in a long, tight line from one jaw socket to the other. Truth is, the 69-year-old comic actor confesses, he was born in the Bronx. He'll get to that in a minute; but in the meantime, why not have a little fun? "I have a good time," he says.

A new comedy, "The Wives," which opens next week at the Ventura Court Theatre in Studio City, is directed by television personality Charles Nelson Reilly. Reilly is probably best-known as a celebrity game-show contestant on programs such as "The Match Game" and "Hollywood Squares." His zany comic style makes it easy to forget that he also is an accomplished, award-winning actor and director. Born in New York, Reilly studied acting with Uta Hagen.

Comedian Charles Nelson Reilly filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court over injuries suffered last year while performing on a circus set at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The lawsuit alleges that Caesar's Palace Corp., Circus of the Stars and other co-defendants associated with the facility were guilty of negligence in that Reilly "was caused to slip and fall on animal feces on the floor."

The portion of Jan Breslauer's story on Julie Harris and the serendipitous eavesdropping by Charles Nelson Reilly on the conversation at Sardi's between Don Gregory and Mike Merrick and their hope to produce a one-person show omitted a very telling plot point ("Sharing the Soul of the Poet," Sept. 3). As recounted by Reilly in his "Save It for the Stage," producers Gregory and Merrick wanted the star (Harris) and the play ("The Belle of Amherst") but not Reilly, who conceived the project, engaged the writer (William Luce)

Talk about variety. Pop in a cassette from last season and see hot TV star David Duchovny play an arrogant jerk with an attitude. Tune in tonight and see him play a kinder, gentler, sexually murky type with a crush on the male host of a network talk show. Nothing unusual, for Duchovny is a capable actor who surely hopes to play many characters in his burgeoning career. Except, that isn't the situation here.

In the '70s, a golden age of TV comedy, the two funniest men on the air were launching their wit from most unlikely platforms -- network game shows. No one on Peter Marshall's "Hollywood Squares" could compete with center square Paul Lynde, whose riotous ripostes were typically underscored by a sinister, almost sniveling laugh.

Charles Nelson Reilly, whose persona as a wacky game show panelist and talk show guest overshadowed his serious work as a director and Tony-winning actor, has died. He was 76. Reilly, a longtime resident of Beverly Hills, died Friday of complications from pneumonia at UCLA Medical Center, said Paul Linke, who directed Reilly's one-man show "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly." "The average person thinks of him as being on 'The Match Game.'

Charles Nelson Reilly, 76, who won a Tony Award for the role of Bud Frump in the original 1962 Broadway production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and later became known for his ribald appearances on the "Tonight Show" and various game shows, died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times. A full obituary will appear in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

"As the evening wore on -- the evening wore on! That's a nice expression. With your permission I'll say it again. The evening wore on." So says Elwood P. Dowd, the kindly man whose companion is an invisible white rabbit, in Mary Chase's "Harvey." He's describing a night on the town with Harvey and Dr. Chumley, a psychiatrist who wants Dowd committed to his sanitarium. Unfortunately, Dowd's words also describe opening night of Charles Nelson Reilly's staging of "Harvey" at Laguna Playhouse.

Charles Nelson Reilly calls two places home: a house in Beverly Hills and a 34-foot cabin cruiser in Marina del Rey. They're not far apart, and Reilly likes it that way. "Capricorns like to stay in one place," said the comic actor, who turned 71 in January. "I have to go to work in places like New York, but basically, I don't want to go anywhere. "One time I got a trip around the world for doing something on television, and the travel agent was so excited, I gave her the tickets."

The portion of Jan Breslauer's story on Julie Harris and the serendipitous eavesdropping by Charles Nelson Reilly on the conversation at Sardi's between Don Gregory and Mike Merrick and their hope to produce a one-person show omitted a very telling plot point ("Sharing the Soul of the Poet," Sept. 3). As recounted by Reilly in his "Save It for the Stage," producers Gregory and Merrick wanted the star (Harris) and the play ("The Belle of Amherst") but not Reilly, who conceived the project, engaged the writer (William Luce)

THANKS for Charles McNulty's thoughtful piece on Charles Nelson Reilly ["A Gift for Connecting," May 30]. As usual, it's the funny people who turn out to be the most serious and intelligent folks in showbiz. It's too bad that most people will only remember him for "Match Game." RICHARD ZUELCH Lakewood I was lucky enough to know Charles Nelson Reilly. He was a loving, funny and caring guy. He was a great teacher and a wonderful director. I remember one day, I was shopping at Ralphs on Coldwater and Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

A lot of familiar faces are popping up this weekend on the small screen, including James Garner, Charles Nelson Reilly and Sarah, Duchess of York. Garner returns as L.A. private detective Jim Rockford in the new CBS movie "The Rockford Files: Murder and Misdemeanors," Friday at 8 p.m. on Channel 2. Charles Nelson Reilly reprises his "X-Files" role as author Jose Chung on Fox's "Millennium," Friday at 9 p.m. on Channel 11.

Sitting down to talk about his life in show business, Charles Nelson Reilly begins: "Paris. I was born in Paris." His face, however, indicates otherwise. Blooming there is one of his trademark grins, which seems to defy human musculature by stretching in a long, tight line from one jaw socket to the other. Truth is, the 69-year-old comic actor confesses, he was born in the Bronx. He'll get to that in a minute; but in the meantime, why not have a little fun? "I have a good time," he says.

A lot of familiar faces are popping up this weekend on the small screen, including James Garner, Charles Nelson Reilly and Sarah, Duchess of York. Garner returns as L.A. private detective Jim Rockford in the new CBS movie "The Rockford Files: Murder and Misdemeanors," Friday at 8 p.m. on Channel 2. Charles Nelson Reilly reprises his "X-Files" role as author Jose Chung on Fox's "Millennium," Friday at 9 p.m. on Channel 11.