Charles Nelson Reilly

Charles Nelson Reilly has died. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Hills, California. The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his partner, Patrick Hughes, who is his only immediate survivor. Mr. Reilly had been ill for more than a year, he said.

If you're like me, you remember him best from the Match Game. I remember being surprised to see one of those recently (a rerun of course) where they mentioned his directing The Belle of Amherst. He was actually a Tony-winning actor, and an honored director, nominated for Tonys several times in both categories. He was an acting teacher, as well; among his pupils were Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler. He was nominated for Emmys for acting in the Drew Carey Show and Millenium. Last year his one-man show 'Save it for the Stage: the Life of Reilly' was made into a movie which is out now in art houses and indies - see it if you can.

His NYT obit concludes:

Mr. Reilly’s openly gay persona was many years ahead of its time on television, and it had its risks. He recalled being dismissed early in his career by a network executive, who told him that “they don’t let queers on television.” Paul Linke, who directed the one-man show, said Mr. Reilly later had the last laugh when he would page through TV Guide and count how many times he was on the air that week.