Charles Nelson Reilly

 Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13, 1931 – May 25, 2007)

As a boy, Reilly developed a love for opera and desired to become an opera singer. He entered the Hartt School of Music as a voice major but eventually 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. Reilly made his film debut in 1957, with an uncredited role in A Face in the Crowd, directed by Elia Kazan, though most of his early career was spent on the stage. His big break came in 1960 with the enormously successful original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. In the groundbreaking musical, Reilly had a small onstage part, and was the standby for Dick Van Dyke in the leading role of Albert Peterson. While he kept active in Broadway shows, Reilly would soon become better known for his TV work, appearing regularly on television in the 1960's. For example, he appeared both as one of the What's My Line? Mystery Guests and as a panelist on that popular Sunday night CBS-TV program. In 1965, he made regular appearances on The Steve Lawrence Show, which aired for a single season. Television commercials he made throughout the 1960's and 1970's included Excedrin and Bic Banana Ink Crayons, in which he wore a banana costume. Reilly also appeared as a regular on The Dean Martin Show, and had multiple guest appearances on television series including McMillan & Wife; The Patty Duke Show; Here's Lucy; Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In; The Love Boat; and Love, American Style. Reilly was perhaps best known as a fixture of game shows, primarily due to his appearances as a regular panelist on the television game show Match Game.

In 1990 he directed episodes of Evening Shade. Reilly also made guest appearances in the 1990s on The Drew Carey Show, The Larry Sanders Show, Family Matters, Second Noah, and as eccentric writer Jose Chung in the television series The X-Files ("Jose Chung's From Outer Space"), and Millennium ("Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense"). Reilly died of pneumonia at his home on May 25, 2007, and his body was cremated.