Charles Nelson Reilly II (January , â€" May , ) was an American
actor, comedian, director, and drama teacher known for his comedic
roles on stage and in films, television shows, and cartoons. He was in
the original Broadway casts of Bye Bye Birdie, How to Succeed in
Business Without Really Trying, and Hello, Dolly!. He's best known for
his television work on Match Game. One of his last works was an
auto-biographical one-man play Save It for the Stage: The Life of
Reilly that was filmed as an independent movie.Reilly was born in The
Bronx, the son of Charles Joseph Reilly, an Irish Catholic commercial
artist, and Signe Elvera Nelson, a Swedish Lutheran. When young, he
often made his own puppet theater to amuse himself, and his mother
often told him to "save it for the stage".At age thirteen, he survived
the Hartford circus fire which killed people in Connecticut, and he
never sat in an audience again throughout the remainder of his life.
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 Johnny Carson show and other such venues, that
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 assured him
“but you know, these things always work out ok†.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 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. 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.
actor, comedian, director, and drama teacher known for his comedic
roles on stage and in films, television shows, and cartoons. He was in
the original Broadway casts of Bye Bye Birdie, How to Succeed in
Business Without Really Trying, and Hello, Dolly!. He's best known for
his television work on Match Game. One of his last works was an
auto-biographical one-man play Save It for the Stage: The Life of
Reilly that was filmed as an independent movie.Reilly was born in The
Bronx, the son of Charles Joseph Reilly, an Irish Catholic commercial
artist, and Signe Elvera Nelson, a Swedish Lutheran. When young, he
often made his own puppet theater to amuse himself, and his mother
often told him to "save it for the stage".At age thirteen, he survived
the Hartford circus fire which killed people in Connecticut, and he
never sat in an audience again throughout the remainder of his life.
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 Johnny Carson show and other such venues, that
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 assured him
“but you know, these things always work out ok†.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 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. 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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