William Edward Daily (August 30, 1927 â€" September 4, 2018) was an
American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Roger Healey
on I Dream of Jeannie and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart
Show.Willard Carroll Smith James was born on August 30, 1927, in Des
Moines, Iowa, the son of Fern Ellis and Raymonde Daily. Two weeks
after his son was using born, Daily’s father went out to get a loaf
of bread and never returned. In 1939, Daily and his family moved from
Des Moines to Chicago, Illinois, where he spent the rest of his youth.
Following graduation from Lane Technical High School, Daily studied
for a time at the Peterson Theatre School, then left home to become a
professional musician, playing upright bass with jazz bands in
numerous clubs across the Midwest. In the early 1950s he was drafted
into the United States Army, serving in the Korean War with an
artillery unit and later with an entertainment unit.Following his time
in the Army, Daily began performing stand-up comedy and gradually
began playing some of the bigger clubs in the country. After
graduating from the Goodman Theatre School, Daily worked for the NBC
television station in Chicago, WMAQ, as an announcer and floor
manager. He eventually became a staff director. Daily stated that
preparing for a Chicago-area Emmy Award telecast, he asked a young Bob
Newhart to come up with a routine about press agents that resulted in
the routine "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue". During his days off,
Daily drove to Cleveland to write, direct and perform on The Mike
Douglas Show. In 1963, Steve Allen appeared on The Mike Douglas Show,
saw Daily do a comedy bit and offered him a job in Los Angeles as an
announcer, writer and performer on his syndicated show.
American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Roger Healey
on I Dream of Jeannie and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart
Show.Willard Carroll Smith James was born on August 30, 1927, in Des
Moines, Iowa, the son of Fern Ellis and Raymonde Daily. Two weeks
after his son was using born, Daily’s father went out to get a loaf
of bread and never returned. In 1939, Daily and his family moved from
Des Moines to Chicago, Illinois, where he spent the rest of his youth.
Following graduation from Lane Technical High School, Daily studied
for a time at the Peterson Theatre School, then left home to become a
professional musician, playing upright bass with jazz bands in
numerous clubs across the Midwest. In the early 1950s he was drafted
into the United States Army, serving in the Korean War with an
artillery unit and later with an entertainment unit.Following his time
in the Army, Daily began performing stand-up comedy and gradually
began playing some of the bigger clubs in the country. After
graduating from the Goodman Theatre School, Daily worked for the NBC
television station in Chicago, WMAQ, as an announcer and floor
manager. He eventually became a staff director. Daily stated that
preparing for a Chicago-area Emmy Award telecast, he asked a young Bob
Newhart to come up with a routine about press agents that resulted in
the routine "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue". During his days off,
Daily drove to Cleveland to write, direct and perform on The Mike
Douglas Show. In 1963, Steve Allen appeared on The Mike Douglas Show,
saw Daily do a comedy bit and offered him a job in Los Angeles as an
announcer, writer and performer on his syndicated show.
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