Bill Daily

William Edward Daily August 30 1927 September 4 2018 was an American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie 19651970 and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show 19721978 Daily was born in Des Moines Iowa and raised in Chicago Illinois He began his career as a musician playing upright bass with jazz bands in numerous clubs across the Midwest In the early 1960s he began to pursue an acting career appearing in guest roles on several television series In 1965 Daily was cast as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie Healey was the best friend and sidekick of astronaut Tony Nelson Larry Hagman The show was a huge success and Daily became a household name After I Dream of Jeannie ended in 1970 Daily starred in the shortlived sitcom The Good Guys 19701971 He then went on to play Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show Borden was a commercial airline navigator who was friends with the title character a psychologist Bob Newhart The show was also a success and Daily received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1977 Daily continued to work in television throughout the 1980s and 1990s appearing in guest roles on shows such as Cheers Night Court and The Golden Girls He also starred in the shortlived sitcoms Its Not Easy 1983 and The Good Life 1994 In addition to his work in television Daily also appeared in several films including The Love Bug 1968 The Out of Towners 1970 and The Muppet Movie 1979