Bill Daily Net Worth

William Edward Daily Jr. professionally known as Bill Daily was an American actor, comedian who appeared on numerous television sitcoms. He was best known for playing astronaut Roger Healey on “I Dream of Jeannie”. Bill Daily net worth at the time of his death is estimated to be $4 million

Bill was born on August 30, 1927 in Iowa, United States. After his father died when he was young, he was mostly raised by his parents. After completing high school, he was drafted into United States Army and served some time in Korean War.

Bill’s interest in comedy and music developed during his travelling time when he began performing in bigger clubs in the country. His first job in entertainment line came as an announcer and floor manager for the NBC television station in Chicago.

Bill’s initial television career started working as a guest star on television shows like My Mother the Car, The Farmer’s Daughter and Bewitched. After his impressive work, he was hired for a supporting role on “I Dream of Jeannie”. But after the show was cancelled two years later, he got a role of Howard Borden in “The Bob Newhart Show”.

After that he appeared on several Television sitcoms like Love, American Style, Flying High, CHIps, The love Boat, Aloha Paradise, Trapper John, M.D., Small & Frye, I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later, ALF, Newhart, The Munsters Today,  Bob, George and Leo, The Naked Truth, Caroline in the City and many more.

Bill is married three times. He first married Patricia Anderson in 1949 but he divorced in 1976. In 1980, he married Vivian Sanchez and that also resulted in divorce. In 1993, he married Becky Daily. He remained together until her death in 2010. Daily has two adopted children, a son Patrick and a daughter Kimberley.

On September 4, 2018 in New Mexico, Bill Daily died at the age 91. His death was announced by his family three days later.

Bill Daily Net Worth: $4 million

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Early Life and Education

William Edward Daily was born on August 30, 1927, in Des Moines, Iowa. His early childhood was marked by adversity when his father left home two weeks after Bill’s birth and never returned, leaving his mother Fern Ellis Daily to raise him and his brother John during the Great Depression. In 1939, the family relocated to Chicago, where Bill attended Lane Technical High School. He pursued theatrical training at the Peterson Theatre School and the Chicago Academy of Music.

Before acting, Daily played upright bass with jazz bands in Midwest clubs, performing with a group called “Jack and the Beanstalks.” During the Korean War, he served in the United States Army, initially with an artillery unit before transferring to an entertainment unit where he performed alongside accordion player Dick Contino. After his discharge, he studied at the Goodman Theatre School in Chicago and began developing stand-up comedy. He also worked at WMAQ-NBC in Chicago as an announcer, floor manager, and eventually staff director and writer.

Career Highlights

Bill Daily’s breakthrough came when Steve Allen witnessed his comedy at WMAQ and brought him to Los Angeles. A 1964 guest appearance on “Bewitched” caught the attention of producer Sidney Sheldon, who cast him in the pilot of “I Dream of Jeannie.” From September 1965, Daily starred as Major Roger Healey alongside Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman for five seasons and 139 episodes. His impeccable comic timing made the show one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1960s.

In 1972, Daily was cast as Howard Borden on “The Bob Newhart Show,” running for six seasons and 142 episodes on CBS. Interestingly, Daily and Newhart had known each other in Chicago, where Newhart had been Daily’s accountant. Daily appeared in 140 of the show’s 142 episodes. He reprised Major Healey in two reunion movies (1985, 1991), played Dr. Larry Dykstra on “ALF” (1986-1990), and made guest appearances on “Newhart,” “Bob,” “George and Leo,” and “Caroline in the City.” From 2006-2009, he hosted a radio show in Albuquerque.

Personal Life

Daily married Patricia Anderson in 1949, lasting until 1976. He had two adopted children: Patrick and Kimberley (who predeceased her father). He married Vivian Sanchez in 1980, touring together in the theatrical production “Lover’s Leap” and having a daughter, Becca. In 1993, he married his third wife, Becky, who passed away in 2010. Bill Daily died on September 4, 2018, at age ninety-one, at his son’s home near Santa Fe, New Mexico, leaving behind a legacy as one of television’s most successful supporting actors.