The Bronx-born, Connecticut-raised performer got his start in summer theater in 1950.Honing his craft in numerous productions and under the tutelage of Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen, Reilly was more than prepared when he made his NYC in a 1956 revival of the musical Best Foot Forward.
In 1960, he was featured in the Jerry Herman revue Parade and later went on to understudy both Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde in the hit musical Bye Bye Birdie. The following year, Reilly had his breakthrough musical role, earning a Tony Award as Bud Frump, the insidious nephew of a corporate head (Rudy Vallee) in the Pulitzer-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Now an established Broadway player, he was cast as the ambitious office clerk Cornelius Hackl in the Jerry Herman musical Hello, Dolly (1964), for which he picked up a Tony nomination. While Reilly has been vocal about the problems of the production (particularly with director Gower Champion and star Carol Channing), he did have the benefit of playing opposite Eileen Brennan with whom he performed a cabaret act. After the quick closing of the ill-fated musical Skyscraper (which introduced him to star Julie Harris), Reilly more or less abandoned the stage for the small screen. He had a small role in it and was the standby for the lead actor, Dick Van Dyke. Charles Nelson Reilly was an American comedian, drama teacher, and stage and TV director, best known for his appearances on TV game shows. Reilly was born in the Bronx, New York, and was raised in Connecticut. He moved to New York to work in theater and essayed various roles in both Off Broadway and Broadway productions, some of which earned him awards and nominations. Later, he joined the TV industry in California and made a name for himself as an amusing, humorous talk-show guest and game-show panelist. Charles Nelson Reilly Imdb Series And ChildrensHe also starred in a number of TV series and childrens shows. Reilly directed a number of successful plays and TV show episodes, too. Reilly is most remembered for his appearance on the game show Match Game. He was a drama teacher at HB Studio and at the Burt Reynolds Institute. During his later years, he toured the country with his much-acclaimed autobiographical one-man show. He had never hidden much about his sexual orientation, and much later in his career, he openly admitted to being homosexual. He died of pneumonia at the age of 76 and is survived by his partner Patrick Hughes III. His father, Charles Joseph Reilly, a Catholic of Irish origin, was a commercial artist. After his father suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be put under institutional care, Reilly and his mother moved to Hartford, Connecticut. Reilly, who was 13 years old then, was in the audience at that time, but survived the fire. However, after that incident, he could never sit amid a large audience. Since childhood, he was interested in theater, especially opera, and wished to become an opera singer someday. He attended the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Charles Nelson Reilly Imdb Professional Opera SingerHe soon realized that he was not gifted enough to be a professional opera singer. However, his interest in opera stayed with him throughout his life. At 18, Reilly went to New York City to join HB Studio, the acting school of Herbert Berghof and his actor wife, Uta Hagen. During the 1950s, he regularly performed comic roles at the Starlight Theatre, in Kansas City, Missouri. Reilly made his Broadway debut with the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie.
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