Charles Nelson Reilly dies at 76

Charles Nelson Reilly was one of those celebrities whose name was widely recognized, but many folks--especially younger ones--had little idea what he was actually famous for. In fact, mention of his name over the past ten years often provoked the response "He's still alive?"

Sadly, that statement is now accurate as Reilly died this past Friday from pneumonia after a year long illness. His only survivor is his partner Patrick Hughes III, whom Reilly met in the early 80's on a gameshow called Battlestars.

I think what's most important to remember about Reilly is that he provided a stepping stone between the era of completely closeted actors and today when T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris can be openly gay. Yes, Reilly was a somewhat campy figure, but for many gay men of the 70's he was daring and was a role model when there were precious few. Homophobia likely robbed him of the career he should have had, but he persevered nonetheless and improved life for those gay men who came after him.

Like many somewhat famous people, by the end of his life Reilly was well-known for mostly one thing, but actually had a multi-faceted career, much of which is long forgotten. In Reilly's case, he was tagged as the game show guy (along with Paul Lynde) having appeared on Match Game from 1972-1982. Reilly later lamented that being associated with the game show killed his serious acting career which included a Tony Award. In a 2001 interview with The Advocate Reilly said. "You can't do anything else once you do game shows. You have no career."

Like Hollywood Squares' Lynde, Reilly often adopted an exaggerated, campy persona on air. But Reilly also appeared dozens of times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and had roles on shows as diverse as McMillan and Wife (with Rock Hudson), The X-Files, and Spongebob Squarepants.

Reilly didn't officially come out until his one man stage show Save It For the Stage: The Life of Reilly in 1999, but Reilly also said he never hid his sexuality and was even told being so openly gay hurt his career. The name for his play was inspired by his mother who used to interrupt him while speaking by telling him to "Save it for the stage".

Some other Reilly facts:

• At age thirteen survived the Hartford Circus Fire which killed nearly 200 audience members. Reilly refused to ever sit in an audience again
• Got his stage break in a minor role in Bye Bye Birdie in 1960
  
• Won a Tony for his role in 1962's How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
• As an acting teacher taught Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler
• Received a Best Director Tony nomination in 1997