Goodbye Charles Nelson Reilly

Hollywood has a bad habit of forcing actors into a neat little mold, constantly bombarding audiences with the same images of chiseled men and busty, superficial women. Charles Nelson Reilly was different. Quirky, irreverent, and always original, the eccentric pioneer lit up Broadway and won over millions as one of the loveable judges on ‘Match Game.’ .

Nelson Reilly broke onto the scene in 1962 with a Tony winning performance in “How To Succeed In Business Without Trying.” He continued to captivate Broadway audiences for a few years until surprising everyone and landing recurring roles on ‘The Steve Lawrence Show’ and ‘The Ghost And Mrs. Muir’; however, it wasn’t until a few years later that he finally found his niche.

‘Match Game’ was the perfect platform for Reilly’s bizarre and edgy humor. From catty arguments with Brett Summers to mocking Gene Rayburn, he quickly became the game show’s most recognizable star. It took a special performer to get away with gay sex double-entendres during the 1970s, and Charles Nelson was just that man.

After the long running program came to an end, Reilly stayed busy teaching acting and returning to the stage. He was even nominated for consecutive Emmy Awards in ’98 and ’99 for cameos in ‘The Drew Carey Show’ and ‘Millenium.’ Sadly, he developed a bad case of pneumonia and passed away on Friday. He was 76 years old.

Today, countless actors owe their fame to the bifocaled legend. His flamboyance and unequivocal originality paved the way for hundreds of effeminate performers to come. In fact, it was Nelson Reilly, himself, who said it best when he uttered, “I was told that I would never be allowed on television. Now I wanna know who I have to fuck to get off of it.”

Goodbye, Charles. You will be missed.