The semi-regular

Actor Bill Daily, best known in game shows for his semi-regular role on Match Game, has died at age 91.

In his acting career Daily achieved his greatest success as a supporting player on classic sitcoms I Dream of Genie and The Bob Newhart Show. He was never exactly a star, but he knew how to make the stars look better. The knack for a supporting role was also important on Match Game. He did hundreds of episodes and even occupied the front-and-center Dawson seat for a while after Richard Dawson, well, vacated the premises.

For my taste he was a little too needy for the audience's approval. But he was amiable and witty, and he helped the show along, which is what a supporting player is supposed to do. He certainly knew how to operate on an ensemble show that depended on input from all the celebs.

So many of Match Game's notable panelists are gone now. The classic 1973-82 version is my pick for the best game show of all time, as readers of this blog know well. The show has hardly fallen into obscurity, with dozens of showings each week on GSN and Buzzr and many episodes available on YouTube. So Bill Daily's work on the show still lives. R.I.P.