Bill Daily
Actor · Died September 4, 2018, aged 91 · Des Moines, Iowa, USA
William Edward Daily (August 30, 1927 – September 4, 2018) was an American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970) and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978). Daily was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career as a musician, playing upright bass with jazz bands in numerous clubs across the Midwest. In the early 1960s, he began to pursue an acting career, appearing in guest roles on several television series. In 1965, Daily was cast as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie. Healey was the best friend and sidekick of astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman). The show was a huge success, and Daily became a household name. After I Dream of Jeannie ended in 1970, Daily starred in the short-lived sitcom The Good Guys (1970–1971). He then went on to play Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show. Borden was a commercial airline navigator who was friends with the title character, a psychologist (Bob Newhart). The show was also a success, and Daily received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1977. Daily continued to work in television throughout the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in guest roles on shows such as Cheers, Night Court, and The Golden Girls. He also starred in the short-lived sitcoms It's Not Easy (1983) and The Good Life (1994). In addition to his work in television, Daily also appeared in several films, including The Love Bug (1968), The Out of Towners (1970), and The Muppet Movie (1979).
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 30, 1927
- September 4, 2018 (aged 91)
- Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- Actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Known for
What are Bill Daily's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 2
Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 1
Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 3 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Major Roger Healey in I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
- Allyas Howard Borden in The Bob Newhart Show (1972)
- Allyas Colonel Roger Healey in I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991)
- Mentoras GrandPa in Horrorween (2011)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Bill Daily's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Bill Daily's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
35 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Horrorween(2011)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
George & Leo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Caroline in the City(1995)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
The Naked Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
A Bewitched Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Bob (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
I Still Dream of Jeannie(1991)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Starting From Scratch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Hooperman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
ALF(1986)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
The Comedy Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Small & Frye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Newhart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Powers of Matthew Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Aloha Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Valentine Magic on Love Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Rendezvous Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
$weepstake$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Flying High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Murder at the Mardi Gras (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
CHiPs(1977)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
The Bob Newhart Show(1972)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all showsGetting Together (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Inside O.U.T. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
In Name Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
I Dream of Jeannie(1965)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
My Mother the Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Bewitched(1964)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Career shape
Star power in the 81st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1964 to 2012.
Film career
- 1965Screen debut· I Dream of Jeannie
- 1991First film· Alligator 2: The Mutation
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Bill Daily's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 23rd percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 19th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 48/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 33. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Bill Daily work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bill Daily's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Barbara Eden shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Sidney SheldonShared titles: I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991), I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Sidney Sheldon
Actors
- Barbara EdenShared titles: I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991), I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985), I Dream of Jeannie (1965)See all 3 shared titles with Barbara Eden
- Hayden RorkeShared titles: I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985), I Dream of Jeannie (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Hayden Rorke
