Actor Joseph Bova, who was Prince Dauntless the Drab in Broadway's original production of "Once Upon a Mattress," has died. He was 81.

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Bova died of emphysema March 12 at the Actors' Fund retirement home in Englewood, N.J., the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Although he never became a major star, Bova worked steadily on the stage, in film and on television.

He appeared opposite Carol Burnett as they made their Broadway debuts in "Once Upon a Mattress" in 1959. He also appeared in many productions of the New York Shakespeare Festival including "King Richard III,""The Comedy of Errors,""Troilus and Cressida,""Love's Labour's Lost" and "Twelfth Night."

His other stage roles included "St. Joan,""Invitation to a Beheading" and "The Chinese," for which he won a Tony nomination in 1970. He also played Bert Barry for the entire "42nd Street" run from 1980 to 1989.

Bova appeared in numerous movies and TV series, and performed hundreds of voice-overs.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a stepson, a brother and a sister.