BILOXI, Miss. — Gary ­Collins, an actor, television show host, and former master of ceremonies for the Miss America pageant, died Saturday at 74, authorities said.

Mr. Collins, a resident of Biloxi, died of natural causes just before 1 a.m. Saturday ­after he was admitted Friday to Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

During the 1980s, Mr. Collins hosted the Miss America pageant and the television shows ‘‘Hour Magazine’’ — for which he won a Daytime Emmy — and ‘‘The Home Show.’’

As an actor, he appeared in numerous movies and was a fixture on television in the 1960s and 1970s, playing a variety of guest roles in comedies and dramas, including ‘‘Perry Mason,’’ “The Love Boat,’’ and ‘‘Ironside.’’