The problem of reliable control for T-S fuzzy descriptor systems with time-delay is investigated. A more practical model of actuator failures than outage is considered. Based on linear matrix inequality approach, a method of designing a less conservative reliable controller is proposed. The resultant control system is regular, impulse-free and stable for all admissible uncertainties when all control components are operational. In fact, these property of the proposed control systems still hold even when some control components experience failures. Moreover, the result extends the case of observer-based reliable fuzzy control. Two numerical examples are also given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedures.