TOM BOSLEY
Name: Tom Edward Bosley
Born: 1 October 1927 Chicago, Illinois
Thomas Edward Bosley (born October 1, 1927) is an Emmy-nominated and Tony Award
winning American actor, best known on-stage for his work in Fiorello!, and for
his starring and supporting roles on television shows like Happy Days, Murder,
She Wrote and the Father Dowling Mysteries.
Bosley was born in Chicago, Illinois; he is Jewish. During World War II, Tom
Bosley served in the U.S. Navy. While attending DePaul University in Chicago in
1947, he made his stage debut in Our Town with the Canterbury Players at the
Fine Arts Theatre. Bosley performed at the Woodstock Opera House in Woodstock,
Illinois in 1949 and 1950 alongside Paul Newman.
Bosley's breakthrough stage role was New York's Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia in
the long-running Broadway musical Fiorello! (1959) for which he won a Tony Award.
In 1994, Tom originated the role of Maurice in the Broadway version of Disney's
Beauty & the Beast.
His first motion picture role was in 1963, as the would-be suitor of Natalie
Wood in Love with the Proper Stranger. Other films include The Triangle Factory
Fire Scandal. Bosley shared a heartfelt story about his experience with the
Holocaust in the documentary film Paper Clips.
Bosley is best known as Howard Cunningham, Richie Cunningham's father, in the
long-running television sitcom Happy Days. Bosley is also known for portraying
Sheriff Amos Tupper on Murder, She Wrote. He also portrayed the titular Father
Frank Dowling on the TV mystery series, Father Dowling Mysteries. In 2004,
Bosley guest starred as a toy maker named Ben-Ami on the series finale of the
Christian video series K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments. Among myriad television
appearances, one notable early performance was in the "Eyes" segment of the 1969
pilot episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, directed by Steven Spielberg and
starring Joan Crawford. In 2008, Bosley will star in the television drama
Charlie & Me.
Bosley has several notable roles in animation, due to his resonant, fatherly yet
expressive tone. Bosley is the voice of Harry Boyle in the animated series, Wait
Till Your Father Gets Home. He provided the voice of the title character in the
1980s cartoon The World of David the Gnome, and voiced the shop owner Mr. Winkle
in the children's animated Christmas special The Tangerine Bear. He also
narrated the movie documentary series That's Hollywood. Additionally, he played
the narrator B.A.H. Humbug in the Rankin/Bass animated Christmas special The
Stingiest Man In Town.
He has endorsed Glad Trash Bags, D-Con, the IQ Computer and Sonic Drive-Ins, and
currently is the spokesman for SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation.
In 1984, Bosley guest-hosted the "Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular"
with local newscaster Pat Harper. Bosley was criticized for a lackluster
performance, exhibiting an apathetic expression, narrating in a hurried and
monotone style, and refusing to acknowledge ad lib conversational attempts by
his co-host. In a final gesture, Harper directly thanked Bosley for his
appearance, to which Bosley offered no response.
Name: Tom Edward Bosley
Born: 1 October 1927 Chicago, Illinois
Thomas Edward Bosley (born October 1, 1927) is an Emmy-nominated and Tony Award
winning American actor, best known on-stage for his work in Fiorello!, and for
his starring and supporting roles on television shows like Happy Days, Murder,
She Wrote and the Father Dowling Mysteries.
Bosley was born in Chicago, Illinois; he is Jewish. During World War II, Tom
Bosley served in the U.S. Navy. While attending DePaul University in Chicago in
1947, he made his stage debut in Our Town with the Canterbury Players at the
Fine Arts Theatre. Bosley performed at the Woodstock Opera House in Woodstock,
Illinois in 1949 and 1950 alongside Paul Newman.
Bosley's breakthrough stage role was New York's Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia in
the long-running Broadway musical Fiorello! (1959) for which he won a Tony Award.
In 1994, Tom originated the role of Maurice in the Broadway version of Disney's
Beauty & the Beast.
His first motion picture role was in 1963, as the would-be suitor of Natalie
Wood in Love with the Proper Stranger. Other films include The Triangle Factory
Fire Scandal. Bosley shared a heartfelt story about his experience with the
Holocaust in the documentary film Paper Clips.
Bosley is best known as Howard Cunningham, Richie Cunningham's father, in the
long-running television sitcom Happy Days. Bosley is also known for portraying
Sheriff Amos Tupper on Murder, She Wrote. He also portrayed the titular Father
Frank Dowling on the TV mystery series, Father Dowling Mysteries. In 2004,
Bosley guest starred as a toy maker named Ben-Ami on the series finale of the
Christian video series K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments. Among myriad television
appearances, one notable early performance was in the "Eyes" segment of the 1969
pilot episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, directed by Steven Spielberg and
starring Joan Crawford. In 2008, Bosley will star in the television drama
Charlie & Me.
Bosley has several notable roles in animation, due to his resonant, fatherly yet
expressive tone. Bosley is the voice of Harry Boyle in the animated series, Wait
Till Your Father Gets Home. He provided the voice of the title character in the
1980s cartoon The World of David the Gnome, and voiced the shop owner Mr. Winkle
in the children's animated Christmas special The Tangerine Bear. He also
narrated the movie documentary series That's Hollywood. Additionally, he played
the narrator B.A.H. Humbug in the Rankin/Bass animated Christmas special The
Stingiest Man In Town.
He has endorsed Glad Trash Bags, D-Con, the IQ Computer and Sonic Drive-Ins, and
currently is the spokesman for SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation.
In 1984, Bosley guest-hosted the "Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular"
with local newscaster Pat Harper. Bosley was criticized for a lackluster
performance, exhibiting an apathetic expression, narrating in a hurried and
monotone style, and refusing to acknowledge ad lib conversational attempts by
his co-host. In a final gesture, Harper directly thanked Bosley for his
appearance, to which Bosley offered no response.