Thomas Edward Bosley (1 October 1927-19 October 2010) 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's breakthrough stage role was New York's Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia 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.
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