Tom Bosley (born October 1, 1927) is an American actor. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. The 1930 census of New Trier, Cook County, Illinois, shows Tom as age 2 1/2 with his parents Benjamin and Dora.
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. He 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.
He is best known as Howard Cunningham, Richie Cunningham's father, in the long running 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.
Bosley has several notable roles in animation, due to his resonant, fatherly yet expressive tone. He 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 David the Gnome. He voiced the shop owner Mr. Winkle in the children's Christmas cartoon special The Tangerine Bear.
He has endorsed Glad Trash Bags, D-Con, and Sonic Drive-Ins and currently is the spokesman for SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation.
Bosley shared a heartfelt story about his experience with the Holocaust in the documentary film Paper Clips. Other films include The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal.
