Harold Gould

**Harold Vernon Gould** (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010) was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom *Rhoda* (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom *The Golden Girls* (1989–92). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Gould acted in film and television for nearly 50 years, appearing in more than 300 television shows, 20 major motion pictures, and over 100 stage plays. He was known for playing elegant, well-dressed men (as in *The Sting*), and he regularly played Jewish characters and grandfather-type figures on television and in film.[1]

Gould made his film debut in *Two for the Seesaw* but was not credited for his work; his first credited role was a small part in *The Coach* (both 1962). He gradually found more work and gained roles in *The Yellow Canary*, a Rod Serling movie with Pat Boone, Jack Klugman, and Barbara Eden; *The Satan Bug*; *Inside Daisy Clover*; and *Harper*, starring Paul Newman.

Gould worked steadily in television in the 1960s and early 1970s, including roles in *Dennis the Menace*, *Dr. Kildare*, *Hazel*, *The Twilight Zone*, *The Donna Reed Show*, *Get Smart*, *Hogan's Heroes*, *I Dream Of Jeannie*, *The F.B.I.*, *The Big Valley*, *Cannon. Get Smart* and *Mission: Impossible*. Gould originated the role of Marlo Thomas's father Lou in the 1965 pilot for *That Girl*, but the series role went to Lew Parker. He appeared in *The Long, Hot Summer* and *He & She*, two short-lived television series. Gould also acted in a pilot, later broadcast as a 1972 episode of *Love, American Style* titled "Love and the Happy Days" as Howard Cunningham, the frustrated father of a young man named Richie Cunningham (played by Ron Howard).[5]

When ABC turned that episode into a series called *Happy Days*, Gould was tabbed to reprise the Howard Cunningham role. However, when production was delayed, he went abroad to perform in a play. Midway through the play's run, after learning *Happy Days* was ready to begin shooting, he decided to honor his commitment to the stage production and passed on the part, which led to Tom Bosley being cast as the family patriarch. Gould would later state that a requirement to shave his beard was also a factor in his declining the role.[6]

Gould had worked in television and film for almost fifteen years before his career really took off with his portrayal of Kid Twist in *The Sting* (1973); he appeared in Woody Allen's *Love and Death* (1975); as the villainous head of a conglomerate in *Silent Movie* (1976, directed by Mel Brooks), and made guest appearances on television shows such as *Hawaii Five-O* (multiple appearances as Honore Vashon, one of the series' most memorable villains), *Petrocelli*, *The Love Boat* and *Soap*, where he played the hospital roommate of Jody Dallas (Billy Crystal) who has suicidal feelings while deciding whether or not to undergo a sex change.

In 1972, Gould was cast as Martin Morgenstern, the father of Mary's best friend Rhoda, in an episode of *The Mary Tyler Moore Show*. He reprised the role the following year and was hired as a regular when *Rhoda* became a spin-off in 1974. Gould appeared in the short-lived 1977 series *The Feather and Father Gang*, starring as Harry Danton, a smooth-talking ex-con man, with Stefanie Powers as Toni "Feather" Danton, his daughter and a hard-working, successful lawyer. The show was canceled after 13 episodes, and Gould returned to *Rhoda* for the remainder of its run.

Gould also appeared in the miniseries *Washington: Behind Closed Doors*. In the 1980 NBC miniseries *The Scarlett O'Hara War*, he portrayed Louis B. Mayer and gained an Emmy nomination. He appeared as Chad Lowe's grandfather in *Spencer*, and played a Jewish widower wooing the Christian Katharine Hepburn in *Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry*. Other roles included a married man having an affair with another member of his Yiddish-speaking club in an episode of the PBS series *The Sunset Years*, and as the owner of a deli grooming two African-American men to inherit his business in *Singer & Sons*.[4] Gould received Emmy nominations for his roles in *Rhoda*, *Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry* and *Moviola*.

Gould played Miles Webber, the steadfast suitor of Rose Nylund (Betty White) on the NBC series *The Golden Girls* (he also played another of Rose's boyfriends, Arnie, in the show's first season). He portrayed the father of a villain called The Prankster on *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman* and made guest appearances on television series such as *Felicity*, *The King of Queens*, *Touched by an Angel*, and *Judging Amy*. Gould's film roles in the 1990s and 2000s include appearances in *Stuart Little*, *Patch Adams*, *The Master of Disguise*, the 2003 remake of *Freaky Friday*, *Nobody's Perfect*, and *Whisper of the Heart*.

His stage credits include Broadway theatre plays such as Jules Feiffer's *Grown Ups*, Neil Simon's *Fools*, Richard Baer's *Mixed Emotions*, and Tom Stoppard's *Artist Descending a Staircase*. Gould won an Obie Award in 1969 for his work in *The Increased Difficulty of Concentration*, written by Václav Havel, and reprised the role for a 1988 PBS version of the play.[1] Gould was an early and longtime (48 years) member of Theatre West, the oldest membership theatre company in Los Angeles.[7] He played Mr. Green in Jeff Baron's *Visiting Mr. Green" at the Pasadena Playhouse.*