Tom Bower, ‘The Waltons’ and ‘Die Hard 2’ Actor, Dead at 86
Written by Rtradio on June 6, 2024
After a Hollywood career spanning 50 years, Tom Bower has died.
The longtime actor, whose nearly 200 acting credits included janitor Marvin in Die Hard 2, The Office, and Grey’s Anatomy, died on May 30, his sister-in-law, Mary Miller, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. She said he died in his sleep at his Los Angeles home at age 86.
“I am sadly confirming,” his rep, Marsha McManus, told ET. “The three most important things in Tom’s life were: His wife Ursula. Acting was second. And third was his passion for other actors and contracts for fairness. He was an exceptional human being.”
Bower got his acting start in an unnamed role for a 1973 TV movie. The Colorado native went on to appear in films like the Bruce Willis-led sequel, Anthony Hopkins‘ Nixon, North Country starring Charlize Theron and Jeff Bridges‘ Crazy Heart. On television, he was a familiar face with roles on The Rockford Files, The X-Files, The West Wing, Monk, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Bower’s longest run was on the 1970s historical drama, The Waltons, as Dr. Curtis Willard. According to Bower, his character was killed off after he asked for a raise.
“I asked for a very small raise, so they sent me to Pearl Harbor,” he said in a 2022 interview with his former co-star, Judy Norton, who played his character’s wife, Mary Ellen Walton. “Then, when they decided to bring the character back, washed up on a shore somewhere — which I didn’t think was a great idea anyway — I asked for the same small raise… They just cast a different actor.”
Bower was married to his wife, Ursula, for 51 years before her death in August 2023 at age 75, per The Hollywood Reporter. Among his survivors are his two children, Viveca and Rob, and his four grandchildren.
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