David Fitzgerald Doyle was born in Lincoln, Nebraska December 1, 1929. He was the son of Mary Ruth Fitzgerald and Lewis Raymond (Lum) Doyle, a prominent Lincoln attorney. His maternal grandfather was John Fitzgerald, a prominent banker and railroad builder in Nebraska. His paternal grandfather was T. J. Doyle, also an attorney. He was one of three ...
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David Fitzgerald Doyle was born in Lincoln, Nebraska December 1, 1929. He was the son of Mary Ruth Fitzgerald and Lewis Raymond (Lum) Doyle, a prominent Lincoln attorney. His maternal grandfather was John Fitzgerald, a prominent banker and railroad builder in Nebraska. His paternal grandfather was T. J. Doyle, also an attorney. He was one of three children, including brother John, an attorney, and sister Mary, an actress. He grew up in Lincoln and attended Cathedral grade school. He then went to Campion, a Jesuit prep school in Wisconsin. He made his acting debut at age six and played children's roles in local productions. He was a member of the Community Theater in Lincoln. He was in Life with Father (1947). Doyle entered the University of Nebraska in 1945 and he was expected to become a lawyer, as had four generations of Doyles. But the young Doyle preferred to spend him time in the theater department. A fellow classmate at the University of Nebraska was Johnny Carson. Doyle appeared frequently on his college buddy's late night talk show during the 1960s. Doyle ranked sixth in the state on his law school entrance exams. But the theater still called him and he chose acting over a career in law. He moved to New York after college. He got his break in 1956 when he replaced Walter Matthau in the Broadway production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957). His first wife, Rachel, died after injuries in a freak fall from a stairway in 1968. While doing a revival of "South Pacific" a year later, he met Anne Nathan and they were married. After Broadway, Doyle moved to California and was cast as Walt Fitzgerald in the television series, Bridget Loves Bernie (1972). A string of character roles followed, and Doyle is probably best remembered as the lovable private detective, Bosley, on the Charlie's Angels (1976) series. Doyle couldn't escape the legal profession and portrayed an attorney, Ted Holmes, on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital (1963) during 1986. Doyle is best remembered for his distinctive, raspy voice which earned him the voice role in several animated series and movies. He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on February 26, 1997 at age 67. Show less «
[on his Confusion with Tom Bosley]People congratulate me for playing the father on 'Happy Days' and ...Show more »
[on his Confusion with Tom Bosley]People congratulate me for playing the father on 'Happy Days' and they want to know how the Fonz is and if he acts like that in real life? I tell them "no, that's Tom Bosley" and since people don't listen they go on to say how much they liked me playing Mayor LaGuardia on Broadway in Fiorello. I end up signing my autograph, "Tom Bosley". Show less «
[on his character name 'Bosley' on Charlie's Angels (1976)]:When I first saw the name 'Bosley' on my...Show more »
[on his character name 'Bosley' on Charlie's Angels (1976)]:When I first saw the name 'Bosley' on my script, I said 'No, this has gotta go'. They told me 'Listen David, this is just for the pilot film we can always change the name when he go to series'. I am a gentle compliant fellow and I even agreed when they said my character's name would be 'John Bosley', which if you say it fast it sounds like Tom Bosley, why not have it be Roger or Richard so it doesn't sound so close? Show less «