The Associated Press: Veteran character actor Harold Gould dies at 86

Veteran character actor Harold Gould dies at 86

Two bits of trivia you may not know about this actor from upstate New York:

1. He was the original Howard Cunningham, the dad on on "Happy Days." Although he didn't play the role on that series, the show itself was based on a segment of "Love, American Style." The actors who played Mrs. Cunningham, Richie, and Potsie in that episode of "LAS" were retained for the "Happy Days" series, but Gould had moved on to other commitments. (It's not like he ever needed a job. He was ubiquitous in early 70s TV.)

2. He had a Ph.D. from Cornell, and taught at several universities before he was able to be a full-time actor.