Harold Gould

Harold Vernon Goldstein (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010), better known as Harold Gould, 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 (1985–92). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Gould acted in television, film, and theatre for more than 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.

Early life Gould was born in Schenectady, New York. He was the son of Louis Goldstein, a postal worker, and Lillian, a homemaker who did part-time work for the New York State Health Department. Gould was raised in the Jewish faith in Colonie, New York and was valedictorian of his high school class. He enrolled at Albany Teachers College upon graduation and studied to become a social studies or English public high school teacher.

After two years in college, Gould enlisted in the United States Army during World War II and saw combat in France in a chemical mortar battalion.

After the war, Gould returned to Albany Teachers College and changed his major to study drama and theatre and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947. He performed in summer stock theatre on Cape Cod, then decided to enroll at Cornell University to study drama and speech. Gould earned a Master of Arts degree in 1948 and a Ph.D. in theatre in 1953 from Cornell as well as meeting his future wife, Lea Vernon.

Career Upon graduation, Gould accepted a position at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he spent three years teaching and doing stage work.

In 1956, Gould was offered a professorship in the drama department at the University of California, Riverside, Gould agreed to reprise the role on the upcoming series Happy Days; however, when production of Happy Days was delayed, he went abroad to perform in a play. Midway through the that play's run, after learning the TV series was ready to begin shooting, he decided to honor his commitment to the stage production and passed on the role. This led to the role of Howard Cunningham being recast with Tom Bosley. Gould would later state that a requirement to shave the beard he wore at the time was another factor in his decision to decline the repeat role.

Gould had worked steadily in television and film for nearly fifteen years before his career began to gain momentum with his portrayal of "Kid Twist' in the fake horse racing gambling hall set up in The Sting (1973), winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture of that year. He went on to appear in Woody Allen's Love and Death (1975) and the Disney film Gus (1976). He was "Engulf," the villainous head of a conglomerate, in Silent Movie (1976), directed by Mel Brooks, and made guest appearances on television shows such as Petrocelli, The Love Boat and Soap where he played the hospital roommate of Jody Dallas (Billy Crystal).

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 MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer which gained him 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. He played Mr. Green in Jeff Baron's Visiting Mr. Green at the Pasadena Playhouse, and George Antrobus in Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" at the Old Globe Theater, which was broadcast on PBS' American Playhouse in 1983.

Death Gould died from prostate cancer on September 11, 2010. He had two sons, Joshua and Lowell, and a daughter, Deborah. He and Lea were married for 60 years.

Filmography

Films

Television Year Title Role Notes 1961 Dennis the Menace Tramp Season 3 Episode 5: "Haunted House" 1961 Dr. Kildare Frank the Cop (uncredited) Season 1 Episode 7: "The Lonely Ones" 1962 National Velvet Season 2 Episode 24: "The Rumor" 1962 The Donna Reed Show Cal Winslow Season 5 Episode 8: "Rebel with a Cause" 1962 The Eleventh Hour Paul Brauner Season 1 Episode 1: "Ann Costigan: A Duel on a Field of White" 1962 The Eleventh Hour Eric Stanger Judge Season 1 Episode 9: "Cry a Little for Mary Too" 1962 Hazel Mr. Prior Season 2 Episode 1: "Hazel's Cousin" 1962–1965 The Virginian Lacey / John Marshall Harrison / John Anderson / Adam Pendleton / Prosecutor Black / Prosecutor Tom Finney 6 episodes 1963 Dennis the Menace Mr. Sparks Season 4 Episode 29: "The Three F's" 1963 Dr. Kildare Dr. Peter Duey Season 2 Episode 25: "The Dark Side of the Mirror" 1963 The Eleventh Hour Judge Season 2 Episode 10: "The Bride Wore Pink" 1963 Empire Judge Will Season 1 Episode 14: "Stopover on the Way to the Moon" 1963 The Twilight Zone General Larrabee Season 5 Episode 9: "Probe 7, Over and Out" 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour District Attorney Season 2 Episode 11: "How to Get Rid of Your Wife" 1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Doctor Season 1 Episode 8: "The Double Affair" 1964 Perry Mason Lawrence West Season 8 Episode 11: "The Case of the Latent Lover" 1964–1965 The Jack Benny Show Director / Mr. Hunter, First IRS Man / DMV Clerk, Corrects Exam 5 episodes 1964 The Fugitive Eller, Interviewer Season 2 Episode 1: "Man in a Chariot" 1964 Gunsmoke Hadley Boake Season 10 Episode 5: "Doctor's Wife" 1964 Hazel TV Announcer Season 3 Episode 30: "Campaign Manager" 1964 Hazel Mr. Wheeler Season 4 Episode 1: "Never Trouble Trouble" 1965 Hazel Judge Winston Season 4 Episode 25: "George's Man Friday" 1965 Dr. Kildare Earl McCloskey Season 4 Episode 18: "Please Let My Baby Live" 1965 The Fugitive Dr. Willis Season 3 Episode 1: "Wings of an Angel" 1965 That Girl Lew Marie Season 1 Pilot Episode: "What's in a Name?" 1965 Mister Ed Psychiatrist Season 5 Episode 6: "Ed the Pilot" 1965–1972 The F.B.I. George Hale / Vincent Millard / Israel Jacobs / Martin Eldon / Doctor / Arnold Bruzzi / Dave Rice / Hans Hunter 7 episodes 1966 The Green Hornet Calvin Ryland Season 1 Episode 15: "May the Best Man Lose" 1966 Get Smart Hans Hunter Season 2 Episode 11: "The Island of the Darned" 1966 Hogan's Heroes General Von Lintzer Season 2 Episode 14: "Klink's Rocket" 1967 Hogan's Heroes General von Scheider Season 3 Episode 3: "D-Day at Stalag 13" 1967 The Fugitive Tom Crailer Season 4 Episode 18: "Concrete Evidence" 1967 The Invaders Dr. Paul Mailer Season 1 Episode 1: "The Experiment" 1967 The Invaders Allen Slater Season 2 Episode 6: "The Trial" 1967 The Flying Nun Father Sweeney Season 1 Episode 10: "With Love from Irving" 1967 The Wild Wild West Victor Freemantle Season 3 Episode 1: "The Night of the Bubbling Death" 1967 The Big Valley Major Wilson Season 2 Episode 30: "Cage of Eagles" 1967–1980 Insight God (Old Man) / Beggar / God / Jonathan / Morris Gertz / Eddie 7 episodes 1968 The Big Valley Judge William Daggett Captain Crawford / Harry Davis Season 3 Episode 26: "The Challenge" 1968 The Flying Nun Rabbi Mendez Season 2 Episode 3: "The Rabbi and the Nun" 1968 The Wild Wild West John Taney Season 4 Episode 11: "The Night of the Avaricious Actuary" 1969 The Big Valley Captain Crawford / Harry Davis Season 4 Episode 19: "The Royal Road" 1969 The Debbie Reynolds Show Whitaker Season 1 Episode 1: "That's Debbie" 1969 Mission: Impossible Vincente Bravo Season 4 Episode 1: "The Code" 1969 I Dream of Jeannie Irwin Winkler Season 4 Episode 16: "Invisible House for Sale" 1969 I Dream of Jeannie General Whetherby Season 5 Episode 5: "Jeannie's Beauty Cream" 1970 Hogan's Heroes General von Schlomm Season 6 Episode 4: "Lady Chitterly's Lover: Part 1" 1970 Hogan's Heroes General von Schlomm Season 6 Episode 5: "Lady Chitterly's Lover: Part 2" 1971 Columbo Agent Carlson Episode: "Ransom for a Dead Man" 1971 The Mod Squad Lester Chennery Season 4 Episode 12: "Real Loser" 1971 A Death of Innocence Alexander Weisberg TV movie 1971 Cannon Nicholas Troas Season 1 Episode 9: "A Lonely Place to Die" 1972 Love, American Style Howard Cunningham Season 3 Episode 22: "Love and the Happy Days"/"Love and the Newscasters" (segment "Love and the Television Set") 1972 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Martin Morgenstern Season 3 Episode 4: "Enter Rhoda's Parents" 1972 The Streets of San Francisco Arthur Lavery Season 1 Episode 9: "The Takers" 1972 Hawaii Five-O Honore Vashon Season 5 Episode 9: "'V' for Vashon: The Son" 1972 Hawaii Five-O Honore Vashon Season 5 Episode 10: "'V' for Vashon: The Father" 1972 Hawaii Five-O Honore Vashon Season 5 Episode 11: "'V' for Vashon: The Patriarch" 1973 Cannon Robert L. Jardine Season 2 Episode 20: "Prisoners" 1973 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Martin Morgenstern Season 4 Episode 3: "Rhoda's Sister Gets Married" 1973 The Partridge Family Walter Yost Season 4 Episode 3: "Beethoven, Brahms and Partridge" 1973 Ironside Martin Geller Season 7 Episode 5: "The Armageddon Gang" 1973 Needles and Pins Joe Season 1 Episode 6: "Union Trouble"1973Lotsa Luck Martin Wicker Season 1 Episode 6: "Mom's Secret" 1974 Gunsmoke Colonel Lucius Shindrow Season 20 Episode 3: "The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 1" 1974 Gunsmoke Colonel Lucius Shindrow Season 20 Episode 4: "The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 2" 1974 The Streets of San Francisco Joseph Francis Season 2 Episode 23: "Death and the Favored Few" 1974 Petrocelli Haskell Fox Season 1 Episode 6: "Death in High Places" 1974 Petrocelli Haskell Fox Season 1 Episode 8: "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall..." 1974 Police Story Andrea Basic Season 2 Episode 4: "Fathers and Sons" 1974–1978 Rhoda Martin Morgenstern 17 episodes 1975 Cannon Colonel Mirza Season 4 Episode 23: "Tomorrow Ends at Noon" 1975 Hawaii Five-O Honore Vashon Season 8 Episode 6: "The Case Against McGarrett" 1976–1977 The Feather and Father Gang TV series (co-starring Stefanie Powers) as Harry Danton 14 episodes 1976 Petrocelli Haskell Fox Season 2 Episode 21: "Shadow of a Doubt" 1976 Police Story Sam Grossman Season 3 Episode 20: "Eamon Kinsella Royce" 1977 Police Story Emmett Parnell Season 4 Episode 16: "The Blue Fog" 1977 Soap Barney Gerber 4 episodes (Season 1 Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12) 1977 Family Paul Schiller Season 3 Episode 2: "Acts of Love: Part 2" 1979 The Rockford Files Mr. Brockelman Season 5 Episode 19: "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job" 1979 11th Victim Benny Benito TV movie 1979 The Man in the Santa Claus Suit Dickie Dayton TV movie 1980 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler Arthur Stowbridge TV movie 1980 The Scarlett O'Hara War Louis B. Mayer TV movie 1980 King Crab Mr. Campana TV movie 1983 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues Arthur Stowbridge TV movie 1984 St. Elsewhere Melvin Millstein Season 3 Episode 9: "Up on the Roof" 1984 St. Elsewhere Melvin Millstein Season 3 Episode 10: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" 1984 Webster Walnutto Season 2 Episode 3 "The Great Walnutto" 1985 The Golden Girls Arnie Peterson, Rose's boyfriend Season 1 Episode 3: "Rose the Prude" 1986 Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry Dr. Marvin Elias TV movie 1986 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Andrei Zernov Season 3 Episode 13: "One Bear Dances, One Bear Doesn't" 1986 L.A. Law Harry Finneman Season 1 Episode 5: "Simian Chanted Evening" 1986 Night Court Walter Wise Season 4 Episode 11: "New Year's Leave" 1989 Empty Nest Dr. Stanfield Weston Season 1 Episode 19: "Man of the Year" 1989 Midnight Caller Charlie Drexol Season 1 Episode 17: "Blues for Mr. Charlie" 1989 The Ray Bradbury Theater Old Man Season 3 Episode 9: "To the Chicago Abyss" 1989 Get Smart Again Nicholas Demente TV movie 1989–1992 The Golden Girls Miles Webber, Rose's boyfriend (Seasons 5-7) (12 episodes) 1990 Dallas Dr. Wexler Season 13 Episode 26: "Three, Three, Three: Part 1" 1990 Dallas Dr. Wexler Season 13 Episode 27: "Three, Three, Three: Part 2" 1990 Singer & Sons Nathan Singer 4 episodes 1992 The Ray Bradbury Theater Colonel Stonesteel Season 5 Episode 4: "Colonel Stonesteel and the Desperate Empties" 1992 The Golden Palace Miles Webber, Rose's ex-boyfriend Season 1 Episode 3: "Miles, We Hardly Knew Ye" 1993 The Golden Palace Miles Webber, Rose's ex-boyfriend Season 1 Episode 13: "Rose and Fern" 1994 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Edwin Griffin Season 2 Episode 4: "The Prankster" 1995 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Edwin Griffin Season 2 Episode 15: "The Return of the Prankster" 1996 The Outer Limits Gerry Season 2 Episode 17: "Paradise" 1996 For Hope David 'Dave' Altman TV movie 1996 Touched by an Angel Sam Moskowitz Season 3 Episode 5: "Written in Dust" 1997 The Love Bug Dr. Gustav Stumpfel TV movie 1998 Felicity Dr. William Garibay Season 1 Episode 3: "Hot Objects" 1999 Pacific Blue Judge Solomon Stein Season 5 Episode 6: "Hostile Witness" 2000 The King of Queens Irv Glassman Season 2 Episode 19: "Surprise Artie" 2001 Touched by an Angel Albert Einstein Season 7 Episode 22: "The Face of God" 2003 Judging Amy Arthur Season 4 Episode 15: "Maxine Interrupted" 2008 Cold Case Monty Moran '08 Season 6 Episode 9: "Pin Up Girl" 2010 Nip/Tuck Walter Krieger Season 6 Episode 18: "Walter and Edith Krieger"

Theatre The House of Blue Leaves (1970) – Artie Shaughnessy – Truck and Warehouse Theatre, New York City, NY The Skin of Our Teeth (1983) – Mr. Antrobus – Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA The Substance of Fire (1996) – Isaac Geldhart – Old Globe Theater, San Diego, CA Visiting Mr. Green (1999) – Mr. Green – Pasadena Playhouse Old Wicked Songs (2002) – Professor Josef Mashkan – Rubicon Theatre Company Tuesdays with Morrie (2005) – Morrie Schwartz – Rubicon Theatre Company