Character actor Harold Gould of ‘The Sting’ dies at 86

LOS ANGELES | Harold Gould, a veteran character actor who played con man Kid Twist in the 1973 movie “The Sting,” Valerie Harper’s father on TV’s “Rhoda” and Betty White’s boyfriend on “The Golden Girls,” has died at 86.

He died Saturday of prostate cancer.

He appeared in movies such as the 1974 remake of “The Front Page,” “Love and Death,” “Silent Movie,” “Freaky Friday” and “Patch Adams.”

Over five decades, he made scores of appearances on shows such as “Route 66” and “Perry Mason,” and, most recently, “Nip/Tuck.”

He played the father, Howard Cunningham, in a 1972 segment of “Love, American Style,” titled “Love and Happy Days,” which led to the series “Happy Days.” But before the series went into production, Gould went abroad to do a play, and Tom Bosley was cast for the series role.