David Fitzgerald Doyle (December 1, 1929 – February 26, 1997) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of John Bosley on the 1970s TV series ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

''. Doyle and

Jaclyn Smith Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith (born October 26, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best known for her role as Kelly Garrett in the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), and was the only original female lead ...

were the only actors to appear in every episode of the show.

Early life

Doyle was born in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

, the son of Mary Ruth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Fitzgerald) and Lewis Raymond Doyle, an attorney. He graduated from

Campion High School Campion Jesuit High School was a Jesuit boarding school for boys in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, named for the Jesuit martyr Edmund Campion. The school operated from its founding in 1880 until closing in 1975, and educated several notable figu ...

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was est ...

in 1947. His maternal grandfather, John Fitzgerald, was a prominent railroad builder and banker in Nebraska. His younger sister, Mary (1931–1995), was a stage actress, who died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

aged 63.

Career

Doyle is best remembered for his role as detective John Bosley on the television series ''

'', one of only two actors (the other being original angel

) to appear in all 110 episodes of the series (1976–1981). Doyle made a number of appearances as a guest on the game show '' Match Game'' from 1977 to 1982. He appeared on one week of '' Password Plus'' in 1980, three weeks of ''

Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differe ...

'', and on '' Tattletales'' with his wife Anne in 1982. He voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles on the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

animated series ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently—Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, an ...

'' from 1991 until his death, after which he was replaced by

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his dea ...

. Doyle was also a stage actor. He played Orgon in the 1964 premiere of Richard Wilbur's translation of ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' at the Fred Miller Theater in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. His sister Mary played the maid, Dorine, in the same production. His

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

stage credits include '' Beg, Borrow or Steal'', '' Something About a Soldier'', ''

Here's Love ''Here's Love'' is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Based on the 1947 film ''Miracle on 34th Street'', it tells the tale of a skeptical young girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle ...

'', '' I Was Dancing'', and a revival of ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

''.

Personal life

Doyle was married twice. In 1956 he married his first wife, Rachael, with whom he had a daughter, Leah (born 1961). Rachael died in 1968 after falling from a staircase. The next year, while in a revival of the play

, Doyle met Anne Nathan, a singer-dancer, and they married a short time later.

Death

Doyle died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, of a heart attack on February 26, 1997, at age 67, and was cremated.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, David 1929 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Actors from Lincoln, Nebraska