Tom Bower Of Die Hard 2 Fame Dies At 86; Cause Of Death Unknown

Veteran star Tom Bower, known for his roles in The Waltons and Die Hard 2, died at the age of 86. He passed away in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on May 30, confirmed by his brother Robert Bower to The Hollywood Reporter. In Die Hard 2, Bower played Marvin, an airport janitor who aids Bruce Willis' character, John McClane, in fighting terrorists.

Who was Tom Bower?

Born Ralph Thomas Bower in Denver on January 3, 1938, he initially aspired to a career in professional baseball but shifted to acting, moving to New York in 1956 to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1957, he worked on John Cassavetes' directorial debut, Shadows, after studying acting at the John Cassavetes Shadows Workshop.

Tom Bower took a break from acting to work as a private investigator in Boston, collaborating with attorney F. Lee Bailey. His return to the stage came in 1972 when he was cast in David Rabe’s The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, acting alongside Al Pacino.

Tom Bower's notable performances

Later, Tom Bower moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time, securing roles in TV shows like Get Christie Love!, The Rockford Files, and Kojak. He delivered notable performances as father figures, including roles as the father of the 37th U.S. President in Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995) and Nicolas Cage’s character’s father in Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009).

Bower is survived by his children Viv and Rob, his grandchildren Nicole, Jonathan, Lucille, and Henry, his brother Bobby, and his sister Shirley. His wife Ursula, to whom he was married for 51 years, passed away in August at the age of 75. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the couple never spent a day apart.