David Fitzgerald Doyle was born in Lincoln, Nebraska December 1, 1929. He was the son of Mary Ruth Fitzgerald and Lewis Raymond (Lum) Doyle, a prominent Lincoln attorney. His maternal grandfather was John Fitzgerald, a prominent banker and railroad builder in Nebraska. His paternal grandfather was T. J. Doyle, also an attorney. He was one of three children, including brother John, an attorney, and sister Mary, an actress. He grew up in Lincoln and attended Cathedral grade school. He then went to Campion, a Jesuit prep school in Wisconsin. He made his acting debut at age six and played children's roles in local productions. He was a member of the Community Theater in Lincoln. He was in _Life With Father_ at the age of 10. Doyle entered the University of Nebraska in 1945 and he was expected to become a lawyer, as had four generations of Doyles. But the young Doyle preferred to spend him time in the theater department. A fellow classmate at the University of Nebraska was Johnny Carson. Doyle appeared frequently on his college buddy's late night talk show during the 1960s. Doyle ranked sixth in the state on his law school entrance exams. But the theater still called him and he chose acting over a career in law. He moved to New York after college. He got his break in 1956 when he replaced Walter Matthau in the Broadway production of _Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?_ He appeared in _Something For a Soldier_ with Sal Mineo and in the middle 1960s he was in the comedy, _The Beauty Part_. His first wife, Rachel, died after injuries in a freak fall from a stairway in 1968. While doing a revival of "South Pacific" a year later, he met Anne Nathan and they were married. After Broadway, Doyle moved to California and was cast as Walt Fitzgerald in the television series, _Bridget Loves Bernie_. A string of character roles followed, and Doyle is probably best remembered as the lovable private detective, Bosley, on the _Charlie's Angels_ series. Doyle couldn't escape the legal profession and portrayed an attorney, Ted Holmes, on the daytime soap opera, _General Hospital_ during 1986. Doyle is best remembered for his distinctive, raspy voice which earned him the voice role in several animated series and movies. He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on February 26, 1997.


Sometimes mistaken for actor Tom Bosley, who played Richie Cunningham's dad, Howard, in the TV series "Happy Days" (1974), because of Doyle's "Bosley" character on "Charlie's Angels" (1976), and a slight similarity in facial features, body type and voice.