Harold Gould Dies

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. He was 86.

Gould, who also was known for his stage work, died Saturday at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement community in Woodland Hills of prostate cancer that had metastasized, said Leah Gould, his daughter-in-law.

Harold Gould, a dapper, white-haired character actor best known for playing the swindler Kid Twist in the 1973 movie "The Sting" and for recurring roles on the popular television sitcoms "Rhoda" and "The Golden Girls," died Sept. 11 of prostate cancer at a nursing home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 86.

Mr. Gould, a former college drama professor, was nominated five times for Emmy Awards in a television career spanning a half-century.

Harold Gould racked up five Emmy nominations during an impressive career that saw him woo Betty White and share screen time with Lindsay Lohan.

The veteran character actor, best known for playing Valerie Harper's dad on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, as well as the relentless suitor of White on The Golden Girls, passed away from prostate cancer on Saturday. He was 86.