Tom Bower's early life was marked by a passion for sports, having played varsity baseball, basketball, golf, and track, and assuming a professional career would follow. However, his true calling was acting, and after a season of summer stock at Elitche Garden's Summer Theater in Denver, he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
At the Academy, Tom Bower was in the same class as Robert Redford, although at the time, Redford's fame was not yet established. After a year and a half, Bower shifted gears and began studying at John Cassavetes' Shadows Workshop, where he landed his first film role in Cassavetes' 1957 film "Shadows".
Back in Denver, Bower married his first wife and had children, but to support his family, he took on various jobs before eventually becoming a private investigator, a career that spanned 15 years. During this time, he got divorced and later married his true love, Ursula, with whom he remained married until the end of his life.
With over 100 feature films and television shows, as well as 87 theatrical productions, under his belt, Bower split his time between acting and producing. He was also the founder of three legitimate theater companies, including the MET Theater, which boasted notable associates such as James Gammon, Tim Scott, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Holly Hunter, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley.
Throughout his life, Bower's work took him to numerous countries, including China, Morocco, Poland, South Africa, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada. Later in life, he starred in "Light of My Life", a movie written, directed, and starring Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck.
In his later years, Bower attended the 45th anniversary reunion of the Waltons and the 1-year anniversary of creator Earl Hamner's passing, held in Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, Virginia, which is also home to the Waltons Museum.
