‘Die Hard 2’ and ‘The Waltons’ star Tom Bower dies at 86

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Tom Bower dies He was 86 years old.

The actor is known for his ‘The Waltons’ and Die Hard 2.

“The three most important things in Tom’s life were: his wife, Ursula. Second was acting. And third was his passion for other actors and his pursuit of fairness,” Tom’s family said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “He was an exceptional human being.”

Ball’s sister-in-law told The Hollywood Reporter that Ball died in his sleep on May 30.

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Tom Bauer has died at the age of 86, Fox News Digital has confirmed. (Getty Images)

Ball gave up his dream of becoming a baseball player and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1956.

“I started purposefully pursuing an acting career in high school, and I think it was all doomed when I chose to do a senior play instead of playing senior baseball,” he said in 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ball also studied at John Cassavetes Shadow Studio.

In the early days of his acting career, Ball also worked as a private investigator in Boston.

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He later moved to Los Angeles and had roles in The Rockford Files, Christy Love!, and Kojak.

Ball became a series regular on The Waltons after guest-starring as pilot Rex in season 4. CBS ShowsHe returns once again as Dr. Curtis Willard, replacing Victor Izai’s character, Dr. Vance.

Tom Power plays Dr. Curtis Willard on The Waltons. (Getty Images)

The actor later died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. His character later survived but was played by another star, Scott Hylands.

“I asked for a very small raise, so they sent me to Pearl Harbor,” Ball told co-star Judy Norton in a 2022 interview. “And then, when they decided to bring the character back, washed up on some shore — which I didn’t think was a good idea anyway — I asked for the same small raise… and they just cast another actor.”