
Tom Bower
Actor · Died May 30, 2024, aged 86 · Denver, Colorado, USA
Ralph Thomas Bower (January 3, 1938 – May 30, 2024) was an American actor who appeared in a wide variety of television and film roles from 1973 to 2023. On television, he played physician Curtis Willard (husband of Mary-Ellen) on The Waltons (1975 - 1978). Bower also appeared in numerous series in guest roles, including Hill Street Blues, The X-Files, The West Wing, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In film, he had prominent supporting roles in notable films such as River's Edge (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Die Hard 2 (1990), Nixon (1995), Pollock (2000), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Appaloosa (2008), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Killer Inside Me (2010), and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). Bower was also an award-winning stage actor.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 3, 1938
- May 30, 2024 (aged 86)
- Denver, Colorado, USA
- Actor
- 103 on MovieCove · 143 credits in all
What are Tom Bower's films like?
Across their 61 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 57
Light 8 · Serious 18 · Dark 34
Grounded 42 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 6
Gentle 7 · Charged 31 · Intense 22
Steady 26 · Shifting 26 · Whiplash 8
Straight-faced 47 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3
Slow burn 26 · Even-paced 31 · Relentless 3
Casual 17 · Engaged 36 · Full focus 7
A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 20 · Heavy 29
A split, not a type: Resolved 33 · Open-ended 18 · Ambiguous 9
Roles they play
Usually the Mentor: 5 of 20 analyzed roles.
Show the 20 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Sgt. O'Gar in The Dain Curse (1978)
- Allyas William Tate in The Winds of Kitty Hawk (1978)
- Allyas Marvin in Die Hard 2 (1990)
- Threshold guardianas Peter Baker in Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde (1993)
- Shadowas Gen. Pike in Buffalo Soldiers (1997)
- Mentoras Mr. Decker in A Slipping-Down Life (1999)
- Mentoras Don in Undoing (2006)
- Heraldas Fred (Gas Station Attendant) in The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
- Threshold guardianas Sheriff Ackle in Valley of the Heart's Delight (2006)
- Shadowas Jack Herrod in Gospel Hill (2008)
- Allyas Sheriff Bob Maples in The Killer Inside Me (2010)
- Mentoras Silky in Dark Around the Stars (2013)
- Shadowas Scratch in Runoff (2014)
- Mentoras Scratch in Runoff (2014)
- Threshold guardianas Tom in Light of My Life (2019)
- Heroas William Selig in Senior Love Triangle (2019)
- Heraldas William Selig in Senior Love Triangle (2019)
- Heraldas Walter in Two Ways Home (2019)
- Mentoras Jaques in As You Like It (2019)
- Shadowas Harris in Raymond & Ray (2022)
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet35
- Tragic7
- Ambiguous10
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Tom Bower's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 72 of their 103 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (27).
- Two Ways Home (2019) · actor · free
- River's Edge (1986) · actor · free
- Roswell (1999) · actor · free
- Miami Vice (1984) · actor · free
- Hearts in Atlantis (2001) · actor · free
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) · actor · free
- Appaloosa (2008) · actor · free
- True Believer (1989) · actor · free
- Lady in White (1988) · actor · free
- Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) · actor · free
- The Hills Have Eyes (2006) · actor · free
- Double Down South (2022) · actor · free
- All their movies on Tubi
- Bosch (2014) · actor
- Goliath (2016) · actor
- Monk (2002) · actor
- Criminal Minds (2005) · actor
- The Practice (1997) · actor
- Pollock (2000) · actor
- Grey's Anatomy (2005) · actor · free
- The Waltons (1972) · actor
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) · actor
- Lady in White (1988) · actor
- The Hills Have Eyes (2006) · actor
- High Crimes (2002) · actor
- +8 more
- The X-Files (1993) · actor · free
- Battlestar Galactica (2004) · actor · free
- Criminal Minds (2005) · actor · free
- Rizzoli & Isles (2010) · actor · free
- Clear and Present Danger (1994) · actor · free
- NCIS (2003) · actor · free
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) · actor · free
- Lady in White (1988) · actor · free
- Barnaby Jones (1973) · actor · free
- Talent for the Game (1991) · actor · free
- The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) · actor · free
- Digging for Fire (2015) · actor · free
- The Rockford Files (1974) · actor · free
- Monk (2002) · actor · free
- Law & Order (1990) · actor · free
- River's Edge (1986) · actor · free
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) · actor · free
- Kojak (1973) · actor · free
- 13 Sins (2014) · actor · free
- Double Down South (2022) · actor · free
- Private Practice (2007) · actor · free
- The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) · actor · free
- Digging for Fire (2015) · actor · free
- Valley of the Heart's Delight (2006) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Tom Bower's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
143 credits, 103 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Hurricanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

Double Down South(2022)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
We Have a Ghost(2023)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Raymond & Ray(2022)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Two Ways Home(2019)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Fully Realized Humans(2020)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
El Camino(2019)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Senior Love Triangle(2019)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Light of My Life(2019)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Making a Deal with the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

The Last Big Save(2019)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
As You Like It(2019)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

Goliath(2016)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Lamb(2015)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Digging for Fire(2015)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Runoff(2014)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Ever After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

Bosch(2014)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
13 Sins(2014)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Out of the Furnace(2013)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Dark Around the Stars(2013)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Ray Donovan(2013)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
I Melt with You(2011)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Session (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

Black Limousine(2010)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Rizzoli & Isles(2010)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Killer Inside Me(2010)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
After the Denim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

Crazy Heart(2009)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
For Sale by Owner(2009)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Familiar Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

Appaloosa(2008)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Gospel Hill(2008)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Undoing(2006)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Private Practice(2007)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows
Pain Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

Feel(2006)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Flannel Pajamas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Brothers of the Head(2005)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Amateurs(2005)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Hills Have Eyes(2006)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Criminal Minds(2005)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Fathers and Sons(2005)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Grey's Anatomy(2005)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
The Office(2005)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
North Country(2005)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Battlestar Galactica(2004)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
In the Land of Milk and Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

NCIS(2003)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Badge(2002)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Monk(2002)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
High Crimes(2002)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Laramie Project(2002)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Hearts in Atlantis(2001)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Guardian(2001)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
Going Greek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

The Division (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Pollock(2000)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Million Dollar Hotel(2000)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Roswell(1999)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
The West Wing(1999)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Malevolence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

A Slipping-Down Life(1999)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Monday After the Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

The Negotiator(1998)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Poodle Springs(1998)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Buffalo Soldiers(1997)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Killing Jar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

The Practice(1997)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Follow Me Home(1996)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Shaughnessy(1996)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Nixon(1995)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
White Man's Burden(1995)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Georgia(1995)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Avenging Angel(1995)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Clear and Present Danger(1994)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Against the Wall(1994)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Shimmer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

NYPD Blue(1993)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
The X-Files(1993)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The Ballad of Little Jo(1993)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Relentless 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

Love Can Be Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Revenge on the Highway(1992)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Raising Cain(1992)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Talent for the Game(1991)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Love, Lies and Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Dillinger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Law & Order(1990)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Die Hard 2(1990)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Wired (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Nightbreaker(1989)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
True Believer(1989)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Distant Thunder(1988)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Split Decisions(1988)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Promised a Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

China Beach(1988)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Lady in White(1988)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
What Price Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Family Sins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

Beverly Hills Cop II(1987)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
River's Edge(1986)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Lightship(1985)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Misfits of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Crazy like a Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Murder, She Wrote(1984)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Miami Vice(1984)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Massive Retaliation(1984)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Wildrose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Hardcastle and McCormick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Hill Street Blues(1981)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
When Hell Was in Session(1979)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Winds of Kitty Hawk(1978)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Dain Curse(1978)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
Dallas(1978)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Lou Grant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

The 3,000 Mile Chase(1977)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Kingston: Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

Quincy, M.E. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

The Commitment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

A Woman for All Men(1975)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Baretta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

The Rockford Files(1974)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Incident at Vichy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

Kojak(1973)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Barnaby Jones(1973)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows
The Waltons(1972)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Spittin' Image (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 141 titles, 140 of them dated from 1954 to 2025; peak year 2001.

Biggest box office
Die Hard 2 (1990)

Highest rated
Two Ways Home (2019)

Most popular right now
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Film career
Peak 2001 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1972Screen debut· The Waltons
- 1983First film· The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
- 2014Career best· 13 Sins
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Tom Bower's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 74; across their 60 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up36
- 50th to 74th30
- 25th to 49th26
- Below 25th11
Shape of the crowd
46 of their 103 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved14
- Divisive3
- Cult Classic5
- Crowd Pleaser46
- Broadly Agreed7
- Mixed28
Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 54 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Tom Bower's work okay for kids?
Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Tom Bower work with?
People who share at least 2 of Tom Bower's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Scott Cooper shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Scott CooperShared titles: Out of the Furnace (2013), Crazy Heart (2009), For Sale by Owner (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Scott Cooper

- E.W. SwackhamerShared titles: Massive Retaliation (1984), The Dain Curse (1978), The Winds of Kitty Hawk (1978)See all 3 shared titles with E.W. Swackhamer

- Ed HarrisShared titles: Appaloosa (2008), Pollock (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Ed Harris

- Craig R. BaxleyShared titles: The Avenging Angel (1995), Revenge on the Highway (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Craig R. Baxley

Writers
- Robert B. ParkerShared titles: Appaloosa (2008), Poodle Springs (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Robert B. Parker

- Barbara TurnerShared titles: Pollock (2000), Georgia (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Barbara Turner

Actors
- Casey AffleckShared titles: Light of My Life (2019), Out of the Furnace (2013), The Killer Inside Me (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Casey Affleck

- Vondie Curtis-HallShared titles: Raymond & Ray (2022), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Vondie Curtis-Hall

- Beth GrantShared titles: Fully Realized Humans (2020), Crazy Heart (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Beth Grant

- Jennifer LafleurShared titles: Fully Realized Humans (2020), Lamb (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Jennifer Lafleur

Composers and editors
- Jeff BealShared titles: Raymond & Ray (2022), Appaloosa (2008), Pollock (2000)See all 3 shared titles with Jeff Beal

- tomandandyShared titles: I Melt with You (2011), The Hills Have Eyes (2006)See all 2 shared titles with tomandandy

- Joseph ConlanShared titles: For Sale by Owner (2009), Shaughnessy (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Conlan

- Robert A. FerrettiShared titles: For Sale by Owner (2009), Die Hard 2 (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Robert A. Ferretti

Producers
- Danny DimbortShared titles: Out of the Furnace (2013), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Badge (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Danny Dimbort
- Avi LernerShared titles: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Badge (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Avi Lerner

- Randall EmmettShared titles: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Badge (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Randall Emmett

- BillieShared titles: Gospel Hill (2008), Valley of the Heart's Delight (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Billie
Mixed roles
- Robert KnottShared titles: Appaloosa (2008), Pollock (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Knott







