ALBANY, N.Y. (May 10, 2007) -- The University at Albany's Libraries are celebrating the acquisition of the papers of Harold "Hal" Gould '47, the accomplished theatre, film, and television actor whose roles are widely known from the television shows "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda." He has been recognized with five Emmy nominations, an Obie, a Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award, and an ACE Cable TV Award for his extensive and varied roles. Gould's papers include over 10,000 documents, including play scripts and programs, exams and speeches while Gould attended the New York State College for Teachers, as well as photos, news clippings and interviews documenting his 40-plus year career.

"This acquisition, together with our oral history with Hal and Lea Gould, adds considerably to our historical record of the New York State College for Teachers (the antecedent of the University at Albany). Mr. Gould's personal papers also provide context and give insight to his distinguished theatrical career," said Frank D'Andraia, dean and director of UAlbany's Libraries.

Gould, born Harold Goldenstein in 1923, enrolled in the NYSCT in 1941. He postponed his education in 1943 to serve in WWII and earned numerous commendations, including the Purple Heart and the American Service Medal. He returned to NYSCT and earned his bachelor's degree before receiving his doctorate from Cornell in 1953.

Gould's career includes Broadway roles in such plays as John Guare's House of the Blue Leaves, Neil Simon's Fools, and Jules Feiffer's Grown Ups. Gould is most widely known for his roles on the TV shows, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda," and "The Golden Girls."  His film roles range from "The Sting" (1973) through "Freaky Friday" (2003) and "English as a Second Language" (2005). He performed a one-man theatre role, Freud, nationwide, which was highly acclaimed. He was awarded a Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award for his role as Ezra Pound in Incommunicado.        

The Libraries at UAlbany are ranked as one of the top 100 research libraries in the United States by the Association of Research Libraries. The Libraries serve the University's community, the citizens of New York State, and scholars and researchers from around the world. 

For more information on the Gould collection, contact Brian Keough, head of the Libraries' M.E. Grenander Special Collections and Archives at (518) 437-3931 or [email protected].