Born in
Cincinnati, Bowman dropped out of the
University of Cincinnati Law School to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was spotted by a
Paramount Pictures agent and went to Hollywood in 1934, but was not used at first. Instead he worked as a radio singer and appeared in stock plays including
The Old Lady Shows His Medals. Bowman eventually made his film debut in
I Met Him in Paris (1937) for Paramount. He worked at that studio for a while, then
RKO, before moving to
MGM where he appeared in
Bataan (1943) a film that follows the fates of a group of men charged with destroying a bridge during the doomed defense of the
Bataan Peninsula by American forces in the Philippines against the invading Japanese. The lack of leading men in World War II was a boost to Bowman's career and he co-starred with
Rita Hayworth in
Cover Girl and
Jean Arthur in
The Impatient Years. According to a film writer at the time, "his Hollywood career has not been spectacular but has gained him a large following." However, he never quite progressed beyond supporting female stars and his status as a leading man faded. Bowman was a much in-demand radio actor, and also worked on Broadway. He was the original actor who played
Lucille Ball's husband in the audition program serving as a
pilot for
My Favorite Husband, airing on
CBS Radio July 5, 1948; however, he was not available for the full series after CBS approved it, so when it debuted later that month it starred Ball and
Richard Denning as the leads. This series would later go on to spawn
I Love Lucy for television in 1950, with Ball's real-life husband
Desi Arnaz replacing Denning at Ball's insistence. After making his TV debut in
The Silver Theatre in 1950, he appeared regularly on television including several guest appearances in the
television series Robert Montgomery Presents and
Playhouse 90. On November 16, 1950, he starred in "Suppressed Desires" on
The Nash Airflyte Theater. In the early 1950s, he became television's second
Ellery Queen, stepping into the role after the first,
Richard Hart, died unexpectedly of a coronary. Bowman hosted the short-lived game show ''
What's Going On?'' on
ABC in late 1954. In 1961, he co-starred with
Rocky Graziano in the private-eye series
Miami Undercover, the first television series made in its entirety before being sold to a network. Bowman also guest-starred in
The Fugitive. ==Media career==