Tom Bosley was an American actor with a career spanning over five decades, renowned for his work on stage and screen, who also contributed his distinctive voice to several animated projects. While his voice acting résumé primarily consists of American productions, one of his roles is notably connected to anime due to its broadcast history in Japan. Born in Chicago in 1927, Bosley began his career in theater, winning a Tony Award in 1960 for his performance in the Broadway musical Fiorello!. He became a household name for his portrayal of Howard Cunningham on the long-running television series Happy Days, a role that cemented his image as a warm and fatherly figure. This resonant and expressive vocal quality led to a variety of voice-over roles throughout his career.

In the realm of animation, Bosley provided voices for several characters. He was the voice of Harry Boyle in the animated series Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. He later voiced the title character in the 1980s cartoon The World of David the Gnome and took on the role of Mr. Geppetto in the 1987 film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night. His voice work also extended to holiday specials, such as The Tangerine Bear.

The specific role mentioned, B.A.H. Humbug, comes from the 1978 animated Christmas special The Stingiest Man in Town, produced by the legendary animation team Rankin/Bass. In this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Bosley voiced the narrator, a character whose name is a playful reference to Scrooge's famous catchphrase, bah humbug. The special is of particular interest in the context of anime because it was broadcast in Japan on Christmas Eve in 1978 under the title Machi Ichiban no Kechinbo. The animation for the special was produced by the Japanese studio Top Craft, leading it to be classified as an anime in some sources and making Bosley's performance as B.A.H. Humbug a notable example of an American actor voicing a character in a work with strong ties to the anime industry.