Peter Boyle

Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein (1974). He also starred in The Candidate. Boyle, who won an Emmy Award in 1996 for a guest-starring role on the science-fiction drama The X-Files, won praise in both comedic and dramatic parts following his breakthrough performance in the 1970 film Joe.[1]
== Early life ==
Peter Lawrence Boyle was born on October 18, 1935 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, the son of Alice (née Lewis) and Francis Xavier Boyle.[2] He moved with his family to nearby Philadelphia.[3]
Francis was a Philadelphia TV personality from 1951 to 1963. Among many other roles, he played the Western show host Chuck Wagon Pete, as well as hosting the after-school children's program Uncle Pete Presents the Little Rascals, which showed vintage Little Rascals and Three Stooges comedy shortsalongside Popeye cartoons. He also appeared at times on Ernie Kovacs' morning program on W-PTZ.[4]
Boyle's paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, and his mother was of mostly French and British Isles descent.[5][6] He was raised Catholic and attended St. Francis de Sales School and West Philadelphia Catholic High School For Boys. After graduating high school in 1953, Boyle spent three years as a seminarian with the De La Salle Brothers, a Catholic teaching order. He lived in a house of studies with other novices and earned a BA from La Salle University in Philadelphia in 1957, but left the order because he did not feel called to religious life.[7]
While in Philadelphia, he worked as a cameraman on the cooking show Television Kitchen, hosted by Florence Hanford.[8]
After graduating from Officer Candidate School in 1959, he was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy, but his military career was shortened by a nervous breakdown.[9]
In New York City, Boyle studied with acting coach Uta Hagen while working as a postal clerk and a maitre d'.[10]
Boyle played "Murray the cop" in a touring company of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple,[1] leaving the tour in Chicago and joining The Second City ensemble there.[10] He had a brief scene as the manager of an indoor shooting range in the critically acclaimed 1969 film Medium Cool, filmed in Chicago.[citation needed]
== Career ==
Boyle gained acclaim for his first starring role, playing the title character, a bigoted New York City factory worker, in the 1970 movie Joe. The film's release was surrounded by controversy over its violence and language. It was during this time that Boyle became close friends with actress Jane Fonda, and with her he participated in many protests against the Vietnam War. After seeing people cheer at his role in Joe, Boyle refused the lead role in The French Connection(1971),[1] as well as other movie and TV roles that he believed glamorized violence. However, in 1974, he starred in a film based on the life of murdered New York gangster "Crazy" Joey Gallo, called Crazy Joe.
His next major role was as the campaign manager for a U.S. Senate candidate (Robert Redford) in The Candidate (1972). In 1973 he appeared in Steelyard Blues with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, a film about a bunch of misfits trying to get a Catalina flying boat in a scrapyard flying again so that they could fly away to somewhere there weren't so many rules. He also played an Irish mobster opposite Robert Mitchum in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973).
Boyle had another hit role as Frankenstein's monster in the 1974 Mel Brookscomedy Young Frankenstein, in which, in an homage to King Kong, the monster is placed onstage in top hat and tails, grunt-singing and dancing to the song "Puttin' on the Ritz". Boyle said at the time, "The Frankenstein monster I play is a baby. He's big and ugly and scary, but he's just been born, remember, and it's been traumatic, and to him the whole world is a brand new alien environment. That's how I'm playing it".[10] Boyle met his wife, Loraine Alterman, on the set of Young Frankenstein while she was there as a reporter for Rolling Stone.[11] He was still in his Frankenstein makeup when he asked her for a date.[12] Through Alterman and her friend Yoko Ono, Boyle became friends with John Lennon, who was the best man at Boyle and Alterman's 1977 wedding.[13] Boyle and his wife had two daughters, Lucy and Amy.
Boyle received his first Emmy nomination for his acclaimed dramatic performance in the 1977 television film Tail Gunner Joe, in which he played Senator Joseph McCarthy. Yet he was more often cast as a character actor than as a leading man. His roles include the philosophical cab driver "Wizard" in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), starring Robert De Niro; a bar owner and fence in The Brink's Job (1978); the private detective hired in Hardcore (1979); the attorney of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson (played by Bill Murray) in Where the Buffalo Roam (1980); a corrupt space mining-facility boss in the science-fiction film Outland (1981), opposite Sean Connery; Boatswain Moon in the (1983) pirate comedy Yellowbeard, also starring Cheech and Chong, Madeline Kahn, and members of the comedy troupe Monty Python; a local crime boss named Jocko Dundee on his way to retirement, starring Michael Keaton in the comedy film Johnny Dangerously (1984); a psychiatric patient who belts out a Ray Charles song in the comedy The Dream Team (1989), also starring Michael Keaton; a boss of unscrupulous corporation in the sci-fi Solar Crisis(1990) along Charlton Heston and Jack Palance; the title character's cab driver in The Shadow (1994), starring Alec Baldwin; the father of Sandra Bullock's fiancée in While You Were Sleeping (1995); the corporate raider out to buy Eddie Murphy's medical partnership in Dr. Dolittle (1998); the hateful father of Billy Bob Thornton's prison-guard character in Monster's Ball (2001); Muta in The Cat Returns (2002); and Old Man Wickles in the comedy Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). In cameo roles, he can be seen as a police captain in Malcolm X (1992), and as a drawbridge operator in Porky's Revenge (1985). In 1992, he starred in Alex Cox's Death and the Compass, an adaptation of Jorge Luis Borges' La Muerte y la Brujula. However, the film was not released until 1996.
His New York theater work included playing a comedian who is the object of The Roast, a 1980 Broadway play directed by Carl Reiner. Also in 1980 he co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones in an Off Broadway production of playwright Sam Shepard's acclaimed True West. Two years later, Boyle played the head of a dysfunctional family in Joe Pintauro's less well-received Snow Orchid, at the Circle Repertory.
In 1986, Boyle played the title role of the acclaimed but short-lived TV series Joe Bash, created by Danny Arnold. The comedy-drama followed the life of a lonely, world-weary, and sometimes compromised New York City beat cop whose closest friend was a prostitute, played by actress DeLane Matthews.[14]
In October 1990, Boyle suffered a near-fatal stroke that rendered him completely speechless and immobile for nearly six months. After recovering, he went on to win an Emmy Award in 1996 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance on The X-Files. In the episode, "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", he played an insurance salesman who can see selected things in the near future, particularly others' deaths. Boyle also guest starred in two episodes as Bill Church Sr. in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He appears in Sony Music's unaired Roger Waters' music video "Three Wishes" (1992) as a scruffy genie in a dirty coat and red scarf, who tries to tempt Waters at a desert diner.[15][16]
Boyle was perhaps most widely known for his role as the deadpan, cranky Frank Barone in the CBS television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which aired from 1996 to 2005. The show was shot in Los Angeles, to which Boyle commuted from his New York City home. He was nominated for an Emmy seven times for this role, but never won (beaten out multiple times in the Supporting Actor category by his co-star Brad Garrett), though fellow co-stars Garrett, Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, and Boyle's TV wife Doris Roberts won at least one Emmy each for their performances.
In 1999, he had a heart attack[11] on the set of Everybody Loves Raymond. He soon regained his health and returned to the series. After the incident, Boyle was drawn back to his Catholic faith and resumed attending Mass.[17]
In 2001, he appeared in the film Monster's Ball as the bigoted father of Billy Bob Thornton's character. Introduced by comedian Carlos Mencia as "the most honest man in show business", Boyle made guest appearances on three episodes of the Comedy Central program Mind of Mencia, one of which was shown as a tribute in a segment made before Boyle's death, in which he read hate mail, explained the "hidden meanings" behind bumper stickers, and occasionally told Mencia how he felt about him.
Starting in late 2005, Boyle and former TV wife Doris Roberts appeared in TV commercials for the 75th anniversary of Alka-Seltzer, reprising the famous line, "I can't believe I ate that whole thing!" Although this quote has entered into popular culture, it is often misquoted as, "...the whole thing."[18] Boyle had a role in all three of The Santa Clause films. In the original, he plays Scott Calvin's boss. In the sequels, he plays Father Time.
== Death ==
On December 12, 2006, Boyle died at the age of 71 at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City after suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease.[19][20] At the time of his death, he had completed his role in the film All Roads Lead Home and was scheduled to appear in The Golden Boys.[citation needed] The end credits of All Roads Lead Home include a dedication to his memory.
Boyle's death had a tremendous effect on his former co-stars from Everybody Loves Raymond, which had ceased production less than two years before his death. When asked to comment on Boyle's death, his cast members heaped praise on Boyle. Ray Romano was personally affected by the loss, saying, "He gave me great advice, he always made me laugh, and the way he connected with everyone around him amazed me." Patricia Heaton stated, "Peter was an incredible man who made all of us who had the privilege of working with him aspire to be better actors."[21]
On October 18, 2007 (which would have been Boyle's 72nd birthday), his friend Bruce Springsteen dedicated "Meeting Across the River" to Boyle during a Madison Square Garden concert with the E Street Band in New York. Springsteen segued into "Jungleland" in memory of Boyle, stating: "An old friend died a while back – we met him when we first came to New York City... Today would have been his birthday."[22]
After Boyle died, his widow Loraine Alterman Boyle established the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund in support of the International Myeloma Foundation.[23] Boyle's closest friends, family and co-stars have since gathered yearly for a comedy celebration fundraiser in Los Angeles. Acting as a tribute to Boyle, the annual event is hosted by Ray Romano and has included performances by many comedic veterans including Dana Carvey, Fred Willard, Martin Mull, Richard Lewis, Kevin James, Jeff Garlin and Martin Short. Performances typically revolve around Boyle's life, recalling favorite moments with the actor. The comedy celebration has been noted as the most successful fundraiser in IMF history, as the first event held in 2007 raised over $550,000, while the following year over $600,000 was raised for the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund in support of the IMF's research programs.[24]
He was interred at Green River Cemetery in Springs, New York.
== Awards and nominations ==
* Emmy Award
:: Nomination (1977) — Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special: Tail Gunner Joe
:: Nomination (1989) — Guest Actor in a Drama Series: J.J. Killian in Midnight Caller episode "Fathers and Sins"
:: Win (1996) — Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Clyde Bruckman in The X-Filesepisode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
:: (7) Nominations (1999–2005) — Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Everybody Loves Raymond
* Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award
:: The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series each year from 1999–2000 and 2002–2006. Boyle was additionally nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002.[25]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1966	The Group 	Unknown 	Uncredited
1969	Medium Cool 	Gun Clinic Manager 	
1969	The Virgin President 	General Heath 	
1969	The Monitors 	Production Manager 	
1970	Joe 	Joe Curran 	Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
1970	Diary of a Mad Housewife 	Man 	Uncredited
1971	T.R. Baskin 	Jack Mitchell 	
1972	The Candidate 	Marvin Lucas 	
1972	F.T.A. 	Unknown 	
1973	Steelyard Blues 	Eagle Thornberry 	
1973	Slither 	Barry Fenaka 	
1973	Kid Blue 	Preacher Bob 	
1973	The Friends of Eddie Coyle 	Dillon 	
1973	The Man Who Could Talk to Kids 	Charlie Datweiler 	Television movie
1973	Ghost in the Noonday Sun 	Ras Mohammed 	
1974	Crazy Joe 	Joe 	
1974	Young Frankenstein 	The Monster 	
1976	Taxi Driver 	Wizard 	
1976	Swashbuckler 	Lord Durant 	
1977	Tail Gunner Joe 	Senator Joseph McCarthy	Television movie
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1978	F.I.S.T. 	Max Graham 	
1978	The Brink's Job 	Joe McGinnis 	
1979	Hardcore 	Andy Mast 	
1979	Beyond the Poseidon Adventure 	Frank Mazzetti 	
1980	Where the Buffalo Roam 	Lazlo 	
1980	In God We Tru$t 	Dr. Sebastian Melmoth 	
1981	Outland 	Mark Sheppard 	
1982	Hammett 	Jimmy Ryan 	
1983	Yellowbeard 	Moon 	
1984	Johnny Dangerously 	Jocko Dundee 	
1985	Turk 182 	Det. Ryan 	
1987	Surrender 	Jay 	
1987	Walker 	Cornelius Vanderbilt 	
1988	The In Crowd 	Uncle Pete Boyle 	
1988	Red Heat 	Cmdr. Lou Donnelly 	
1989	The Dream Team 	Jack McDermott 	
1989	Speed Zone 	Spiro T. Edsel 	
1989	Funny 	Unknown 	
1989	Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North	John Poindexter 	Television movie
1990	Challenger 	Roger Boisjoly 	Television movie
1990	Solar Crisis 	Arnold Teague 	
1990	Men of Respect 	Matt Duffy 	
1990	The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story 	Fred Ford 	Television movie
1991	Kickboxer 2: The Road Back 	Justin Maciah 	
1992	Nervous Ticks 	Ron Rudman 	
1992	Death and the Compass 	Detective Erik Lönnrot 	
1992	Honeymoon in Vegas 	Chief Orman 	
1992	Malcolm X 	Captain Green 	
1994	Killer 	George 	
1994	The Shadow 	Moe Shrevnitz 	
1994	The Santa Clause 	Mr. Whittle 	Scott Calvin's Boss
1995	The Surgeon 	Lt. McEllwaine 	
1995	Born to Be Wild 	Gus Charnley 	
1995	While You Were Sleeping 	Ox 	
1996	Final Vendetta 	Jay Glass 	
1996	Milk & Money 	Belted Galloway 	
1997	That Darn Cat 	Pa 	
1998	Species II 	Dr. Herman Cromwell 	
1998	Dr. Dolittle 	Calloway 	
2001	Monster's Ball 	Buck Grotowski 	
2002	The Cat Returns 	Muta 	voice only in English version
2002	The Adventures of Pluto Nash 	Rowland 	
2002	The Santa Clause 2 	Father Time 	Uncredited
2002	Bat's Fools is Bad Dog's 	Dr. Scream Devil 	
2006	The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause 	Father Time 	
2008	All Roads Lead Home 	Poovey 	Released posthumously
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1986 	Joe Bash 	Joe Bash 	6 episodes
1988 	Cagney & Lacey 	Phillip Greenlow 	Episode: "A Class Act"
1989–1991	Midnight Caller 	J.J. Killian 	3 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1990 	Poochinski 	Stanley Poochinski	TV pilot
1992–1993	Flying Blind 	Alicia's Dad 	2 episodes
1993 	TriBeCa 	Harry 	Episode: "The Hopeless Romantic"
1994–1995	NYPD Blue 	Dan Breen 	5 episodes
1994–1996	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Bill Church, Sr. 	2 episodes
1995 	The X-Files 	Clyde Bruckman 	Episode: "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1996 	The Single Guy 	Walter Eliot 	2 episodes
1996–2005	Everybody Loves Raymond 	Frank Barone 	207 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Male in a Television Series
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1999–2005)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2002, 2004)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999–2000, 2002, 2004–06)
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
1997 	Cosby 	Frank Barone 	Episode: "Lucas Raymondicus"
1998 	The King of Queens 	Frank Barone 	Episode: "Road Rayage"