We’ve lost the great Peter Boyle. He died on Tuesday at the age of 71, after a long fight with multiple myeloma and heart disease.
Boyle started screen acting relatively late in life. He appeared in his first movie at the age of 31, an uncredited role in the 1966 Candice Bergen movie The Group. His first starring role didn’t happen until the 1970 movie Joe, in which he played a bigot. He had his biggest hit though in 1974 when he co-starred in the now classic Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein, playing a hilarious dancing version of the Frankenstein’s monster. He had a wonderful chemistry with Gene Wilder, it’s one of those legendary, magic comedic performances. The kind of performance you build a fantastic career on. He did.
He worked steadily from then on and made a career out of brilliant supporting roles in all different kinds of movies like Taxi Driver, The Dream Team, The Shadow, and Monster’s Ball. Comedy, drama, action, Boyle was a fearless performer who seemed to be able to do just about anything.
His career saw a surprising, late-life rise to major stardom when he landed the role of Frank Barone, Ray’s curmudgeonly father on Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005. The part earned him an Emmy nomination, but never won for it. Instead he got his Emmy for a guest spot on ‘The X-Files’ in 1996.
Peter Boyle was a truly genius performer. Whenever I’d flip around the TV and see his face, that was always my cue to stop clicking and watch whatever it was that he was doing. Boyle was one of those great character actors who, whenever he showed up in a movie, no matter how small his role, no matter how bad the film, it instantly got better. When Peter Boyle strolled on screen you smiled, because something great was about to happen. He was a completely unique, unduplicated talent. He’ll be missed.
Surprising Peter Boyle Facts:
- Peter completed officer training and was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy. His career was cut short by a nervous breakdown.
- John Lennon was Peter Boyle's best man at his 1977 wedding.
- Before becoming an actor Peter was a member of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and spent three years as a monk.
