December 12 - Peter Boyle

Image courtesy of Playbill.com

On this day, in 2006, Peter Lawrence Boyle passed away in New York, New York. Born October 18, 1935 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Peter grew up as the son of Francis Boyle, a local television celebrity in Philadelphia. After graduating from high school in 1953, he entered a seminary run by the De La Salle Brothers. While he would earn his bachelor's degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia four years later, Peter did not feel a religious calling and left the order. He then enrolled in Officer Training School, graduated in 1959 and entered the United States Navy as an ensign. His military career didn't last long, however, as he suffered a nervous breakdown and had to leave the service.

Image courtesy of wikipedia.com

Peter moved to New York, got a job as a clerk with the United States Postal Service and began studying acting. He landed the role of Murray in a traveling production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. When the tour played in Chicago, Peter ended up leaving the company and joined the famed comic troupe The Second City. At the end of the Sixties, he had a few minor roles in films that were shooting in Chicago.

In 1970, Peter had his first starring role in a movie, the title character in Joe. Amid the controversy the film generated over its violence and language, Peter enjoyed being nominated for a Film Critics Award but thereafter tried to stay away from roles that he felt glamorized violence. He had mixed success with that ideal as he would play a mobster twice over the next few years in Crazy Joe and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. After Joe, Peter found success as Robert Redford's campaign manager in The Candidate and, perhaps his most famous film role, as the "monster" in Young Frankenstein.

Image copyright 20th Century Fox

Peter met his wife, Loraine Alterman, on the set of Young Frankenstein. She was a reporter for Rolling Stone and was friends with Yoko Ono. Peter subsequently became good friends with John Lennon, who was best man at Peter and Loraine's wedding. How's that for a kid from Philly?

For most of the rest of his film career, Peter became an accomplished character actor. He played roles as diverse as a cab driver in 1976's Taxi Driver to a retiring crime boss in the 1984 comedy Johnny Dangerously. One of my favorite roles of his is as Jack McDermott, a mental institution patient, in the 1989 comedy The Dream Team (which also features his Johnny co-star Michael Keaton). Peter also continued appearing on stage in New York. In 1980, he was on Broadway in the Carl Reiner play The Roast and off Broadway in Sam Shepard's True West. A couple of years later he lead the ensemble cast of Snow Orchid at the Circle Repertory.

Image copyright CBS

Then in 1990, his career, and his life, nearly ended when Peter suffered a devastating stroke. For six months, he was completely speechless and immobile. The next few years would involve grueling rehab sessions but Peter's recovery would be remarkable. By 1996, he was on television in an episode of The X-Files that would win him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor. That same year, Peter began the role he will be forever known for as Frank Baron, the cranky father of Ray Romano, on Everybody Loves Raymond. Over the next nine years, he would be nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor seven times. He wouldn't manage to take the statue home even once though, losing many of those times to his co-star Brad Garrett.

Image copyright Disney

Peter became a member of the Disney family in 1994 as part of the cast of the Tim Allen comedy, The Santa Clause. He plays Tim's boss at a toy company who becomes concerned for his employee's well being. Peter would go on to appear in both of the sequels to The Santa Clause, but in a completely different role, Father Time. He also appeared in the Hollywood Pictures film While You Were Sleeping in 1995. That film stars Sandra Bullock and also features Glynis Johns, who played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins. Finally, Peter was a part of the cast of the 1997 remake of That Darn Cat in the role of Pa.

You can donate at myeloma.org

Less than two years after the end of Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter passed away due to complications from myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. His death was fairly unexpected as he was due to begin filming another comedy movie, The Golden Boys. Following his death, Peter's widow, Loraine, established a memorial fund in his name that supports the International Myeloma Foundation. A yearly comedy benefit, frequently hosted by Ray Romano, has helped raised millions of dollars and awareness of the deadly disease.