Peter Boyle

Actor

• Born: 1951
• Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Contribution: Peter Boyle was a gifted comic and dramatic actor who enjoyed a prolific career that included such memorable roles as Frankenstein’s monster in Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein (1974) and Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005).

Background

Peter Boyle was born on October 18, 1935, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. As a child, he moved with his parents to Philadelphia, where his father gained a degree of local fame hosting children’s cartoon television shows in the 1950s. Boyle was raised Catholic and attended a Catholic high school. On the heels of his graduation from La Salle College, Boyle, a deeply spiritual young man, made the decision to become a monk and joined the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Under the name Brother Francis, Boyle spent three years in a monastery before he began feeling unfulfilled and drawn toward a more ordinary life.

Upon leaving the monastery, Boyle joined the United States Navy, but left military service after he suffered a nervous breakdown. Following his recovery, Boyle set his sights on an acting career. He moved to New York, where he studied acting under drama teacher Uta Hagen. Boyle began looking for roles in theatrical productions while working various side jobs to support himself. After landing a role in a national production of Neil Simon’sThe Odd Couple, Boyle tried his hand at improvisational comedy as a member of the Second City troupe in Chicago. As it happened, his time in Chicago coincided with the 1968 Democratic Convention and the attendant riots. These events played a significant role in the development of Boyle’s decidedly liberal political views.

Career

Having already had a few minor film roles in the late 1960s, Boyle began seeking a standout role that would bolster his career. That role came in the form of the titular character in the film Joe (1970), directed by John Alvidsen. Although the film was a critical failure, Boyle’s portrayal of the drunken, hateful, and violent factory worker increased his name recognition and helped establish his reputation for playing gruff and undesirable characters. He appeared in several other films in the early 1970s, including T.R. Baskin (1971), The Candidate (1972), and Slither (1973). In 1974, Boyle starred as the mobster “Crazy” Joey Gallo in the film Crazy Joe, directed by Carlo Lizzani.

That same year, Boyle agreed to play the role of Frankenstein’s monster in Young Frankenstein (1974), a comic take on Mary Shelley’s classic novel, directed by Mel Brooks. Audiences and critics praised Boyle’s portrayal of the frequently befuddled but ultimately warmhearted monster. In addition to the film’s commercial success, the role demonstrated Boyle’s versatility as an actor.

Boyle followed up his appearance in Young Frankenstein by playing an equally eccentric character in director Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). In that film, Boyle plays Wizard, an old cab driver who offers sage advice to the troubled Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro.

While his film projects were generally less distinguished after that point, he soon became a regular fixture on television. He appeared in a number of television movies, such as Tail Gunner Joe (1977), in which he played the infamous anticommunist crusader Senator Joe McCarthy. He also appeared in a television miniseries remake of the film From Here to Eternity (1953). In 1986, Boyle took the feature role as a lonely beat cop in the short-lived television series Joe Bash.

In 1990, Boyle suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak for six months. He made a full recovery and continued working as an actor. Through the early to mid 1990s, Boyle appeared in numerous films, including Malcolm X (1992), The Shadow (1994), and The Santa Clause (1994). He continued working as a television actor as well, appearing on NYPD Blue and The Single Guy. Boyle’s 1996 guest appearance on The X-Files earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Boyle embarked on what was to become the swansong of his career when he signed on to play the perpetually grumpy Frank Barone in comedian Ray Romano’s family sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. A beloved member of the cast, Boyle remained with the show through its entire nine-year run (1996–2005). Just a year after the show ended production in 2005, Boyle passed away at age seventy-one of complications from multiple myeloma and heart disease. The final film that he took part in, the family drama All Roads Lead Home, was released in 2008.

Impact

Despite having started his career playing an assortment of morally reprehensible characters, Boyle worked hard to demonstrate that he was a capable actor who could make audiences laugh as easily as he could make them cringe. His portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster in Young Frankenstein is often regarded as one of the best comedic film performances of all time.

Personal Life

Boyle married Rolling Stone reporter Loraine Alterman in 1977, with musician John Lennon serving as his best man. The couple later had two children. They remained married until Boyle’s death.

Principal Works

Film

Joe, 1970

The Candidate, 1972

Young Frankenstein, 1974

Taxi Driver, 1976

F.I.S.T., 1978

Malcolm X, 1992

The Santa Clause, 1994

Monster’s Ball, 2001

The Santa Clause 2, 2002

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, 2006

All Roads Lead Home, 2008

Television

Joe Bash, 1986

NYPD Blue, 1994–5

The X-Files, 1995

Everybody Loves Raymond, 1996–2005

Bibliography

Berkvist, Robert. “Peter Boyle, Father on Raymond, Dies at 71.” New York Times. New York Times, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 19 June 2013.

“Everybody Loves Raymond’s Peter Boyle Dead at 71.” People. Time, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 19 June 2013.

McLellan, Dennis. “Peter Boyle, 71; Father on Raymond.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times Media Group, 14 Dec. 2006. Web. 19 June 2013.

Miller, Stephen. “Peter Boyle, 71, Character Actor Played Psychotics and Monsters.” New York Sun. ONE SL, 14 Dec. 2006. Web. 19 June 2013.

“Peter Boyle.” IMDb. Internet Movie Database, 2013. Web. 19 June 2013.

“Raymond Star Peter Boyle Dies at 71.” Today. NBC News, 17 Dec. 2006. Web. 19 June 2013.