Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor, probably best-known for his roles as the Monster in Young Frankenstein and Frank Barone on the long-running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Though primarily remembered for his comedy work, Boyle had a diverse career as both a leading man and character actor.
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Boyle studied for three years to become a monk at La Salle University, but ultimately left the novitiate as he did not feel a religious calling. After a stint in the Navy, Boyle moved to New York and became an actor, joining a touring company of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. He relocated to Chicago and joined The Second City improv group, for whom he performed as a comedian in the late '60s.
Boyle appeared in several films in the late '60s, including a bit part in Medium Cool, but achieved his Star-Making Role in John G. Avildsen's Joe (1970), playing a Politically Incorrect Hero who fantasizes about murdering hippies (and ultimately gets to live his fantasies). While Boyle and the filmmakers had intended for Joe to be unsympathetic, audiences cheered his killing spree at the film's end, making Boyle into a star and an unlikely cultural icon. Boyle was dismayed by the response to his performance and turned down a number of similar roles, notably Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, as a result.
Boyle continued playing dramatic roles in movies like The Friends of Eddie Coyle and Taxi Driver; he also earned an Emmy Award nomination for playing Joseph McCarthy in the made-for-TV movie Tail Gunner Joe. He also showed his range playing a sensitive child psychologist in The Man Who Could Talk to Kids. Boyle became more associated with comedy, however, after Mel Brooks cast him in Young Frankenstein, and his playful, completely against-type performance as the Monster earned him wide acclaim, helping to soften his previously coarse screen image.
Boyle continued performing regularly in films, television and stage roles across a variety of genres through the '80s, but a stroke in the early '90s temporarily slowed his career. He made a major comeback in 1996, after his guest appearance on The X-Files, as the title character in the episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"; his performance earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Shortly afterwards, Boyle was cast as the title character's cranky father, Frank Barone, in Everybody Loves Raymond, a role he played for the entirety of the show's run. Boyle's performance is a comic take on his previous typecasting, a bigoted, vulgar Jerk with a Heart of Gold who bickers with his wife Marie while alternately mocking and trying to connect with his sons, Ray and Robert. Boyle earned seven Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, but never won for this show. Boyle continued acting until his death in December 2006.
Though often typecast as bigoted or rough-edge characters, he was known as a very kind and warm-hearted man; Mel Brooks remembered him as exceedingly gentle and with a playful sense of humor, and Ray Romano came to consider him a mentor during their work on Raymond. In equal contrast to his screen image, Boyle was also a political progressive who campaigned for Democratic politicians, and was a close friend of John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen.
Selected Filmography
- Medium Cool (1969): Gun Clinic Manager
- Joe (1970): Joe Curran
- The Candidate (1972): Marvin Lucas
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973): Dillon
- Young Frankenstein (1974): The Monster
- Taxi Driver (1976): Wizard
- Swashbuckler (1976): Lord Durant
- F.I.S.T. (1978): Max Graham
- Hardcore (1979): Andy Mast
- Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979): Frank Mazzetti
- Where the Buffalo Roam (1980): Carl Lazlo
- Outland (1981): Max B. Sheppard
- Hammett (1982): Jimmy Ryan
- Yellowbeard (1983): Moon
- Johnny Dangerously (1984): Jocko Dundee
- Turk 182 (1985): Det. Ryan
- Walker (1987): Cornelius Vanderbilt
- Red Heat (1988): Lou Donnelly
- The Dream Team (1989): Jack McDermott
- Challenger (1990): Roger Boisjoly
- Solar Crisis (1990): Arnold Teague
- Malcolm X (1992): Capt. Green (cameo)
- Honeymoon in Vegas (1992): Chief Orman
- The Shadow (1994): Moe Shrevnitz
- The Santa Clause (1994): Mr. Whittle
- While You Were Sleeping (1995): Ox
- That Darncat (1997): Pa
- Species II (1998): Dr Herman Cromwell (uncredited)
- Dr Dolitte (1998): Calloway
- Monster's Ball (2001): Buck Grotowski
- The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002): Rowland
- The Santa Clause 2 (2002): Father Time (uncredited)
- Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed (2004): Old Man Wickles
- Saturday Night Live (1 episode, 1976): Himself (host)
- From Here to Eternity (3 episodes, 1979): Fatso Judson
- Joe Bash (1986): Joe Bash; short-lived comedy series featuring Boyle as a policeman.
- Cagney & Lacey (1 episode, 1988): Phillip Greenlow
- Midnight Caller (3 episodes, 1989–91): J.J. Killian
- Poochinski (1990): Stanley Poochinski (voice)note
- NYPD Blue (5 episodes, 1994–95): Dan Breen
- Lois & Clark (2 episodes, 1994-95): Bill Church
- The X-Files (1 episode, 1995): Clyde Bruckman
- The Single Guy (2 episodes, 1996–97): Walter Elliot
- Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005): Frank Barone
- Cosby (1 episode, 1997)
- The King of Queens (1 episode, 1998)
- Tripping the Rift (1 episode, 2005): Marvin (voice)
