Peter Boyle biography:
Peter Boyle was born on October 18, 1935, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Alice (Lewis) and Francis Xavier Boyle. His father was a local TV personality and children's show host, and his maternal grandparents were Irish immigrants. Boyle had a sensitive youth and joined the Christian Brothers religious order, but left after a few years when he lost his calling.
Boyle studied acting with guru Uta Hagen in New York and worked various odd jobs while building up his stage credits. He made his Broadway debut in Paul Sills' "Story Theatre" in 1971 and joined Chicago's Second City improv group. His breakout film role was as the hateful, hardhat-donning bigot-turned-murderer Joe in the 1970 film directed by John G. Avildsen.
Boyle's early career was marked by controversy, but he eventually became known for his versatility and ability to play a wide range of roles. He played a monster in the cult Mel Brooks spoof Young Frankenstein (1974) and had a strong friendship with former Beatle John Lennon.
Throughout his career, Boyle was often cast as monstrous undesirables, but he also played more sympathetic roles, such as Frankenstein's Monster in Young Frankenstein and a gruff, gentler bear in a number of films. He received an Emmy nomination for his role as Senator Joe McCarthy in the TV mini-series Tail Gunner Joe (1977) and won an Emmy for his guest appearance on The X-Files (1993).
Boyle continued to work in film and television throughout the 1990s and 2000s, earning seven Emmy nominations for his role as Frank Barrone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996). He survived a heart attack while on the set of the show in 1999 and continued to work until his death in 2006.
Boyle's final films included The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002),The Santa Clause 2 (2002),Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004),and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). He died of multiple myeloma and heart disease at the age of 71.
