Peter Boyle
American actor Peter Boyle is best known as grumpy dad Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, a role he held for eleven years.
Synopsis
American actor Peter Boyle was the son of local television personality "Uncle Pete." Boyle made his debut on the big screen in The Virgin President but it was his striking portrayal of a bigoted construction worker in 1970's Joe that turned him into an in-demand actor. He is perhaps best known as the grumpy dad Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, a role that he held for nine years.
Profile
Actor. Born October 18, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The son of local television personality "Uncle Pete," Boyle graduated from LaSalle College in 1957. Soon after, he became a Christian Brothers monk, leaving the priesthood in the early 1960s to pursue a career as an actor.
After moving to New York and performing off-Broadway, Boyle joined a touring production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. Following the run, he landed a spot with Chicago's prestigious Second City improvisational comedy troupe.
In 1968, Boyle made his debut on the big screen in The Virgin President. But it was his striking portrayal of a bigoted construction worker in 1970's Joe that turned Boyle into an in-demand actor. Though his most notable role to date had been a fiercely dramatic one, he went on to impress critics and audiences with his comedic talent in such films as Slither in 1973 and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein in 1974. He also appeared as a philosophical cabbie in 1976's Taxi Driver and, more recently, put in a chilling performance as the executioner in 2001's Monster's Ball.
In addition to films, Boyle has appeared on television in such movies as The Rise and Fall of Oliver North. But he is perhaps best known as the grumpy dad Frank Barone on the popular CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, a role he played on the series from 1996 through 2005.
Boyle married journalist Lorraine Alterman in 1977. They have two daughters, Lucy and Amy. Boyle died December 12, 2006 after battling multiple myeloma and heart disease.
