Actor Peter Boyle Dead at 71

Even if you don't know his name, most people recognize Peter Boyle. He played Ray Romano's quick witted, quirky father, Frank Barrone, on the CBS television series "Everybody Loves Raymond". Boyle was born of Irish descent in Northtown, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 1935. He grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Roman Catholic schools. Boyle was a member of The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a monastery, where he taught drama before turning to acting in the late 1960's. He became a member of the Second City comedy troupe and began getting character parts in film and television.

Peter Boyle played many memorable characters, including, "The Monster" in Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" in 1974. His first movie was "The Virgin President" in 1968. Boyle's real breakthrough came in 1970 when he played the foul-mouthed "Joe Courran" in the film "Joe". Peter Boyle proved he was a very adept actor. He played villains in "Sheppard" and "Outland". Over the course of his acting career, Peter Boyle was in 93 films. "Taxi Driver", "Malcolm X", "Doctor Dolittle", "Santa Clause", "The Candidate", "Johnny Dangerously" and "Steelyard Blues" are only a small sampling of the films that Peter Boyle has appeared in. Most recently, he starred as the villainous Old Man Wickles in "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed".

Peter Boyle was as successful an actor on television as he was in film. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role on X-Files. The episode is entitled "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose". He appeared with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" and hosted "Saturday Night Live". His role as Frank Barrone, the grouchy but lovable character on the television series "Everyone Loves Raymond", has endeared him to many fans. He has captured a lasting place in the hearts of many.

Peter Boyle was the only member of the ensemble cast of "Everybody Loves Raymond" who never won an "Emmy" award for acting in the comedy series.

Peter Boyle was married in 1977 to Lorraine Alterman. They had two daughters, Lucy and Amy. Peter was friends with John Lennon who was the best man at his wedding. They met through Lorraine who was a reporter at "Rolling Stone" and was a friend of Yoko Ono.

In 1990 Peter Boyle suffered a stroke and was unable to talk for 6 months. On March 22, 1999, Boyle suffered a heart attack while on the set of Everybody Loves Raymond. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank where he underwent emergency angioplasty surgery. The operation was successful and he was able to return to the television series. Peter Boyle died on December 12, 2006, at New York Presbyterian Hospital after a long struggle with a heart disease and multiple myeloma. He is survived by his Fe, Lorraine, and two daughters, Amy and Lucy.

At the time of his death, Peter Boyle was working on two films; "Shadow of Atticus" and "Chatham". At this time it is not known if the films will be finished.

"Peter Boyle Biography"; Baselione 2000
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/artists/b/Peter-Boyle/biography-396773.html
Peter Boyle from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter Boyle
"Peter Boyle"
http://www.what-a-character.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=BoyleP