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For the bulk of his film career, versatile actor Peter Boyle has specialized in playing eccentric leads as well as supporting and character roles. Before becoming an actor in the early '60s, Boyle was a member of the Christian Brothers monastic order. After leaving the priesthood, Boyle studied with Uta Hagen in New York and appeared in a few off-Broadway plays. He then toured the country in a production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple until landing in Chicago where he joined the prestigious Second City improvisational comedy troupe. Boyle began showing up on television in the late '60s and in 1968, made his feature film debut in The Virgin President. A few more films quickly followed but it was not until Boyle's chillingly realistic portrayal of a bigoted, "patriotic" construction worker in Joe (1970) that Boyle became an in-demand actor. Up until he appeared in the caper comedy Slither (1973), Boyle had been cast in largely dramatic roles, but his most famous comedy role was that of the monster in Mel Brook's sublime parody Young Frankenstein (1974). In this film, he showed a real knack for broad and subtle comedy; he even managed to imbue his hulking, zipper-necked creature with genuine pathos. Other memorable roles include a supporting performance as a philosophical cabbie in Taxi Driver (1976). He continued to work regularly in feature films, many of uneven quality. In addition, Boyle has frequently worked in television, appearing in miniseries such as Echoes in the Darkness and made-for-TV films such as The Rise and Fall of Oliver North. Boyle played Tea Leone's father in the short-lived but critically acclaimed Fox sitcom Flying Blind (1992-1993). In 1996, Boyle landed a regular spot on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. |
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