Peter Boyle


Actor
Peter Boyle

About

Birth Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Born
October 18, 1933
Died
December 12, 2006

Biography

One of the most respected character actors in show business for three decades, Peter Boyle’s imposing frame and powerful personality was the highlight of numerous films and television projects, ranging from "Young Frankenstein" (1974) and "Taxi Driver" (1976) to "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005). Boyle’s size and intensity made him a natural to play heavies, which he did through...

Family & Companions

Loraine Alterman
Wife
Journalist. Born c. 1943; married in 1977.

Notes

Not to be confused with film editor Peter Boyle or the 1950s TV actor of the same name.

Show business lore is that Peter Boyle's agent turned down the lead in "The French Connection" without even telling him about the script. Gene Hackman took the role, won an Academy Award, and became an American screen icon. Boyle changed agents.

Biography

One of the most respected character actors in show business for three decades, Peter Boyle’s imposing frame and powerful personality was the highlight of numerous films and television projects, ranging from "Young Frankenstein" (1974) and "Taxi Driver" (1976) to "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005). Boyle’s size and intensity made him a natural to play heavies, which he did throughout his career in projects ranging from his starmaking turn in "Joe" (1970) to "Monster’s Ball" (2001), but in real life, this former aspirant to the Catholic brotherhood was a lifelong pacifist and intellectual, as well as a gifted comic actor who performed with the legendary Second City troupe. "Young Frankenstein" launched him as a screen comedian, and he divided his time between drama and laughs for the remainder of his career, which ended on a high note with seven Emmy nominations for his turn as the uber-crotchety Frank Barone on "Raymond." It, along with the wealth of great performances throughout his life, cemented his status as a beloved screen presence.

Born Peter Lawrence Boyle in Norristown, PA on Oct. 18, 1935, he was the son of Philadelphia television personality Francis "Uncle Pete" Boyle, who hosted numerous children’s programs in the 1950s and early 1960s. (Boyle had a chance to play his father years later in the 1988 film "The In Crowd," which centered around a dance party series that broadcast out of Philadelphia in the early 1960s). Boyle’s childhood was spent largely in Catholic schools, and after graduation, he spent three years as a novice at the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic teaching order. Boyle did not complete his tenure with the order, having failed to feel a significant calling to a religious life, but did receive a BA from La Salle University in 1957. The United States Navy was his next stop, but after graduating from Officer Candidate School in 1959, he left the military after suffering a nervous breakdown.

Boyle next headed to New York City with the intention of becoming an actor. By day, he trained with famed drama teacher Uta Hagen while dividing his evening hours between work as a postman and maitre d’ and roles on stage, beginning in 1961 with "Shadow of Heroes." His first screen appearances also came during this period, first in television commercials and later in an unaccredited turn in the 1966 period drama "The Group." Wider exposure came with a role in the touring company of "The Odd Couple," but after coming in contact with members of the famed Second City improve troupe, he left the production and joined the group as a regular performer. It proved to be a momentous decision for his career; not only did he gain, in rapid succession, small roles in three Chicago-lensed features – Haskell Wexler’s groundbreaking "Medium Cool" (1969) and the counterculture comedies "The Monitors" (1969) and "The Virgin President" (the later penned by and starring Second City vet Severn Darden) – but he made his Broadway debut in "Story Theatre," a play by Second City founder Paul Sills. Boyle’s arrival in Chicago coincided with the tumult of the 1968 Democratic Convention, which was overrun by violent clashes between war protestors and the police. The experience made him a dedicated and lifelong supporter of liberal causes.

Ironically, for a man with such a passion for non-violence and left-wing ideals, he would achieve his first break at stardom playing a loudmouthed, thuggish and ultimately homicidal hardhat in John G. Avildsen’s "Joe" (1970). The drama, about a pent-up businessman (Dennis Patrick) who is drawn into free love and murder by Boyle’s mad dog construction worker, was a cultural touchstone for American viewers reeling from the political unrest that plagued the final years of the 1960s. Boyle’s mesmerizing and repellant performance earned overwhelming critical praise, but on a troubling note, also major support from conservative viewers who cheered Joe as he indiscriminately murdered hippies in the film’s final scenes. The experience convinced Boyle to steer clear of future projects that glorified violence, including "The French Connection," whose hard-nosed detective hero, Popeye Doyle, was originally offered to him. Unfortunately, Boyle would struggle to find roles that did not hinge on a criminal element. There were a few, like his lonely businessman in Peter Hyams’ "T.R. Baskin" (1971) and an offbeat construction worker in the anarchic comedy "Steelyard Blues" (1973). The latter reunited him with actor Donald Sutherland and close friend Jane Fonda, with whom he had participated in numerous anti-war rallies, and with whom he had traveled to various Army bases to perform political comedy during the Vietnam War. Their efforts were documented in the 1972 film "FTA."

But for the most part, the men Boyle played in the early 1970s were at best, ruthless, and at worst, deadly. He was Robert Redford’s underhanded campaign advisor in "The Candidate" (1972), and earned his first Emmy nomination as Senator Joseph McCarthy in "Tail Gunner Joe" (NBC, 1977). There were also malevolent underworld types in "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1973) and "Crazy Joe" (1974), a tough Teamster boss in "F.I.S.T." (1976), the lethal "Fatso" Judson in the TV miniseries adaptation of "From Here to Eternity" (NBC, 1979), and a scurrilous 19th century noblemen in "Swashbuckler (1976). Somewhat less dangerous, but still not quite on the side of the angels, were Wizard, the sympathetic and philosophic cabbie who advises Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s "Taxi Driver" (1976), a small time Irish fence who gets involved in a disastrous bank robbery in William Friedkin’s "The Brink’s Job" (1978), and a hard-boiled P.I. who aids George C. Scott in finding his missing daughter in Paul Schrader’s "Hardcore" (1979).

In the midst of all this violence and drama, one of Boyle’s greatest gifts – his comic talent – received its greatest showcase. He had appeared in a handful of comedies during the period – there were the late ‘60s efforts, as well as "Steelyard Blues" and "Slither" (1973), an oddball crime picture which cast him as an unctuous nightclub performer, but none had been seen by a wide audience. So it was Mel Brooks’ "Young Frankenstein" that not only demonstrated just how funny Boyle could be, but also changed the course of Boyle’s career from screen heavy to eccentric comic presence.

Like Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee before him, Boyle emphasized the childlike qualities of his Monster; though quick to anger and destructive, he was also poignant in his befuddlement over the vagaries of life. Boyle brought genuine delight to scenes like his encounter with Gene Hackman’s lonely hermit – who accidentally boils his lap with soup and sets his finger on fire while lighting a cigar – and added a touch of devilish adolescence to the unexpected passion between him and Madeleine Kahn, the prim fiancée of Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder). Boyle was also front and center for the film’s comic highpoint, an unexpected duet of "Puttin’ on the Ritz" with his creator, with the Monster offering a tone-deaf counterpoint to Wilder’s smooth patter. A smash hit upon its release, "Young Frankenstein" remained one of the most well loved American comedies in the decades that followed, and eventually earned a place in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. The film was personally significant for Boyle as well; he was interviewed on set by Rolling Stone journalist Lorraine Alterman, whom he married in 1977. A close friend of Yoko Ono, Alterman introduced him to John Lennon, who became not only a boon companion but the best man at his wedding. Boyle and Alterman’s first daughter, Lucy, was born two days after Lennon was assassinated in 1980; a second child, Amy, followed in 1983.

After "Frankenstein," however, Boyle struggled to find a worthy comedic vehicle that would suit his abilities. "Where the Buffalo Roam" (1980) cast him as the volcanic attorney to Bill Murray’s Hunter S. Thompson, while "In God We Tru$t" (1980), "Yellowbeard" (1983) and "Johnny Dangerously" (1984) were broad slapstick comedies, all of which tanked miserably at the box office (thought the latter gangster send-up would enjoy cult status years later). Boyle soon returned to playing menacing types, like the sinister interplanetary mining executive in Peter Hyams’ "Outland" (1981) and crime fiction legend Dashiell Hammett’s former boss in Wim Wenders’ disastrous "Hammett" (1982). Boyle soon moved to television to find substantial roles; his first effort as a series lead was "Joe Bash" (ABC, 1986), a decidedly unglamorous comedy-drama about a lonely, middle-aged beat cop (Boyle). Created by Danny Arnold of "Barney Miller" (ABC, 1975-1982) fame, the series was blissfully free of saintly portrayals of policemen – Joe debates on what to do with a dead woman’s money, and sleeps with a prostitute – as well as happy endings and even a laugh track. Needless to say, audiences were not quite ready for it in the mid-‘80s, and it died a quick death, despite critical acclaim. During this period, Boyle also made occasional returns to the New York stage, first in "The Roast," directed by Carl Reiner, and later in a producer of Sam Shepard’s "True West" with Tommy Lee Jones.

For the next decade or so, Boyle worked largely on television, where his skills were frequently given appropriate vehicles. He earned an Emmy nomination as the father of Gary Cole’s cop-turned-radio jock in "Midnight Caller" (NBC, 1988-1991), and excelled at portraying several real-life figures, including David Dellinger, the "old man" of the Vietnam War protestors known as the "Chicago 8" in "Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8" (HBO, 1987), Admiral John Poindexter in "Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North" (CBS, 1989), Roger Boisjoly, who warned NASA about problems with the space shuttle program in "Challenger" (ABC, 1990), and Fred Ford, who played a similar role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in "The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story" (1990). There were also occasional returns to features, most notably in "The Dream Team" (1989), which reunited him with his "Johnny Dangerously" co-star Michael Keaton as two of four escaped mental patients who make their way through New York City.

This prolific period in Boyle’s life was interrupted in 1990 by a serious stroke that rendered him speechless and immobile for six months. However, his facilities returned after intensive therapy, and by 1991, he was back in features and on television, most notably in "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992) and a cameo as a police chief in Spike Lee’s epic "Malcolm X" (1992). He also returned to series work in the short-lived Fox sitcom "Flying Blind" (1992) as the father of Tea Leoni’s uninhibited heroine. By the mid-‘90s, Boyle had settled comfortably into a string of guest parts on television series and movies. There were numerous highlights, like the patriarch of the quirky and loving family that Sandra Bullock wants desperately to join in "While You Were Sleeping" (1996) and a five-episode arc on "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005) as the father of a schizophrenic man. Boyle finally won an Emmy during this period, for a moving appearance on "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002) as a kind-hearted man with the unfortunate ability to foresee how people will die. But in 1996, Boyle landed the role that would largely define his career for most viewers – that of Frank Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Cast largely due to the fact that he arrived in a foul mood for his audition, having gotten lost on the studio lot, Boyle brought a piece of every crank and curmudgeon he had played over the last 20 years to Frank Barone. Based on series star Ray Romano’s own father, Frank was a dyed-in-the-wool grouch with a sharp tongue that spared no one, from sons Ray and Robert (Brad Garrett) to wife Marie (Doris Roberts) and daughter-in-law Debra (Patricia Heaton). But like so many times before, Boyle knew when to lend a touch of humanity to the character, and on numerous occasions, Frank was allowed to show his pride in his sons, his long-abiding affection for his wife, and his respect for Debra, one of the few people who refused to wilt before his battering-ram personality. A slow-building success in its first few seasons, "Raymond" became one of the network’s biggest and most critically acclaimed hits within a few years; it also netted Boyle seven Emmy nominations and a Screen Actors Guild Award, which he shared with the cast.

In 1999, Boyle suffered another health setback when he was stricken with a heart attack on the set of "Raymond." Once again, he recovered quickly, and was back at work on the series, as well as giving supporting turns in films and TV productions. He wowed critics with the brute force of his performance in "Monster’s Ball" (2001) as the virulently racist father of prison guard Billy Bob Thornton, and played the father of convicted spy Robert Hanssen in "Mastery Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story" (CBS, 2002), which featured a script by Norman Mailer. Producers were wise to tap into his popularity from "Raymond" and the legacy of "Young Frankenstein" for their comedies, which included all three "Santa Clause" movies (1994, 2002, 2006), "Scooby 2: Monsters Unleashed" (2004) and "The Mind of Mencia" (Comedy Central, 2005-08), which featured Boyle commenting angrily on the news in a blend of his onscreen and offscreen persona. Boyle also co-starred with his "Raymond" spouse, Doris Roberts, in a series of commercials commemorating the 75th anniversary of Alka-Seltzer. Few, if any, delivered the enduring phrase, "I can’t believe I ate the whole thing," as well as Boyle.

Boyle’s health began to decline shortly after "Raymond" ended its network run in 2005. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma and heart disease, he nevertheless continued working in films and television until late 2006, when he was hospitalized for his condition. On Dec. 12, 2006, Boyle passed away at New York Presbyterian Hospital, stunning fans, critics and co-stars worldwide. No less of a figure than Bruce Springsteen memorialized Boyle on Oct. 18, 2007 – which would have been Boyle’s 72nd birthday – with a performance of "Meeting Across the River" and "Jungleland" during a concert at Madison Square Garden. The two had been friends since meeting in New York in the 1970s.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

All Roads Lead Home (2008)
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
Monster's Ball (2002)
Buck Grotowski
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Sweet Evil (1998)
That Darn Cat (1997)
A Deadly Vision (1997)
In the Lake of the Woods (1996)
Death and the Compass (1996)
Lunnrot
The Surgeon (1996)
Milk and Money (1996)
Belted Galloway
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Ox
Born to Be Wild (1995)
Royce (1994)
The Santa Clause (1994)
The Shadow (1994)
Bulletproof Heart (1994)
Taking the Heat (1993)
Nervous Ticks (1992)
Ron Rudman
Malcolm X (1992)
In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992)
Dan Reilly
Solar Crisis (1992)
Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)
Kickboxer 2 (1991)
Challenger (1990)
The Tragedy of Flight 103 (1990)
Speed Zone (1989)
The Dream Team (1989)
Funny (1989)
Disaster at Silo 7 (1988)
Red Heat (1988)
The In Crowd (1988)
Surrender (1987)
Walker (1987)
Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987)
David Dellinger
Turk 182 (1985)
Johnny Dangerously (1984)
Yellowbeard (1983)
Hammett (1982)
Outland (1981)
Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)
In God We Trust (1980)
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Hardcore (1979)
Andy Mast
The Brink's Job (1978)
F.I.S.T. (1978)
Tail Gunner Joe (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Swashbuckler (1976)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973)
Ras Mohammed
Steelyard Blues (1973)
Eagle
Slither (1973)
The Man Who Could Talk to Kids (1973)
Charlie Datweiler
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Crazy Joe (1973)
The Candidate (1972)
[Marvin] Lucas
Kid Blue (1972)
T. R. Baskin (1971)
Jack Mitchell
Joe (1970)
Joe Curran
Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)
Man in group therapy session
Medium Cool (1969)
Gun clinic manager
The Virgin President (1968)
General Heath

Editing (Feature Film)

The Hours (2002)
Film Editor

Cast (Special)

The 29th Annual People's Choice Awards (2003)
Everybody Loves Raymond: The First Six Years (2002)
Teri Garr: Comic Appeal (2001)
Politically Incorrect After Party Presented By Pepsi (1999)
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Primetime Special (1999)
Philly Heat (1995)
Stanislas Kelly
The Real Frankenstein: An Untold Story (1995)
Poochinski (1990)
Voice
27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1990)
National Basketball Players Association Awards (1989)
Performer
Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel (1988)
Klein Time (1977)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North (1989)
Echoes in the Darkness (1987)
From Here to Eternity (1979)

Life Events

1961

Early NYC stage appearance, "Shadow of Heroes"

1965

Toured in "The Odd Couple" as understudy for Oscar Madison role

1968

Film debut, "The Virgin President"

1970

Acted on Broadway in "Paul Sills' Story Theatre"

1970

TV series debut as regular on "Comedy Tonight" (CBS)

1970

Breakthrough feature film, "Joe"; had title role

1973

Racked up feature credits in the comedies "Ghost in the Noonday Sun", "Steelyard Blues", "Kid Blue" and "Slither" and the gangster dramas "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" and "Crazy Joe"

1973

TV-movie debut, "The Man Who Could Talk to Kids" (ABC)

1974

Had an unforgettable turn as the titular scientist's monster in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein"

1976

Had a featured supporting role in Martin Scorcese's "Taxi Driver"

1977

Played Senator Joseph McCarthy in "Tail Gunner Joe" (NBC)

1978

Co-starred with Peter Falk in the period comedy "The Brink's Job"; played a powerful Teamster boss in the drama "F.I.S.T."

1979

Appeared as Fatso Judson in miniseries and series remakes of "From Here to Eternity"

1980

Co-starred with Bill Murray in the comedy "Where the Buffalo Roam"

1980

Starred with "Young Frankenstein" co-star Marty Feldman in "In God We Trust"

1982

Acted in the detective drama "Hammett", an homage to the famed novelist

1983

Featured in Feldman's last film, "Yellowbeard"

1984

Had a pivotal supporting role in the gangster comedy "Johnny Dangerously", starring Michael Keaton

1986

Starred in short-lived series "Joe Bash" (ABC), playing a veteran NYPD patrolman

1989

Reteamed with Keaton in "The Dream Team"

1990

Suffered slight stroke, resumed work after rehab

1991

Featured in "Kickboxer II"

1993

Acted in the quirky comedy "Nervous Ticks", starring Bill Pullman

1994

Had a supporting role in the holiday comedy "The Santa Clause"

1995

Guest starred on an episode of "The X-Files"; was awarded an Emmy for his memorable peformance

1995

Played Ox, the head of the Callaghan clan that Sandra Bullock's lonely Lucy wants desperately to marry into in the romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping", co-starring Pullman

1995

Had recurring role as the father of a schizophrenic man in several poignant episodes of ABC's "NYPD Blue"

1996

Played the owner of a retro candy shop in the children's comedy "That Darn Cat"

1996

Returned to series TV as regular on the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond", playing Frank Barrone, the title character's ornery father; earned 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005 Emmy nominations and a SAG nomination in 2004

1998

Guest starred on CBS' "King of Queens", playing Frank Barrone

Videos

Movie Clip

Hardcore (1979) — (Movie Clip) These Are The Realities In Los Angeles after the disappearance of his daughter on a church youth trip, Michigan Calvinist businessman Van Dorn (George C. Scott, with Dick Sargent, his brother-in-law) grapples with an L-A cop then with P-I Mast (Peter Boyle), in the uncompromising early feature by Calvinist-raised Grand Rapids native Paul Schrader, Hardcore, 1979.
Young Frankenstein (1974) -- (Movie Clip) A Temporary Companion Actually borrowing from Bride Of Frankenstein, 1935, director Mel Brooks’ escaped monster (Peter Boyle) drops in on the altogether uncredited lonely blind monk played by Gene Hackman, in Young Frankenstein, from a screenplay by Brooks and star Gene Wilder.
Steelyard Blues (1973) -- (Movie Clip) You Ain't Even Dangerous Opening in jail, Melvin Stewart the inmate harassing top-billed Donald Sutherland, whom we learn has been a demolition derby driver, among other things, from Steelyard Blues, also starring Jane Fonda, an early effort from the prolific TV director and professor Alan Myerson.
Steelyard Blues (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Where There Ain't No Jails Veldini (Donald Sutherland), just out of jail, with his crew (Jane Fonda as girlfriend Iris, John Savage his younger brother, Peter Boyle his often-institutionalized pal “Eagle”) visiting mechanic-thief Duval (Garry Goodrow), who’s proposing they rehabilitate a “flying boat” plane, in Steelyard Blues, 1973.
Steelyard Blues (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Put Your Thing On The Table Just-paroled Veldini (Donald Sutherland) visits his hooker girlfriend Iris (Jane Fonda) on the job, Roger Bowen her “John,” having a laugh, early in Steelyard Blues, 1973, co-starring Peter Boyle, John Savage and Howard Hesseman.
Taxi Driver (1976) -- (Movie Clip) He's A Ladies' Man Travis (Robert De Niro) not much up for lewd, racist conversation with fellow cabbies Wizard (Peter Boyle) and Doughboy (Harry Northrup) in Taxi Driver, 1976, Martin Scorsese directing from Paul Schrader's script.
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979) -- (Movie Clip) Did You Come By Canoe? A quick roll call as Michael Caine and his improvised salvage crew (Sally Field, Karl Malden), with Telly Savalas heading a Greek medical team, discover survivors not seen in the original, Veronica Hamel, Peter Boyle and Shirley Jones with back-stories, in Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, 1979.
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979) -- (Movie Clip) I've Had Smoother Crossings Michael Caine and his crew (Sally Field, Karl Malden) revel in their salvage from the capsized liner when a new survivor (Slim Pickens as Tex) appears, then two more, Angela Cartwright who’s the daughter of Peter Boyle, and Mark Harmon her rescuer, Shirley Jones and Veronica Hamel also among the band, in Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, 1979.
Medium Cool (1969) -- (Movie Clip) You Are The Exploiters Interviews interjected with Chicagoans selected by the director, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, as citizens who insisted on being interviewed by cameraman John (Robert Forster), whose next shoot, with sound man Peter Bonerz, features Peter Boyle as a gun salesman, in Medium Cool, 1969.
Slither (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Consider Me Harry Professional MC Barry (Peter Boyle) at a gig for the Polish-American Veterans, spouse Mary (Louise Lasser) and new ex-con pal Dick (James Caan) in the audience, then discussing information gained from their deceased mutual friend, in Slither, 1973.
Friends of Eddie Coyle, The -- (Movie Clip) Stand-Up Guy Eddie (Robert Mitchum) complains about his sentence to ex-con barkeep Dillon (Peter Doyle), who then meets federal agent Foley (Richard Jordan) outside the Government Center train station in Boston, in The Friends of Eddie Coyle, 1973, directed by Peter Yates.
Friends of Eddie Coyle, The -- (Movie Clip) Open, Ten Singles Understated and oddly fascinating opening sequence, featuring Alex Rocco casing a bank, from the Boston-based crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle, 1973, from George V. Higgins' novel, starring Robert Mitchum.

Trailer

Family

Peter Boyle
Father
Commercial artist. Also a Philadelphia TV personality under name 'Uncle Pete'.
Alice Boyle
Mother
Lucy Boyle
Daughter
Born on December 10, 1980.
Amy Boyle
Daughter
Born in 1983.

Companions

Loraine Alterman
Wife
Journalist. Born c. 1943; married in 1977.

Bibliography

Notes

Not to be confused with film editor Peter Boyle or the 1950s TV actor of the same name.

Show business lore is that Peter Boyle's agent turned down the lead in "The French Connection" without even telling him about the script. Gene Hackman took the role, won an Academy Award, and became an American screen icon. Boyle changed agents.

John Lennon was the best man at Boyle's wedding.

"I grew up going to Catholic school. The keystone of my education was going to Mass a lot. The Mass is basically the greatest play. Really the roots of all drama are in the religious ritual." --Peter Boyle in Entertainment Weekly, October 20, 1995.

"So many people came up to me after those shows [the episodes of 'NYPD Blue' dealing with schizophrenia]--people who had dealt with the same sorts of problems. I was stunned by how wide an audience this thing had touched." --Peter Boyle to Entertainment Weekly, October 20, 1995.

Boyle on his frequent portrayal of fathers: "I don't know whether that's something I can explain. I'm a dad in real life, and when I'm not working I'm doing dad things with my teenage daughters. So I've had a lot of practice."I'm of a certain age group and I'm a guy who could have a 30-year-old son, easily. And [30-somethings] are the only generation that seems to matter. they've just discovered cigars and all these new things. All these baby boomers are growing up and need a more senior dad." --quoted in the New York Post, February 21, 1997.

"This business is all about typecasting, no matter what you do. I'm going to be typecast, I might as well enjoy it." --Boyle to the New York Post, February 21, 1997.

After insisting to Time Out New York's Michael Friedson in the January 22-29, 1998 issue. that he is not insane despite his eccentric characterizations, Boyle explains why he has always played odd characters: "[W]hen I was a very young actor, and God in his wisdom saw fit to deprive me of normal male hair pattern, I had to get some moves. In the '60s, there was Jack Kennedy. Everything was hair. A 25-year old guy with thinning hair has to learn some moves. I chose the way of naked flesh, not of artifice and hairpieces."

Boyle on his agitated audition for "Everyone Loves Raymond": "I was ready to pop. I didn't plan it that way, but I was just like Frank when I walked in." --quoted in People, March 8, 1999.