The Devastating Death Of Peter Scolari
Actor Peter Scolari passed away in the early morning hours of Friday, October 22, 2021 at the age of 66, after a two-year battle with cancer. As reported by Deadline, his death was first announced by Ellen Lubin Sanitsky at Wright Entertainment.
One of Scolari's final roles was Bishop Thomas Marx on the CBS supernatural mystery show "Evil." Upon the news of his passing, "Evil" creators Robert and Michelle King released the following statement: "Peter was beloved on our set by the cast, the crew, and the writers not only because he was a mensch and a giving actor, but because he took what otherwise was the straight man part and turned it into a comic pleasure. He always found different ways to phrase things or find odd pauses in the middle of sentences. You could see him molding the lines looking for the laughs. Watching his dailies was always a thrill because you saw his craft in action. He worked with us right up until April 27th, and he was great in every episode. We are going to miss him dreadfully" (via Variety).
Comedic timing was one of Scolari's many gifts. His breakout role was the co-lead on the classic but short-lived ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies," in which he starred as Henry alongside Tom Hanks, who played Kip. But Henry was just one memorable role in a career that began in 1978.
Peter Scolari was a prolific character actor on TV and in movies
Peter Scolari was born on September 12, 1955 in New Rochelle, New York. He first realized he wanted to be an actor when he starred in a high school production of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," and he studied acting at the Colonnades Theater Lab in New York City (via TV Guide).
Scolari's first sitcom appearances were on 1979's "Angie's" and 1980's "Good Time Girls," on which he played a juggling neighbor. Later in 1980, Scolari was cast in "Bosom Buddies" and his career took off. As Henry, Scolari played one of two friends who decided to impersonate women in order to live in an affordable but all-female boarding house. Scolari's comedy skills and easy chemistry with Hanks got him noticed in Hollywood, and the show launched both actors' careers.
After "Bosom Buddies," Scolari appeared on several more sitcoms. In 1984, he was cast in the recurring role of Michael Harris on the CBS series "Newhart." Scolari appeared in 142 episodes and was nominated for an Emmy three times. In 2016, Scolari received his fourth Emmy nomination and first win for the role of Tad Horvath, Hannah's (Lena Dunham) father, on the HBO series "Girls." Some of his other TV roles include the series lead on the 1993 drama "Family Album," Wayne Szalinksi on the TV version of "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" (1997-2000), and Bernie Madoff's brother Peter on the 2016 miniseries "Madoff."
Scolari also had 17 film credits, including cameos in "That Thing You Do," which was directed by Tom Hanks. He will be missed.