Peter Scolari of 'Newhart,' 'Bosom Buddies,' dies at 66
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Peter Scolari, a versatile character actor whose television roles included a yuppie producer on 'œNewhart'ť and a closeted dad on 'œGirls'ť and who was on Broadway with longtime friend Tom Hanks in 'œLucky Guy," has died. He was 66.
Scolari died Friday morning in New York after fighting cancer for two years, according to Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, his manager.
He first gained attention as the then-unknown Hanks' co-star in the 1980-82 sitcom 'œBosom Buddies,'ť in which their characters disguised themselves as women to live in affordable, females-only housing.
The two actors went on to work together in projects including Hanks' 1996 movie directorial debut 'œThat Thing You Do!'ť and in 2013's 'œLucky Guy,'ť Nora Ephron's play about newspaper columnist Mike McAlary.
Scolari also performed on Broadway in 'œWicked.'ť 'œHairspray'ť and 2014's 'œBronx Bombers,'ť in which he played baseball's Yogi Berra.
'œWe were friends and colleagues for over 40 years,'ť Bob Newhart said in a statement to The Associated Press. He said the contributions of on-screen couple Scolari and Julia Duffy in 'œNewhart'ť were an 'œessential part'ť of the show's success.
'œIn life, he was a fantastic person, and it was a joy to work together. He will be sorely missed and his passing at 66 is much too early,'ť said Newhart, who is 92.
Scolari's recent roles included Bishop Thomas Marx on the supernatural series 'œEvil." Series co-creator Robert King remembered him Tuesday as 'œjust wonderful.'ť
He was 'œone of the funniest - sneakily funny - actors we've worked with. He always took a nothing scene and found different ways to twist it, and throw in odd pauses that made it jump,'ť King said on Twitter.
He received three Emmy nominations playing husband to Duffy's Stephanie and colleague to Newhart's inn owner and local TV host in the 1982-90 sitcom.
'œNo better partner,'ť Duffy posted on Twitter, along with a broken-heart emoji and a photo of a scene in which she and Scolari are dancing a tango.
In 2016, he won an Emmy Award for the role of Ted Horvath, father to Lena Dunham's Hannah, in 'œGirls.'ť In the course of the dramedy created by Dunham, Ted comes out as gay and leaves his wife to find fulfillment.
In an Instagram post, Dunham said she "couldn't have been raised up by a better TV '~papa.' Thank you, Scolari, for every chat between set ups, every hug onscreen and off and every '~Oh, Jeez.' We will miss you so much.'ť
Harvey Fierstein, who starred in 'œHairspray," tweeted there 'œwasn't a sweeter man on the planet.'ť
Scolari's more than four-decade career included numerous guest roles on series including 'œER,'ť 'œWhite Collar'ť and 'œBlue Bloods."
A New York native whose previous marriages ended in divorce, he's survived by his wife, actor Tracy Shayne, who played opposite him as Berra's wife in 'œBronx Bombers." Other survivors include his children Nicholas, Joseph, Keaton, and Cali.