Gordon Kent and others are writing to ask if I have any personal anecdotes about Peter Boyle, the fine actor who has died at the age of 71. I have maybe a fourth of one. I always thought Mr. Boyle was a fine actor, starting with the film in which most of us first heard of him, Joe. It was a clumsy, sometimes tasteless effort but amazingly, Boyle was quite wonderful in it and its story, which was appallingly relevant in 1970, may be even more pertinent today. Or maybe not, I don't know. I'd have to watch it again.
My one encounter with the man came at the 100th birthday party for the great ventriloquist, Señor Wences in 1996. I was talking with the Guest of Honor and with another great voice thrower, Paul Winchell, who was then a spry 74 years young. Boyle came over to say goodnight to the Señor and somehow, he and I got to talking about what guys like that meant to our childhoods. I don't remember the words but the jist of it was how wonderful it was that Wences and Winchell had lived long enough to be properly honored and to maybe, just maybe appreciate the impact of their work on others. It's a bit chilling to recall the discussion today and to realize that Boyle did not even make it to the age Paul was on that evening. You hope he realized how much his work — Peter Boyle's, I mean — had meant to so many others.
If ten minutes with him is any indication, he was a crusty but sincere man, very devoted to his work. I saw an interview with him not longer after and was struck by how serious he was about acting…serious enough to give it his all but not so serious that it skewed out of proportion to other things in the world. The obits I'm seeing now on the Internet are short and obviously prepared in a hurry…but if you come across a longer one that goes into depth about his life, and about how he gave up life in a monastery for what some would view as the extreme opposite, give it a read.
That said, the following clip does not represent the extent of Peter Boyle's acting prowess or the seriousness with which he approached his work. But it sure is funny.
