Peter Boyle

Born: 18 October 1935
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Peter is a stalwart of the American stage and screen.

Broadway played home to his acting skills until 1968 when he was cast in his film debut, The Virgin President.

Peter's breakthrough came a couple of years later in the feature film Joe - in which he starred in the title role.

It was Peter's unforgettable turn as the titular scientist's monster in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein that familiarised casting directors with his menacing looks, and he was soon experiencing a flood of offers.

Films such as Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver, and his starring role opposite Billy Murray in the comedy Where the Buffalo Roam, all brought him critical and international recognition.

In 1990 Peter suffered a slight stroke, but rehab helped him behind the lens and back onto the stage without much delay.

Five years later he was fully back in the game. A supporting role as 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.

The same year he was cast in a recurring role as the father of a schizophrenic man in several poignant episodes of the popular TV drama NYPD Blue.

Peter has also starred as a regular on the TV sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. His character earned him an Emmy nomination in 1999 and 2000.

Most recently he has starred in Monster's Ball, for which Halle Berry won an Oscar; The Adventures of Pluto Nash and The Santa Clause 2.