American actor Peter Scolari, who starred opposite lifelong friend Tom Hanks in the early 1980s sitcom 'Bosom Buddies', died on Friday at the age of 66.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scolari, an Emmy winner whose credits also included 'Newhart' and HBO's 'Girls', had been living with cancer for the past two years.
A native of New Rochelle, New York, Scolari landed his first major acting role in the short-lived 1980 ABC comedy 'Goodtime Girls'. Later that year, he and a then-unknown Hanks starred in 'Bosom Buddies', playing two guys who disguise themselves as women to live in an affordable, all-female apartment building.
The show, also on ABC, lasted just two seasons, but it sparked a 40-plus year friendship between the two actors.
Scolari and Hanks would work together several times over the ensuing decades, with Scolari appearing in his friend's directorial debut, 'That Thing You Do!', and the Hanks-produced HBO miniseries 'From the Earth to the Moon'. The two both did voice work on 2003's 'The Polar Express'.
Following the 1982 cancellation of 'Bosom Buddies', Scolari joined Newhart in 1984 and remained with the show until its conclusion in 1990.
He became close friends with and a frequent golf partner of star Bob Newhart during the show's run, and they remained close afterwards.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, in a statement, Bob said, "I knew that Peter was sick, but his death still comes as a great shock. We were friends and colleagues for over 40 years. Julia [Duffy] and Peter, as a vacuous couple (Michael and Stephanie), were an essential part of the success of Newhart. In 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."
Scolari was nominated for three Emmys for his role on 'Newhart'. Twenty-seven years after his third nomination for that show, he won a guest acting Emmy for playing Hannah's (Lena Dunham) father on 'Girls'.
In recent years, Scolari had recurred on the CBS turned Paramount plus drama 'Evil' and appeared on series including Fox's 'Gotham', FX's 'Fosse/Verdon' and 'Lisey's Story' at Apple TV plus.
( With inputs from ANI )
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