Everybody may love Raymond, but Ray Romano loves Peter Boyle (2025)

NEW YORK (AP) — “Baffling” is how Ray Romano calls the continued success of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” nearly 20 years after the CBS sitcom ended its nine-season run. “It goes so fast.”

That success comes as a surprise to the New York City-born comedian, who admits he’s always filled with doubt. So, when he started working on the series based on his comedy, he wasn’t confident in his acting chops, especially during the first season.

He didn’t think the show would have survived if not for an unlikely mentor: The late Peter Boyle, who played Raymond’s curmudgeonly father, Frank.

“He’s one of the main reasons it worked for me, because he made me feel accepted and comfortable. He was that kind of guy,” Romano says.

During a recent interview with The Associated Press, Romano shared insights about the sitcom, his relationship with Boyle and his career.

AP: You took a big chance casting Peter Boyle in a sitcom, didn’t you?

ROMANO: He wasn’t supposed to read. We were just supposed to have a meeting with him. But he offered to read. And in his defense, it was a rough day for him. We really couldn’t gauge whether he was getting the comedy of it, and we still said, “It’s Peter Boyle, let’s just go with the best actor in the room.”

AP: Outside of “Young Frankenstein,” his work was more serious, why the leap of faith?

ROMANO: He was hands down the best actor. And we rolled the dice, and it paid off because he was hysterical. When you’re creating a sitcom, you’ve got to get lucky. And we got lucky that we found Peter.

AP: You recently honored Peter at the International Myeloma Foundation gala?

ROMANO: Peter Boyle unfortunately passed away from myeloma, and his wife, Lorraine, started this charity to raise money for the International Myeloma Foundation. I love Peter and he meant a lot to me and I agreed to be part of it and I’ve been hosting it almost every year. It’s a night of comedy and it’s a little bit of music and raises money for a good cause.

AP: You mentioned that Peter led an interesting life?

ROMANO: He was a monk sworn to silence for two years. I don’t know if you knew that he lived in a monastery. That was his pre-Hollywood days, and I don’t know, I guess that didn’t work out for him. (laughs)

AP: Who would think that the man that played Frank Barrone had such an interesting life?

ROMANO: His wife was a reporter for Rolling Stone. And she interviewed him, and that’s how they met. She was friends with Yoko Ono. They all started hanging out. And when they got married, John Lennon was the best man at Peter’s wedding. So, he’s just a fascinating guy and totally different from the character that he played on my show.

AP: How big a find was Brad Garrett?

ROMANO: Listen, when you’re creating a sitcom, you’ve got to get lucky. And we got lucky that we found Peter, we found Doris Roberts and even Brad Garrett. You know, we didn’t write that role. Brad brought this persona that was nowhere in our minds when we were creating the show. So, we got lucky there. All those things had to fall in place for it to be successful.

AP: But that wasn’t the case for the first season?

ROMANO: If I’m being brutally honest, I was filled with doubt all the time. I don’t know if I’m acting well, and I know I’m not in the first season. I can look back and see I’m stiff. We’re trying to kind of nail down the tone. And so it’s a little bumpy in the beginning.

AP: When did the show find its way?

ROMANO: We were in 110th place in the Nielsens, and then decided to put us on after “Cosby,” for the last four episodes, and “Cosby” was their No. 1 show. And if we held the audience, we were going to make it. If we didn’t, they were going to cancel us. That’s what we knew. And we not only held his audience, I think we went up a tick for those last four episodes. That’s when it starts to sink in.

AP: How much do get out to the clubs these days?

ROMANO: I still do it. I don’t get to do it as much. When I go to New York, I always go to my club, the Comedy Cellar, downtown. It’s ironic that I’m in LA for 27 years now, and I have all these comedy clubs here, and yet I don’t go.

AP: Do you try your comedy on the family?

ROMANO: To be honest, it usually comes from the family. A lot of stuff comes from what my wife says without trying to be funny. I have this bit now in my act and it’s an exact quote from my wife. She said, to me, “You don’t talk a lot, but when you do, it’s too much.” After she said that I wrote it down: “That’s going in the act.”

Everybody may love Raymond, but Ray Romano loves Peter Boyle (2025)

FAQs

What happened to Peter Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

Shortly after Raymond wrapped, Boyle died of multiple myeloma and heart disease in 2006 at age 71. He is survived by his wife, Loraine Alterman, and their two daughters.

Did Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle get along? ›

When Peter Boyle and I met for the first time on the show it was as if we had known each other for 45 years,” she said. “We got more laughs just giving each other dirty looks than anything else. I loved him.”

Was Peter Boyle in the last episode of Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

"Everybody Loves Raymond" The Finale (TV Episode 2005) - Peter Boyle as Frank Barone - IMDb.

Who was Peter Boyle's wife? ›

Loraine Alterman Boyle joined the IMF board after her husband, famed actor Peter Boyle, passed away from myeloma in 2006.

Why did Everybody Loves Raymond end so abruptly? ›

The three Barones live right across the street and often seek to intervene in Raymond's home life. He added, “The rest of the cast was happy to go on, but myself and Phil Rosenthal — who ran the show — we wanted it to end in Season 8, because we just felt it, we felt it [was] time.”

Why did Robert quit the force on Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

Still reeling after his encounter with a bull, Robert loses his nerve on his first day back with the police force and decides to quit his job to begin a new career in telemarketing.

Did Ray and Debra get along? ›

There's no denying that Ray and Debra Barone loved each other dearly, no matter how much they may have fought. However, there's also no denying that these two could be pretty terrible to each other when they wanted to be.

Did Amy and Robert divorce? ›

After dating for nearly 2 years, Amy begins hinting at marriage. But Robert freaks out, and Amy ends up breaking up with him because of his fear of commitment.

Why did Debra and Marie stop talking? ›

Marie however takes an offense, accuses Debra of being rude and gives her the silent treatment. Later when Ray talks to Marie who tells him of the situation, he suggests apologizing to Debra. Initially refusing, Marie then goes over to Ray and Debra's house and gives Debra an apology that is very insulting.

Was Ray Romano's daughter ever on Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

Alexandra "Ally" Barone (154 episodes; played by Madylin Sweeten) – Ray and Debra Barone's only daughter. She is six years old at the beginning of the series, and is fourteen by the series finale. She was named after Ray Romano's real-life daughter who made a cameo appearance in the series.

What happened to Amy's brother Russell on Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

Paul Reubens (Russell) was arrested in 2002 on child pornography charges. Ray Romano demanded that he be dropped from the show's cast. The character of Amy's brother eventually returned, but his name was changed to Peter and he was played by Chris Elliott.

Did Peter Boyle have kids? ›

Boyle and his wife had two daughters, Lucy and Amy. Boyle received his first Emmy nomination for his acclaimed dramatic performance in the 1977 television film Tail Gunner Joe, in which he played Senator Joseph McCarthy.

What was the cause of the death of Peter Boyle? ›

The 71-year-old former Christian Brothers monk died on Tuesday after a long battle with multiple myeloma and heart disease, his publicists said. Boyle, who often played cantankerous characters, shot to fame as a foul-mouthed, working-class bigot in the 1970 film "Joe."

Why did they change Peter in Everybody Loves Raymond? ›

Paul Reubens (Russell) was arrested in 2002 on child pornography charges. Ray Romano demanded that he be dropped from the show's cast. The character of Amy's brother eventually returned, but his name was changed to Peter and he was played by Chris Elliott.

How long did Peter Boyle have multiple myeloma? ›

Was it when he stole the show as Frank Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond? In 2007, Loraine Alterman Boyle headed up the planning of a benefit to honor her late husband Peter Boyle, the beloved actor who died in 2006 after a four- year battle with multiple myeloma.

What happened on the last episode of everyone loves Raymond? ›

Ray undergoes a routine surgery. The medical personnel have difficulty waking him for a while causing most of the family to panic. Ray finally wakes up, and everyone is a little nicer to him...

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