Peter Scolari, ‘Bosom Buddies’ and ‘Newhart’ Star, Dead at 66

Peter Scolari, a well-known actor who appeared in Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks and Newhart, died on Friday morning, according to Variety. He was 66 years old. Scolari died after a two-year battle with cancer. His death was confirmed by his manager Ellen Lubin Sanitsky.

Scolari won an Emmy in 2016 for his portrayal of Tad Horvath on the series Girls. He was also nominated for three Emmys for his role as Michael Harris in the CBS comedy Newhart that starred Bob Newhart. Scolari was recently seen in the second season of Evil, on which he played Bishop Tomas Marx. Back in 2016, Scolari spoke to Variety shortly after winning his Emmy. 

“When you’re 35 and nominated for an Emmy, you give fist pumps and high fives,” Scolari said. “But at 60, I felt something closer to tears than to joy. I thought how lucky I was, and that I need to count my blessings. When I looked at the submissions, there were over 100 actors in my category. A large chunk of them delivered knockout performances. I’m very humbled by this.” 

Bosom Buddies lasted only two seasons on ABC but launched Scolari and Hanks’ careers. The show focused on Henry (Scolari) and Kip (Hanks) working at an advertising agency in New York. But in order for them to move into inexpensive residence, the duo dressed in drag to move into the women’s only Susan B. Anthony Hotel. They also pose as brothers to Hildegard (Scolari) and Buffy (Hanks) in order to make things easier for them. 

Scolari appeared in 142 episodes of Newhart from 1984 to 1990. And when it comes to Girls, Scolari appeared in 21 episodes playing the father of Hannah (Lena Dunham). Scolari has also appeared in a number of TV shows, including Family Ties, Happy Days, The New Carrey Show, and Honey, I Shunk the Kids where he was a series regular from 1997-2000. In the film world, Scolari starred in Camp Nowhere, That Thing You Do! with Hanks, Sorority Boys and most recently Looks that Kill.

“I used to tell kids that if they can do anything else, they should do it; I felt almost a moral obligation,” Scolari told Variety in the 2016 interview. “But I see in my children that if the work ethic is profound, you have to follow your dream.” Scolari is survived by his wife, Tracy Shayne, and children, Cali, Keaton, Nicholas and Joseph.