Peter Boyle's Heart Attack on the Set of "Everybody Loves Raymond"
By Billy Ingram
Filmed in front of a live studio audience, Everybody Loves Raymond aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, 210 episodes over nine seasons. The cast members were Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Madylin Sweeten, and Monica Horan.
Peter Boyle, who played Frank Barone, father to Ray Barone. Before joining the cast Boyle had enjoyed a masterful career as an actor in motion pictures in such classics as Joe, Young Frankenstein, Taxi Driver, and The Candidate. If you haven't seen Joe you must, a 1970 film that perfectly encapsulates the mood of blue collar Americans as the world around them begins crumbling.
Roger Ebert said of Boyle's performance in Young Frankenstein: "A lot of the credit for that goes to the performances of Gene Wilder, as young Frankenstein, and Peter Boyle as the monster. They act broadly when it’s required, but they also contribute tremendous subtlety and control. Boyle somehow manages to be hilarious and pathetic at the same time."
But did you know he suffered a heart attack on the set of his top ten CBS sitcom?
"I was rehearsing and working with an actress Julie Haggerty and had this coughing and cold sweat and everything and I joked that I was probably having a heart attack and then the assistant director came over and says, 'I think you're having a heart attack and I think ah, then they called the paramedics and the nurse and everything and they came and took me to a nearby hospital and I was having a heart attack and they did an angiogram and a angioplasty and I was in the hospital for a couple of days."
Asked if his wife Loraine was there at the time Boyle replied, "Yes she was there and gave me all kinds of support and... I was just lucky, I was able to come back to work in two weeks and was on the set again. I'm just a tough guy, when the going gets tough the tough get going."
Was production on the show halted? "They shot around me but basically it wasn't a complete... it was a blocked artery and the angioplasty helped unblock the artery and the little stints that keep the artery open helped me out a lot."
Peter Boyle died on December 12, 2006 at the age of 71 at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City after suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease. Everybody Loves Raymond had ceased production less than two years before his death.
There's more to the story, watch for yourself:
Everybody Loves Raymond - Frank Funny Moments Compilation
WIKI: After Boyle died, his widow Loraine Alterman Boyle established the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund in support of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).[25] Boyle's closest friends, family, and co-stars have since gathered yearly for a comedy celebration fundraiser in Los Angeles. Acting as a tribute to Boyle, the annual event is hosted by Ray Romano and has included performances by many comedic veterans including Dana Carvey, Fred Willard, Martin Mull, Richard Lewis, Kevin James, Jeff Garlin, and Martin Short. Performances typically revolve around Boyle's life, recalling favorite moments with the actor. The comedy celebration has been noted as the most successful fundraiser in IMF history, as the first event held in 2007 raised over $550,000, while the following year over $600,000 were raised for the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund in support of the IMF's research programs.
