Peter Scolari, 'Bosom Buddies' & 'Newhart' Actor, Dies At 66

LOS ANGELES, CA — Peter Scolari, the actor who rose to fame in the 1980s television sitcom “Bosom Buddies” alongside Tom Hanks, has died following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 66 years old.

Scolari's manager, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky of Wright Entertainment, confirmed his death Friday to Deadline.

Scolari’s long career in showbiz also included the regular role of producer Michael Harris on Bob Newhart’s 1984-90 comedy "Newhart," according to his IMdB page,.

He most recently played the role of Bishop Thomas Marx in the CBS supernatural drama "Evil," which first debuted in 2019. Robert King, a co-creator and showrunner for the show, described Scolari as one of the funniest actors he's ever worked with.

"To watch Peter Scolari’s dailies was a thrill because he always found new ways to go. He molded the highs and lows of a scene, but always looking for the comic spin, and he’d massage a phrase with each take until he could hear the laughter in his head. This is a real loss," King tweeted.

"It always felt like he found new ways to wear the priest wardrobe for comic effect," he continued. "He knew his role was essentially funny, even though he often played straight man to something absurd said by another character. But he knew the laugh was in the reaction not the action."

Scolari also starred in 21 episodes of HBO's "Girls" as the father of Lena Dunham’s character.

Other shows Scolari appeared on included "Murphy Brown," "Gotham," "The Good Fight," "Madoff," "Ally McBeal," "Touched by an Angel," "The Nanny" and more.

Scolari is survived by his wife and four children.