Peter Scolari, the Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his roles in Bosom Buddies, Newhart and Girls, has died. He was 66.
Scolari’s death was confirmed to multiple media outlets — including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter — and was the result of a two-year cancer battle.
Scolari’s acting career spans over four decades with his first major role being opposite a then-unknown Tom Hanks in the ABC TV series Bosom Buddies, which ran from 1980-1982. Scolari and Hanks played two best friends who work in advertising and pose as women outside of work in order to live in an affordable housing complex that is female-only after their previous apartment was demolished while they were still in it. Their boss on the series was played by Holland Taylor.
Scolari and Hanks maintained a close friendship in the decades following Bosom Buddies with Scolari appearing in a number of Hanks films including 1996’s That Thing You Do!, 2004’s The Polar Express and 2011’s Larry Crowne.
Scolari would then play Michael Harris for 142 episodes on Newhart, the CBS sitcom which starred Bob Newhart. Other notable television roles include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, the 2016 mini-series Madoff and Girls, where he played Tad Horvath, the father to Lena Dunham Hannah Horvath. Scolari’s role on Girls earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016.
Scolari is survived by his wife, Tracy Shayne, and four children.