A former monk in the Christian Brothers order, Peter Boyle became a member of the Second City comedy troupe and began playing character roles in film and TV in the late 1960s. Bald and burly with an imposing and volatile screen presence, Boyle gained attention as the reactionary title character of "Joe" (1970). He was excellent as the cynical campaign manager in "The Candidate" (1972) and quite funny as the Monster in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" (1974), but is also capable of quieter, more sympathetic characterizations, as evidenced by his turn as a widower father of a schizophrenic son
