Philip Bosco

Philip Michael Bosco (September 26, 1930 – December 3, 2018) was an American actor. He was known for his Tony Award-winning performance as Saunders in the 1989 Broadway production of Lend Me a Tenor, and for his starring role in the 2007 film The Savages. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988.

Philip Bosco
Born
Philip Michael Bosco

(1930-09-26)September 26, 1930
DiedDecember 3, 2018(2018-12-03) (aged 88)
OccupationActor
Years active1961–2010
Spouse(s)
Nancy Ann Dunkle
(m. 1957)
Children7

Personal life

Bosco was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Margaret Raymond (née Thek), a policewoman, and Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker.[1] His father was of Italian descent and his mother, German.[2] Bosco attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City,[3] and later studied drama at Catholic University of America, where he had notable success in the title role of William Shakespeare’s Richard III.[4]

Bosco married a fellow Catholic University student, Nancy Ann Dunkle, on January 2, 1957. They had seven children and 15 grandchildren.[1][5] Bosco and his wife resided in Haworth, New Jersey.[3][6]

Bosco died at his home of complications from dementia on December 3, 2018 at the age of 88.[7] His funeral mass was held at Mount Carmel Church in Tenafly, New Jersey, followed by his interment at Brookside Cemetery in Englewood, New Jersey.[8]

Career

Bosco began his career in Broadway theatre. He received a Tony Award nomination for his debut in The Rape of the Belt in 1960 and spent the next three decades supporting major stars in classic revivals like Cyrano de Bergerac, King Lear, and Twelfth Night.[9]

He appeared in revivals of plays by George Bernard Shaw, including Man and Superman, Saint Joan, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Major Barbara, Heartbreak House (opposite Rex Harrison), and You Never Can Tell, winning Tony nominations for the last three. He also appeared with Shirley Knight in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Come Back, Little Sheba.[9]

Following his Tony-winning performance in the farce Lend Me a Tenor in 1990, Bosco appeared on Broadway in An Inspector Calls (1994), The Heiress (1995), Twelfth Night (1998), Copenhagen (2000), and Twelve Angry Men (2004).[9]

He played Grandpa Potts in the 2005 Broadway production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and played the aged Captain Shotover in a Broadway revival of Heartbreak House in 2006. He retired from the stage in 2009 after appearing in the City Center Encores production of Finian's Rainbow, although he lent his voice to Douglas Carter Beane's 2010 play Mr. and Mrs. Fitch.[9]

Bosco appeared regularly in the Law & Order television franchise, in roles ranging from judges to lawyers to villains. His motion picture credits include Trading Places, Working Girl, Children of a Lesser God, Suspect, Walls of Glass, Straight Talk, Nobody's Fool, Wonder Boys, The Money Pit, Three Men and a Baby, Milk Money, Quick Change, Angie, The First Wives Club, and The Savages.

Bosco narrated Ric Burns' 1991 documentary film Coney Island, and voiced a number of characters for Ken Burns' documentaries for PBS. He portrayed Vincenzo the butler in the 1995 comedy It Takes Two; and Walter Wallace, father of the bride-to-be, in the 1997 romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding, co-starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney.

In 1988, Bosco won a Daytime Emmy Award for his appearance in the ABC Afterschool Special "Read Between The Lines". He was a series regular on the FX original series Damages. He narrated Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus by Barbara Bash on the PBS series Reading Rainbow in its sixty-second episode on March 27, 1990.

Bosco was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1998.[10]

Filmography and stage work

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1968A Lovely Way to DieFuller
1983Trading PlacesDoctor
1984The Pope of Greenwich VillagePaulie's Father
1985Heaven Help UsBrother Paul
1985Walls of GlassJames Flanagan
1986The Money PitCurly
1986Children of a Lesser GodDr. Curtis Franklin
1987SuspectPaul Gray
1987Three Men and a BabyDetective Melkowitz
1988Another WomanSam
1988Working GirlOren Trask
1989The Luckiest Man in the WorldSam Posner
1989The Dream TeamO'Malley
1990Blue SteelFrank Turner
1990Quick ChangeBus Driver
1991True ColorsSen. Frank Steubens
1991F/X2Ray Silak
1991Shadows and FogMr. Paulsen
1992Straight TalkGene Perlman
1994AngieFrank
1994Milk MoneyJerry the Pope
1994Safe PassageMort
1994Nobody's FoolJudge Flatt
1995It Takes TwoVincenzo
1996The First Wives ClubUncle Carmine Morelli
1996Surprise!Cabby
1997My Best Friend's WeddingWalter Wallace
1997Deconstructing HarryProfessor Clark
1997Critical CareDr. Hofstader
2000Wonder BoysEmily's Father
2000ShaftWalter Wade, Sr.
2000Brooklyn SonnetUncle Chicky
2001Kate & LeopoldOtis
2002AbandonProfessor Jergensen
2005HitchMr. O'Brian
2006FreedomlandPriest
2007The SavagesLenny Savage

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
2009Finian's RainbowSenator Billboard RawkinsEncores!
2007FolliesDmitri WeissmanEncores!
2006Heartbreak HouseCaptain ShotoverAmerican Airlines Theatre
2006Chitty Chitty Bang BangGrandpa PottsHilton Theatre
2004Twelve Angry MenJuror No. 3American Airlines Theatre
Tony Award nomination
Drama Desk Award nomination
2001Bloomer GirlHoratio ApplegateEncores!
2000CopenhagenNiels BohrRoyale Theatre
1999Ancestral VoicesEddie's grandfatherMitzi E. Newhouse Theatre
1998Twelfth NightMalvolioVivian Beaumont Theater
1998Strike Up the BandHorace J. FletcherEncores!
1995Moon Over BuffaloGeorge HayMartin Beck Theatre
Tony Award nomination
1995The HeiressDr. Austin SloperCort Theatre
Drama Desk Award nomination
1994An Inspector CallsArthur BirlingRoyale Theatre
1994Fiorello!Ben MarinoEncores!
1990The MiserHarpagonCircle in the Square Theatre
1989Lend Me a TenorSaundersRoyale Theatre
Tony Award
Drama Desk Award
1988The Devil's DiscipleGeneral BurgoyneCircle in the Square Theatre
1986You Never Can TellWaiterCircle in the Square Theatre
Tony Award nomination
1985The Loves of AnatolMaxCircle in the Square Theatre
1984Come Back, Little ShebaDocRoundabout Theatre Company
1983Ah, Wilderness!Nat MillerHaft Theater
1983Heartbreak HouseAlfred "Boss" ManganCircle in the Square Theatre
Tony Award nomination
1983The Caine Mutiny Court-MartialLt. Com. Philip Francis QueegCircle in the Square Theatre
1982Eminent DomainHolmes BradfordCircle in the Square Theatre
1980The BacchaeCadmusCircle in the Square Theatre
1980Major BarbaraAndrew UndershaftCircle in the Square Theatre
Drama Desk Award nomination
1979Whose Life Is It Anyway?Dr. Michael EmersonTrafalgar Theatre (New York)
1978Man and SupermanMendozaCircle in the Square Theatre
1978StagesFrank Faye, New Member, Jesse ThibaultBelasco Theatre
1977Saint JoanRichard de BeauchampCircle in the Square Theatre
1977The Threepenny OperaMack the KnifeNew York Shakespeare Festival and Vivian Beaumont Theater
1976Henry VPistolNew York Shakespeare Festival
1976Mrs. Warren's ProfessionSir George CroftsVivian Beaumont Theater
1973A Streetcar Named DesireHarold MitchellVivian Beaumont Theater
1973The Merchant of VeniceGratianoVivian Beaumont Theater
1973The Plough and the StarsCorporal StoddartVivian Beaumont Theater
1972EnemiesMikhail SkrobotovVivian Beaumont Theater
1972The CrucibleReverend John HaleVivian Beaumont Theater
1972Twelfth NightAntonioVivian Beaumont Theater
1972Narrow Road to the Deep NorthPrime MinisterVivian Beaumont Theater
1971AntigoneCreonVivian Beaumont Theater
1971An Enemy of the PeoplePeter StockmannVivian Beaumont Theater
1971Playboy of the Western WorldJimmy FarrellVivian Beaumont Theater
1970The Good Woman of SetzuanFirst GodVivian Beaumont Theater
1970Operation SidewinderCaptain BovineVivian Beaumont Theater
1970Camino RealBaron de CharlusVivian Beaumont Theater
1969The Time of Your LifeNickVivian Beaumont Theater
1969The MiserAnselmeVivian Beaumont Theater
1969In the Matter of J. Robert OppenheimerCurtis Moffat, Jr.Vivian Beaumont Theater
1968King LearEarl of KentVivian Beaumont Theater
1968Cyrano de BergeracLe Comte de GuicheVivian Beaumont Theater
1968Tiger at the GatesHectorVivian Beaumont Theater
1968Saint JoanDunoisVivian Beaumont Theater
1967GalileoperformerVivian Beaumont Theater
1967The East WindperformerVivian Beaumont Theater
1967The AlchemistperformerVivian Beaumont Theater
1966Richard IIIperformerNew York Shakespeare Festival
1961A Man for All Seasonsunderstudy (The Duke of Norfolk, Attendant to Signor Chapuys, King Henry VIII)ANTA Playhouse
1961Donnybrook!Will Danaher46th Street Theatre
1960Rape of the BeltHeraclesMartin Beck Theatre
Tony Award nomination
1958Auntie MameBrian O'BannionBus/Truck Tour

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1953You Are ThereSam Houston2 episodes
1961DuPont Show of the MonthDuke MichaelEpisode: "The Prisoner of Zenda"
1961Armstrong Circle TheatreRoy ThorntonEpisode: "Medicine Man"
1961Sunday ShowcaseGeneral GordonEpisode: "Our American Heritage: Gentleman's Decision"
1961Our American HeritageGeneral GordonEpisode: "Gentleman's Decision"
1963–1965The Doctors and the NursesRalph Maley / Hap Spencer / Parnell Sullivan3 episodes
1965The DefendersDr. ManfrediEpisode: "Whipping Boy"
1965For the PeopleDetective Willard2 episodes
1965The Trials of O'BrienTheoEpisode: "Charlie's Got All the Luck"
1966HawkNick InglandEpisode: "Game with a Dead End"
1966NET PlayhousePeter StockmannEpisode: "An Enemy of the People"
1968N.Y.P.D.Episode: "What's a Nice Girl Like You..."
1971Great PerformancesFather CoyneEpisode: "Hogan's Goat"
1978Ryan's HopeDr. GilletteEpisode #1.789
1979Guiding LightClarence BailyUnknown episodes
1981NurseDr. Harry WallenbergEpisode: "Equal Opportunity"
1985American PlayhouseGaetano AltobelliEpisode: "Some Men Need Help"
1986LibertyBoss William TweedTelevision film
1986Rage of Angels: The Story ContinuesThomas ColfaxTelevision film
1986–1989The EqualizerOscar / Brian2 episodes
1987ABC Afterschool SpecialGrandfatherEpisode: "Read Between the Lines"
1987Leg WorkDawsonEpisode: "All This and a Gold Card Too"
1987Echoes in the DarknessJudge GarbTelevision film
1988Spenser: For HireDavid McVaneEpisode: "Substantial Justice"
1988Internal AffairsJohn WycoffTelevision film
1989Murder in Black and WhiteWycoffTelevision film
1990The Civil WarHorace GreeleyVoice, 9 episodes
1990Against the LawJudge WebbEpisode: "Contempt"
1990–1999Law & OrderGordon Schell / Lee Jerrold / Mr. Dobbs5 episodes
1990–2010American ExperienceNarrator / various voices3 episodes
1991The Return of Eliot NessArt MaltoTelevision film
1992LincolnFrederick SewardVoice-, Television film
1993TribecaHarry Arsharsky7 episodes
1994Against the WallOswaldTelevision film
1994The Forget-Me-Not MurdersChiefTelevision film
1994Janek: The Silent BetrayalChief WycoffTelevision film
1995Young at HeartPatsyTelevision film
1997Early EditionKillabrewEpisode: "Bat Masterson"
1997Remember WENNPalermo RacineEpisode: "A Star in Stripes Forever"
1997Liberty! The American RevolutionBenjamin Franklin5 episodes
1998CosbyEpisode: "Enter Lucas"
1998Soul ManSnake EyeEpisode: "Raising Heck"
1998CarriersCol. John O. BaileyTelevision film
1998Twelfth Night, or What You WillMalvolioTelevision film
1998Spin CityRandall Winston, Sr.Episode: "Gobble the Wonder Turkey Saves the Day"
1999Bonanno: A Godfather's StorySteve Maggadino Sr.Television film
2000All My ChildrenLyle Wedgewood1 episode
2000Cupid & CateDominic DeAngeloTelevision film
2001No Ordinary BabyDr. Ed WaldenTelevision film
2001–2004EdAlan Stevens2 episodes
2002CyberchaseZeusVoice, Episode: "Zeus on the Loose"
2002Law & Order: Criminal IntentProf. WinthropEpisode: "Anti-Thesis"
2002–2006Law & Order: Special Victims UnitJudge Joseph P. Terhune / Davis Langley6 episodes
2003Freedom: A History of UsVoice, 7 episodes
2007–2009DamagesHollis Nye12 episodes

References

  1. "Philip Bosco profile at". filmreference.com. 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  2. Reference to Bosco, books.google.ca; accessed August 23, 2014.
  3. Rohan, Virginia (November 14, 2007). "Haworth's Philip Bosco is a seasoned star". The Record.
  4. Philip Bosco Biography, Yahoo! Movies; accessed August 23, 2014.
  5. "Tony Award-winning actor Philip Bosco, of Jersey City, dies at 88". nj.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  6. Beckerman, Jim (November 19, 2009). "'Resilience' is theme of Teaneck film fest". The Record. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  7. Berkvist, Robert (December 4, 2018). "Philip Bosco, Tony-Winning Character Actor, Is Dead at 88". The New York Times.
  8. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=philip-m-bosco&pid=190906775&fhid=27006
  9. Philip Bosco at the Internet Broadway Database
  10. "Philip Bosco profile". Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
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