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. Bosco won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988.
Life and career Early years Philip Michael Bosco was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on September 26, 1930, to Margaret Raymond (née Thek), a policewoman, and Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker. His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of German descent.Reference to Bosco, books.google.ca; accessed August 23, 2014. Bosco attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, and later studied drama at Catholic University of America, where he had notable success in the title role of William Shakespeare's Richard III.Philip Bosco Biography, Yahoo! Movies; accessed August 23, 2014.
Career Bosco began his career in Broadway theatre and earned a Tony Award nomination for his debut in The Rape of the Belt in 1960. Bosco spent the next three decades supporting major stars in classic revivals like Cyrano de Bergerac, King Lear, and Twelfth Night.
Bosco 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. Bosco also appeared with Shirley Knight in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Come Back, Little Sheba.
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).
Bosco 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 Bosco lent his voice to Douglas Carter Beane's 2010 play Mr. and Mrs. Fitch.
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. Bosco 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.
Personal life and death Bosco married a fellow Catholic University student, Nancy Ann Dunkle, on January 2, 1957. They had seven children and 15 grandchildren. Bosco and his wife resided in Haworth, New Jersey.
On December 3, 2018, Bosco died at his home of complications from dementia at age 88.
Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes1968 A Lovely Way to Die Fuller 1983 Trading Places Doctor 1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village Paulie's Father 1985 Heaven Help Us Brother Paul 1985 Walls of Glass James Flanagan 1986 The Money Pit Curly 1986 Children of a Lesser God Dr. Curtis Franklin 1987 Suspect Paul Gray 1987 Three Men and a Baby Detective Melkowitz 1988 Another Woman Sam 1988 Working Girl Oren Trask 1989 The Luckiest Man in the World Sam Posner 1989 The Dream Team O'Malley 1990 Blue Steel Frank Turner 1990 Quick Change Bus Driver 1991 True Colors Sen. Frank Steubens 1991 F/X2 Ray Silak 1991 Shadows and Fog Mr. Paulsen 1992 Straight Talk Gene Perlman 1994 Angie Frank 1994 Milk Money Jerry the Pope 1994 Safe Passage Mort 1994 Nobody's Fool Judge Flatt 1995 It Takes Two Vincenzo Campana 1996 The First Wives Club Uncle Carmine Morelli 1996 Surprise! Cabby 1997 My Best Friend's Wedding Walter Wallace 1997 Deconstructing Harry Professor Clark 1997 Critical Care Dr. Hofstader 2000 Wonder Boys Emily's Father 2000 Shaft Walter Wade, Sr. 2000 Brooklyn Sonnet Uncle Chicky 2001 Kate & Leopold Otis 2002 Abandon Professor Jergensen 2005 Hitch Mr. O'Brian 2006 Freedomland Priest 2007 The Savages Lenny Savage
Television Year Title Role Notes1953 You Are There Sam Houston 2 episodes1961 DuPont Show of the Month Duke Michael Episode: "The Prisoner of Zenda"1961 Armstrong Circle Theatre Roy Thornton Episode: "Medicine Man"1961 Sunday Showcase General Gordon Episode: "Our American Heritage: Gentleman's Decision"1961 Our American Heritage General Gordon Episode: "Gentleman's Decision"1963–1965 The Doctors and the Nurses Ralph Maley / Hap Spencer / Parnell Sullivan 3 episodes1965 The Defenders Dr. Manfredi Episode: "Whipping Boy"1965 For the People Detective Willard 2 episodes1965 The Trials of O'Brien Theo Episode: "Charlie's Got All the Luck"1966 Hawk Nick Ingland Episode: "Game with a Dead End"1966 NET Playhouse Peter Stockmann Episode: "An Enemy of the People"1968 N.Y.P.D. Episode: "What's a Nice Girl Like You..."1971 Great Performances Father Coyne Episode: "Hogan's Goat"1978 Ryan's Hope Dr. Gillette Episode #1.7891979 Guiding Light Clarence Baily Unknown episodes1981 Nurse Dr. Harry Wallenberg Episode: "Equal Opportunity"1985 American Playhouse Gaetano Altobelli Episode: "Some Men Need Help"1986 Liberty Boss William Tweed Television film1986 Rage of Angels: The Story Continues Thomas Colfax Television film1986 The Equalizer Brian Barclay Episode: "Pretenders"1987 ABC Afterschool Special Grandfather Episode: "Read Between the Lines"1987 Leg Work Dawson Episode: "All This and a Gold Card Too"1987 Echoes in the Darkness Judge Garb Television film1988 Spenser: For Hire David McVane Episode: "Substantial Justice"1988 Internal Affairs John Wycoff Television film 1989 The Equalizer Oscar Episode: "Heart of Justice"1989 Murder in Black and White Wycoff Television film1990 The Civil War Horace Greeley Voice, 9 episodes1990 Against the Law Judge Webb Episode: "Contempt"1990–1999 Law & Order Gordon Schell / Lee Jerrold / Mr. Dobbs 5 episodes1990–2010 American Experience Narrator / various voices 3 episodes1991 The Return of Eliot Ness Art Malto Television film1992 Lincoln Frederick Seward Voice-, Television film1993 Tribeca Harry Arsharsky 7 episodes1994 Against the Wall Oswald Television film1994 The Forget-Me-Not Murders Chief Television film1994 Janek: The Silent Betrayal Chief Wycoff Television film1995 Young at Heart Patsy Television film1997 Early Edition Killabrew Episode: "Bat Masterson"1997 Remember WENN Palermo Racine Episode: "A Star in Stripes Forever"1997 Liberty! The American Revolution Benjamin Franklin 5 episodes1998 Cosby Episode: "Enter Lucas"1998 Soul Man Snake Eye Episode: "Raising Heck"1998 Carriers Col. John O. Bailey Television film1998 Twelfth Night, or What You Will Malvolio Television film1998 Spin City Randall Winston, Sr. Episode: "Gobble the Wonder Turkey Saves the Day"1999 Bonanno: A Godfather's Story Steve Maggadino Sr. Television film2000 All My Children Lyle Wedgewood 1 episode2000 Cupid & Cate Dominic DeAngelo Television film2001 No Ordinary Baby Dr. Ed Walden Television film2001–2004 Ed Alan Stevens 2 episodes2002 Cyberchase Zeus Voice, Episode: "Zeus on the Loose"2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Prof. Winthrop Episode: "Anti-Thesis"2002–2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Judge Joseph P. Terhune / Davis Langley 6 episodes2003 Freedom: A History of Us Voice, 7 episodes2007–2009 Damages Hollis Nye 12 episodes
Theater Year Title Role Notes2009 Finian's Rainbow Senator Billboard Rawkins Encores!2007 Follies Dmitri Weissman Encores!2006 Heartbreak House Captain Shotover American Airlines Theatre2006 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Grandpa Potts Hilton Theatre2004 Twelve Angry Men Juror No. 3 American Airlines TheatreTony Award nominationDrama Desk Award nomination2002 Carousel Starkeeper Carnegie Hall2001 Bloomer Girl Horatio Applegate Encores!2000 Copenhagen Niels Bohr Royale Theatre1999 Ancestral Voices Eddie's grandfather Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre1998 Twelfth Night Malvolio Vivian Beaumont Theater1998 Strike Up the Band Horace J. Fletcher Encores!1995 Moon Over Buffalo George Hay Martin Beck TheatreTony Award nomination1995 The Heiress Dr. Austin Sloper Cort TheatreDrama Desk Award nomination1994 An Inspector Calls Arthur Birling Royale Theatre1994 Fiorello! Ben Marino Encores!1990 The Miser Harpagon Circle in the Square Theatre1989 Lend Me a Tenor Saunders Royale TheatreTony AwardDrama Desk Award1988 The Devil's Disciple General Burgoyne Circle in the Square Theatre1986 You Never Can Tell Waiter Circle in the Square TheatreTony Award nomination1985 The Loves of Anatol Max Circle in the Square Theatre1984 Come Back, Little Sheba Doc Roundabout Theatre Company1983 Ah, Wilderness! Nat Miller Haft Theater1983 Heartbreak House Alfred "Boss" Mangan Circle in the Square TheatreTony Award nomination1983 The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Lt. Com. Philip Francis Queeg Circle in the Square Theatre1982 Eminent Domain Holmes Bradford Circle in the Square Theatre1980 The Bacchae Cadmus Circle in the Square Theatre1980 Major Barbara Andrew Undershaft Circle in the Square TheatreDrama Desk Award nomination1979 Whose Life Is It Anyway? Dr. Michael Emerson Trafalgar Theatre (New York)1978 Man and Superman Mendoza Circle in the Square Theatre1978 Stages Frank Faye, New Member, Jesse Thibault Belasco Theatre1977 Saint Joan Richard de Beauchamp Circle in the Square Theatre1977 The Threepenny Opera Mack the Knife New York Shakespeare Festival and Vivian Beaumont Theater1976 Henry V Pistol New York Shakespeare Festival1976 Mrs. Warren's Profession Sir George Crofts Vivian Beaumont Theater1973 A Streetcar Named Desire Harold Mitchell Vivian Beaumont Theater1973 The Merchant of Venice Gratiano Vivian Beaumont Theater1973 The Plough and the Stars Corporal Stoddart Vivian Beaumont Theater1972 Enemies Mikhail Skrobotov Vivian Beaumont Theater1972 The Crucible Reverend John Hale Vivian Beaumont Theater1972 Twelfth Night Antonio Vivian Beaumont Theater1972 Narrow Road to the Deep North Prime Minister Vivian Beaumont Theater1971 Antigone Creon Vivian Beaumont Theater1971 An Enemy of the People Peter Stockmann Vivian Beaumont Theater1971 Playboy of the Western World Jimmy Farrell Vivian Beaumont Theater1970 The Good Woman of Setzuan First God Vivian Beaumont Theater1970 Operation Sidewinder Captain Bovine Vivian Beaumont Theater1970 Camino Real Baron de Charlus Vivian Beaumont Theater1969 The Time of Your Life Nick Vivian Beaumont Theater1969 The Miser Anselme Vivian Beaumont Theater1969 In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer Curtis Moffat, Jr. Vivian Beaumont Theater1968 King Lear Earl of Kent Vivian Beaumont Theater1968 Cyrano de Bergerac Le Comte de Guiche Vivian Beaumont Theater1968 Tiger at the Gates Hector Vivian Beaumont Theater1968 Saint Joan Dunois Vivian Beaumont Theater1967 Galileo performer Vivian Beaumont Theater1967 The East Wind performer Vivian Beaumont Theater1967 The Alchemist performer Vivian Beaumont Theater1966 Richard III performer New York Shakespeare Festival1961 A Man for All Seasons understudy (The Duke of Norfolk, Attendant to Signor Chapuys, King Henry VIII) ANTA Playhouse1961 Donnybrook! Will Danaher 46th Street Theatre1960 Rape of the Belt Heracles Martin Beck TheatreTony Award nomination1958 Auntie Mame Brian O'Bannion Bus/Truck Tour
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