Film, TV actor Peter Boyle dead at 71

NEW YORK, Dec 13 (Reuters) Emmy-winning actor Peter Boyle, who played the dancing monster in the movie ''Young Frankenstein'' and grouchy father Frank Barone in the TV series ''Everybody Loves Raymond,'' has died, his publicist said today.

The 71-year-old former Christian Brothers monk died on Tuesday after a long battle with multiple myeloma and heart disease, his publicists said.

Boyle, who often played cantankerous characters, shot to fame as a foul-mouthed, working-class bigot in the 1970 film ''Joe.'' He also played one of Robert DeNiro's fellow taxi drivers in Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' in 1976, the cruel, racist father to Billy Bob Thornton in 2001's ''Monster's Ball,'' and took a comic turn as the Frankenstein monster in the 1974 Mel Brooks spoof ''Young Frankenstein.'' In recent years he played numerous roles on television, including the father to Ray Romano's character. He acted in 201 episodes of the situation comedy from 1996 to 2005 and received numerous Emmy nominations.

He won an Emmy for outstanding guest actor appearance on ''The X-Files'' in 1996.

Beatle John Lennon was the best man at Boyle's 1977 wedding to journalist Loraine Alterman, then a Rolling Stone reporter.

He is survived by his wife and two daughters, Amy and Lucy Boyle.

Despite playing some unsavory characters, he refused roles that glamorized violence, including the lead role of Popeye Doyle that went to Gene Hackman in 1971's ''The French Connection,'' according to the IMDb entertainment Web site.

Boyle suffered a stroke in 1990 and recovered, then had a heart attack on the set of ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' in March 1999. He returned to the show soon after heart surgery.

REUTERS PDM PM0009