Though he was well known for playing irritable and grouchy characters, fans of Everybody Loves Raymond may be surprised to learn that in person, Peter Boyle was actually incredibly warm and genial.

At the beginning of his career, Boyle struggled to balance his performing dreams with reality. “It was tough,” Boyle said during an interview with Knight Ridder Newspapers. I would work at different jobs - the post office, waiter, office temp, maitre d’ - and spend a lot of time in acting class and going to auditions.”

But as his career progressed, Boyle became known for playing a certain bad-tempered sort of man. “I’ve been doing this character - angry blue-collar guy - so many times in different versions that it’s really easy for me,” said Boyle.

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But according to Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal, Boyle couldn’t be further from Frank Barone. “Peter is quite erudite and forward-thinking,” said series creator Phil Rosenthal. “In many ways, he’s a child of the ‘60s. The best man at his wedding was John Lennon. He’s playing Frank Barone, but he’s nothing like Frank Barone, and that makes his performance even more impressive.”

So impressive was Boyle’s performance that people began to believe that he and his characters were one and the same. The actor frequently found himself getting typecast. “It’s very hard if you try to do different things,” said Boyle, “because the business wants to put you in one spot. People don’t believe in acting.”