Playing a character like Frank Barone—the grumpy, blunt, and demanding dad on Everybody Loves Raymond—is a great gig, but it can also box an actor in. That’s especially true when you play it as perfectly as Peter Boyle did for a total of nine seasons.

The role came naturally to Boyle. Some performances make viewers think, "I bet that actor is really like that in real life." And while there was a little truth to that in Boyle’s case, he wasn’t 100% Frank—just close enough to make it feel real.

To top it off, he landed the role in the most Frank Barone way possible: he showed up late to his audition.

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According to a 2001 interview with The Daily Progress, Boyle got the part after getting lost en route. He arrived flustered and irritated, which turned out to be exactly what the role needed. Method acting… by accident.

His short temper, frustration, and showing up in a bad mood might be a dealbreaker at most jobs—but on Everybody Loves Raymond, there was no better fit.

"I play a guy who sits at home watching the Knicks on TV," Boyle said. "And then I come home and watch the Knicks on TV."

Before stepping into the role of Frank, Boyle had already built a decades-long career in Hollywood, with standout roles in Young Frankenstein, Taxi Driver, and The Candidate.

He didn’t expect to wind up on a sitcom like Everybody Loves Raymond, but he embraced the opportunity, especially since his early ambitions looked very different.

"When I was in high school, I wanted to be a leading man type, like Howard Keel," Boyle said. "But then God saw fit to take the hair off my head at age 24."

Turns out, losing the leading-man look helped him find something better: a role that would make him unforgettable and give TV one of its most hilariously cranky dads.