Peter Scolari

Peter Thomas Scolari (born September 12, 1955) is an American television, film, and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Michael Harris, the hyperactive, scheming producer of Dick Loudin (played by Bob Newhart) on Newhart, a role he played from 1984 to 1990. During and after Newhart, he and Julia Duffy, who played his wife in the series have remained close friends. He later went on play the lead role of father Wayne Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Before that, he played Henry Desmond in Bosom Buddies. After that sitcom, he and Tom Hanks, who played his best friend and roommate in the series have remained close friends. Scolari received three Emmy nominations for his work on Newhart and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his recurring role as Tad Horvath on Girls in 2016.^[1]

Television

Scolari first ongoing role was in his first short-lived 1980 sitcom Goodtime Girls, as the juggling neighbor of the title characters. He was then cast co-starring with then-unknown, Tom Hanks, in another short-lived cult sitcom Bosom Buddies, as two young creative professionals who disguise themselves as women to get an affordable apartment in a women-only building. After Bosom Buddies was cancelled in 1982, and still struggling as an actor, Scolari joined the cast of Newhart, opposite Bob Newhart, in 1984, where he played Michael Harris, the yuppie local TV producer, until the series' conclusion in 1990. He remains close to Newhart, after the show's cancelation and are golf buddies.

Following central roles in the unsuccessful series Family Album and Dweebs, Scolari spent three seasons playing inventor Wayne Szalinski, a role originated on film by Rick Moranis, in the TV adaptation of the Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. He later had a recurring role as the father of Lena Dunham's character on HBO's Girls.

Broadway

Scolari has appeared on Broadway in Wicked, Sly Fox, Hairspray,^[2] and Lucky Guy, which reunited him with his Bosom Buddies co-star Tom Hanks. Scolari also appeared Off Broadway in Old Man Joseph and His Family, The Exonerated, In the Wings, The Music Man, and White's Lies.^[3]

In 1996, Scolari starred in a version of the stage musical Stop the World – I Want to Get Off produced for the A&E television network.

In 2014, Scolari portrayed Yogi Berra in Bronx Bombers. His wife Tracey Shayne played Berra's wife Carmen.^[4] He is currently playing the part of The Wizard in Wicked the musical.

Personal life

He was married to Debra Steagal, and later Cathy Trien, with whom he has two children.^[5] He married long-time girlfriend Tracy Shayne in June 2013.

A 2014 episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now? brought up Scolari's substance abuse and his struggle with bipolar disorder.^[6]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Peter Scolari at the Internet Movie Database