Tom Hanks is reflecting on his friendship with Peter Scolari.
TheFinchactorappearedonJimmy Kimmel Live!Tuesday, at one point opening up about hisfriendship with the late Scolari, whom he costarred with in the beloved sitcomBosom Buddies, which ran for two seasons from 1980 to 1982 on NBC. In it, they played two single men who disguised themselves as women to obtain housing at a women-only building, the only apartment they could afford.
The real-life friends remained close over the years, with Scolari appearing in Hanks' 1996 directorial debutThat Thing You Do!, as well as his 1998 HBO limited seriesFrom the Earth to the Moonand 2004’sThe Polar Express.
Last month, Scolari died of cancer following a two-year illness. He was 66.
“Peter — God bless him, I’ll miss him every day — he had the body of a gymnast, I mean like a professional Cirque du Soleil gymnast. He could do, like, the iron triangle and stuff like that; he was a juggler,” Hanks recalled to Kimmel. “I don’t know how many people truly do change your lives when you cross paths with them, but he and I met, we picked up the scripts, we started screwing around, and I actually thought, ‘Oh, this is it. This is how this works. This is like a hand inside a glove.’ "
“For two years at Paramount Studios, on unlucky stage 25, we cut it up,” he added. “… We were molecularly connected in a way that we started speaking the same language.”
After re-watching a clip fromBosom Buddies, Hanks said, while getting emotional, “Peter has a lovely family, his wife Tracy [Shayne], he’s got absolutely great kids. We lost him to the emperor of all maladies, so thanks for letting us show that.”
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Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in 2013.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
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AfterBosom Buddies, Scolari went on to join the CBS sitcomNewhartin its second season in 1984, starring as Michael Harris through its eighth and final season in 1990. His performance earned him three consecutive Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series from 1987 to 1989.
The native New Yorker later appeared inLena Dunham’s hit HBO seriesGirlsas her character Hannah Horvath’s father Tad, who comes out as gay while married to her mother Loreen (Becky Ann Baker). The role earned Scolari an Emmy win in 2016 for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series.
source: people.com
