Nearly two decades after the death of “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Peter Boyle, Ray Romano says the late actor’s guidance and kindness still stay with him.
During Monday’s “Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion” special on CBS, the show’s cast — including Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, and Monica Horan — joined creator Phil Rosenthal to celebrate the sitcom’s approaching three-decade milestone, according to Fox News.
The group spent part of the night revisiting some of their favorite behind-the-scenes moments and honoring the stars who have passed, including Doris Roberts and Boyle.
Boyle, who played Frank Barone, died in 2006 at age 71 after battling multiple myeloma and heart disease. But Romano said his presence remains as strong as ever.
“During the pilot episode, I’m a young guy who just got fired from news radio, and here I am again attempting a show, and I’m nervous,” Romano recalled.
“And Peter is the great Peter Boyle, this iconic guy. He’s an imposing figure. I didn’t know then how sweet he really was.”
Romano said the two hadn’t really spoken yet when Boyle unexpectedly stopped him on set.
“Our paths were crossing, and he just stops me, and I haven’t said anything to him… he could tell I was a little nervous, and he just looks at me, and he goes, ‘It’s just like water. Just let it flow.’ And then he leaves.”
Romano admitted he didn’t understand the meaning at the time.
“Even though as an actor I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I do now,” he said, growing emotional. “Just the gesture of him reaching out to me…”
“Everybody Loves Raymond,” which aired from 1996 to 2005, followed Romano’s Ray Barone, a Long Island sportswriter living across the street from his overbearing but well-meaning family.
Heaton played his wife, Debra; Garrett played his brother, Robert; while Boyle and Doris Roberts portrayed his parents, Frank and Marie.
The sitcom was a major hit for CBS, earning 15 Primetime Emmy Awards, including two wins for outstanding comedy series and a lead actor win for Romano.
Rosenthal said the show’s decades-long longevity is no accident.
“[‘Everybody Loves Raymond’] was designed to be timeless,” he told Fox News Digital. Avoiding topical humor helped preserve the show’s universal appeal, he explained. “It would’ve been easy to do Bill Clinton jokes… but that dates the show. So we did things… universal. Relationships, marriage, sibling rivalry, having kids, having parents.”
Rosenthal said he realized early on that the series had staying power.
“It was like the third episode,” he said. “We got like a 30-second laugh at something from an audience that hadn’t seen the show yet… This laugh was so big… they were cued into the characters. And that’s when I knew we had something.”
As the 30-year anniversary approaches, Romano’s memory of Boyle — simple, brief, and heartfelt — served as a reminder of the quiet moments that shaped one of television’s most enduring sitcom families.
