Actor Peter Scolari, best known for starring opposite Tom Hanks in the early 1980s sitcom “Bosom Buddies”, died on Friday after a prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 66, according to US media reports.

Scolari was born in New Rochelle, New York and got his first major acting role in the short-lived 1980 ABC comedy “Goodtime Girls”. He then stared in “Bosom Buddies” later that year with Hanks, playing two guys who disguise themselves as women to live in an affordable, all-female apartment building. He has been a lifelong friend of the acclaimed actor.

Scolari would feature in Hanks’ directorial debut, “That Thing You Do!,” as well as the Hanks-produced HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon,” during the next few decades. Both provided voiceover in the 2003 film “The Polar Express.”

Also Read: No words to convey my shock: Alec Baldwin on film set shooting

Scolari joined Newhart in 1984 after the closure of Bosom Buddies in 1982, and stayed with the programme until it ended in 1990. During the span of the programme, he became good friends with and a regular golf companion of star Bob Newhart, and the two stayed close afterwards.

Scolari received three Emmy nominations for his part in Newhart. He received a guest acting Emmy for playing Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) father on HBO’s Girls, twenty-seven years after his third nomination for the show.

Also Read: Jon Erik Hexum, the actor whose death is compared to Halyna Hutchins’ incident

Recently, Scolari has appeared recurringly on the drama series “Evil” and Fox’s “Gotham.”

“Evil” co-creator Robert King, wrote on Twitter Friday that Scolari “was one of the funniest — sneakily funny — actors we’ve worked with. He always took a nothing scene and found different ways to twist it and throw in odd pauses that made it jump. … He was just wonderful.”

“Beyond everything else, Peter Scolari was a mensch, a hard worker, a thoughtful actor, always a pleasure on a set,” King added.

Scolari is survived by his wife, Tracy Shayne, and children Nicholas, Joseph, Keaton and Cali. He was previously married to Debra Steagal and Cathy Trien, the Hollywood Reporter reported.