Tom Hanks remembers 'Bosom Buddies' co-star Peter Scolari in tears: 'I miss him every day'

Elise Brisco, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Tom Hanks is remembering his late friend and co-star Peter Scolari.

The Emmy-winning actor Scolari died at age 66 after being diagnosed with cancer, which he battled for two years. Scolari and Hanks starred together in "Bosom Buddies" in breakout roles for both actors, but aired for only two seasons, from 1980 to 1982.

Hanks recalled his time working with Scolari on Tuesday's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

"God bless him, I miss him every day," Hanks said of his late friend. "I don’t know how many people truly do change your lives when you cross paths with them."

The first episode of "Bosom Buddies" aired in November 1980. Scolari played nice, shy Henry to Hanks' boisterous, sarcastic Kip, two young professionals in New York who dressed in drag in order to live in an affordable women's hotel. Their characters also posed as the brothers of their alter egos Buffy (Hanks) and Hildegard (Scolari).

Tom Hanks remembers his time on set with Peter Scolari during "Bosom Buddies."
Tom Hanks remembers his time on set with Peter Scolari during "Bosom Buddies."

More: Actor Peter Scolari, of 'Bosom Buddies,' 'Newhart' and 'Girls' fame, dies at 66

"He and I met, we picked up the scripts, and we started screwing around. I actually thought, 'This is it. This is how this works. This is like a hand inside a glove,' " Hanks recalled. "We had two years of doing this in which you shoot for three weeks and have one week off and every week was some brand of cuckoo adventure."

Kimmel showed a clip from the ABC comedy from 40 years ago where Kip and Henry were stuck in a cabin and getting desperate for food, so Hanks' Kip proposes a pact suggesting cannibalism if the hunger got unbearable. Just as Kip starts to freak out there was a knock on the cabin door and both Hanks and Scolari feigned a female voice in unison.

Tom Hanks says he misses his friend and co-star Peter Scolari "every day."
Tom Hanks says he misses his friend and co-star Peter Scolari "every day."

Hanks had tears in his eyes after watching the "Bosom Buddies" clip.

"Peter has a lovely family his wife Tracy's got absolutely great kids and we lost him to the emperor of all maladies, so thanks for letting us show that," the 65-year-old actor said.

Hanks has also recently mourned the loss of the "Bosom Buddies" creator Thomas L. Miller, who he remembered in a tweet last April.

"Bless the man, Tom Miller, who made me the Bosom Buddy of Peter Scolari. A kind and thoughtful man who changed my life," he tweeted.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Hanks pays tribute to Peter Scolari on Jimmy Kimmel: 'I miss him'