Tom Hanks gave a heartbreaking farewell to his late “Bosom Buddies” co-star and longtime pal Peter Scolari.
The Oscar winner, 65, appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” where he remembered his friend, who passed away last month after a two-year battle with cancer.
A clip from a 1981 episode first rolled on the late-night show before Hanks tearily said: “Peter has a lovely family, his wife Tracy, absolutely great kids and we lost him to the emperor of all maladies. So thanks for letting us show that.”
“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,” he said.
“I don’t know how many people truly do change your lives when you cross paths with them,” Hanks explained as he looked back on his first meeting with Scolari on the set of the 1980s sitcom.
He continued, “We met, picked up the scripts, and started screwing around. I actually thought, ‘This is it. This is how this works. This is like a hand inside a glove.’”
“We were molecularly connected in a way that we started speaking the same language,” Hanks said.
“Bosom Buddies” starred the pair as two men who dress up as women to live in an all-women hotel after their apartment is demolished. The “Philadelphia” actor told Kimmel that their friendship translated well on-screen.
He then recalled a story of how one director only lasted a week because of the duo’s wild antics on set. Hanks said the director shouted, “If you think you can do a better job directing this show, come up here and do it.” Scolari then yelled back jokingly, “I’m on my way!”
Despite the comedy series only lasting for two seasons, Hanks admitted he was happy to share the experience with Scolari, which led to them sharing a long friendship.
Scolari joined the CBS sitcom “Newhart” in 1984 following his departure from “Bosom Buddies.” His performance as Michael Harris scored him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from 1987 to 1989.
Hanks and Scolari later shared the spotlight again in 2013 at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre for the 2013 production of “Lucky Guy.”