Tom Hanks got choked up as he talked about his friend, actor Peter Scolari, who died from cancer last month at age 66.
Scolari and Hanks, 65, co-starred in the sitcom “Bosom Buddies” in the early '80s, playing two men who pose as women so that they can live in an affordable, female-only hotel.
“I don’t know how many people truly do change your lives when you cross paths with them,” Hanks said during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday. “But he and I met, we picked up the scripts and 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.’”
Hanks also shared memories of Scolari from his “Bosom Buddies” days.
“Peter had, God bless him, I’ll miss him every day,” he said. “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.”
“Bosom Buddies” helped launch the careers of both Hanks and Scolari, who went on to appear in the sitcom “Newhart” and dozens of other productions. More recently, he won an Emmy in 2016 for his guest role on “Girls.”
“We were molecularly connected in a way that we started speaking the same language,” Hanks said of their friendship.
After Kimmel showed a classic clip from “Bosom Buddies,” Hanks got emotional as he remembered his late co-star.
“Peter has a lovely family — his wife, Tracy, has got absolutely great kids, and we lost him to the emperor of all maladies,” he said, fighting back tears. “So thanks for letting us show that.”
Several other celebrities have been honoring Scolari since he died in October.
Lena Dunham, who played his daughter on “Girls,” penned a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.
"The shyest extrovert, the most dramatic comedian, the most humble icon,” she wrote. “You had lived enough life to know that a TV show was just a TV show, but also to appreciate just what it meant to be allowed to play pretend for a living — and you never let us forget that this job was a privilege.”
Legendary comedian Bob Newhart also celebrated Scolari on Twitter.
“I knew that Peter was sick, but his death comes as a great shock,” he wrote. “We were friends for over 40 years. Julia and Peter were an essential part of the success of ‘Newhart.’ He was a fantastic person & a joy to work with. He will be sorely missed, his passing at 66 is way too early.”