NEW YORK: US actor Peter Boyle, best known for playing the irritable father in the television comedy series 'Everybody Loves Raymond', has died at the age of 71, his publicist announced on Wednesday.   

Boyle died on Tuesday in a New York hospital after a long battle with multiple myeloma and heart disease, publicist Jennifer Plante said.   

The balding actor starred in more than 200 episodes of hit comedy 'Raymond' from 1996 to 2005, playing Frank Barone, the waspish father of sports writer Ray.   

He was also known for performances in films such as Young Frankenstein, in which he played the monster, and in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film Taxi Driver, in which he played a cab driver named Wizard alongside Robert De Niro.   

He plays Father Time in The Santa Clause 3, which went on general release in the United States last month.   

He received an Emmy in 1996 for an appearance on 'The X-Files' and was nominated five times for an Emmy for his portrayal of Frank Barone.