Philip Michael Bosco was born in the vibrant city of Jersey City, New Jersey, to a remarkable mother, Margaret Raymond (Thek),a dedicated policewoman, and a charismatic father, Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker with a flair for entertainment. As a result of his parents' diverse backgrounds, Bosco was proud to claim a rich heritage of Italian and German descent.
Bosco's academic pursuits took him to Saint Peter's Prep School, where he graduated in 1948, and later to the prestigious Catholic University of America, earning his A.B. degree in 1957.
In his early years, Bosco served his country as a private in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, dedicating two years of his life to the military from 1951 to 1953.
Before discovering his passion for acting, Bosco worked in a carnival, where he likely honed his skills in showmanship, and later as a trailer truck driver, developing his ability to navigate the open road.
Bosco's remarkable acting career was marked by numerous accolades, including the Shakespeare Society of Washington, D.C. Award in 1957, which recognized his outstanding talent. His performance as Heracles in "The Rape of the Belt" earned him the Variety NY Drama Critics' Poll in 1961, and he received a Tony nomination for the same production.
In 2007, Bosco took on the significant role of Lenny Savage, the father of Laura Lin andney Philip Seymour Hoffman's characters, in the drama-comedy film The Savages.