You might know him from Elf, but Bob Newhart was one of the most influential and legendary comic performers ever. The man who won a Grammy-award for his 1960 debut comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart passed away at his Los Angeles home on Thursday after a series of short illnesses.
Newhart was formerly an accountant before making it big as a comic and actor. He won an Emmy Award in 2013 for his guest-starring role on The Big Bang Theory. He was the lead in one of the most popular sitcoms of all-time, The Bob Newhart Show that started in 1972. The show ran until 1978 for 142 episodes and featured Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Bonerz, Marcia Wallace, Bill Daily, and Jack Riley.
His next series was titled Newhart and started in 1982, lasting for eight seasons that starred Mary Frann, Tom Poston, Julia Duffy, Peter Scolari, William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Volstad. That series had one of the most memorable endings for a sitcom, giving us the fourth-wall breaking images of Newhart waking up as Bob Hartley in bed with his wife, suggesting that the series was a dream within the previous series The Bob Newhart Show.
He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1992.
Newhart was born on September 5th, 1929 in Illinois, he grew up on the streets of Chicago and was a massive Cubs fan.
His album The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart became the first comedy album to reach the top of the album charts, selling 1.5 million copies and setting the stage for comedians everywhere to make it big with specials released.
Newhart was married to Virginia Quinn from January 1963 until her death in April 2023 at age 82. They were set up on a blind date by a fellow comedian.
His most famous film role was in Elf where he played Buddy the Elf’s adopted father.
Bob Newhart is survived by his children Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, and 10 grandchildren.
Join us in celebrating the man, his family, and his life.
RIP
