Bob Newhart was the deadpan comedian and actor known best for starring in his self-titled sitcoms, “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart.”
- Died: July 18, 2024 (Who else died on July 18?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses at the age of 94.
- We invite you to share condolences for Bob Newhart in our Guest Book.
Bob Newhart’s legacy
Playing first a psychologist and then the owner of a Vermont inn, Newhart brought laughs to TV audiences with ridiculous situations and a cultivated stammer. Later in his career, Newhart was a fan favorite in a recurring role on “The Big Bang Theory,” winning his first Emmy award for playing TV scientist Professor Proton.
Newhart was born Sept. 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, got a business degree from Loyola University of Chicago, and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He began developing his comedy chops while working as an advertising copywriter, recording funny exchanges with a co-worker. The co-worker left, but Newhart continued making recordings, playing the straight man to an absent conversational partner. A deadpan delivery and deliberate stammer were the trademarks of his comedic style.
Newhart’s unusual approach to comedy landed him his first recording contract in 1959 and debuted to the public a year later, with his 1960 album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.” The album was a massive success, shooting to No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and winning Newhart two Grammy awards – one for album of the year and one for best new artist, making him the only comedian to date ever to win the best new artist award. Newhart released a number of other albums over the years, including the Grammy-winning “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back.”
“The Bob Newhart Show” – the 1970s version – cast Newhart as a psychologist and Suzanne Pleshette as his wife. It lasted six seasons and is included in both TV Guide’s and Time magazine’s lists of the best TV shows of all time. Four years after its cancellation, Newhart was back on the small screen with his new sitcom, “Newhart,” in which he ran a Vermont inn opposite Mary Frann and a cast of eccentrics. The show’s series finale is one of TV’s legendary episodes, ending with Newhart’s character waking next to Pleshette to find that his eight years running an inn were just a dream.
While Newhart was best known for his TV series, he had notable movie roles as well. In “Catch 22,” he played Major Major, promoted to Major because the general didn’t like the way “Captain Major” looked. In “Elf,” Newhart was Papa Elf, adoptive father of the exuberant Buddy. He provided the voice of Bernard the mouse in “The Rescuers” and “The Rescuers Down Under,” and he made a brief appearance as a sadistic CEO in “Horrible Bosses.”
Newhart on the afterlife
“I think if you lived a good life, some people say it is rapture. You spend the rest of your life in a state of rapture. That’d be nice. What I’m actually hoping is there’s the Pearly Gates and God’s there and he says to me, ‘What did you do in life?’ And I say, ‘I was a stand-up comedian.’ And he says: ‘Get in that real short line over there.’” – from a 2019 interview with the New York Times
Tributes to Bob Newhart
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
