American comedian and actor Bob Newhart is dead. The comedian-actor died on July 18, 2024, at age 94. Bob Newhart is fondly remembered for his deadpan and stammering comedy delivery style. His comedy talent on and off screen earned him several accolades.
For 66 years, Bob Newhart entertained audiences as a stand-up comedian and actor. His publicist announced his death. The comedian and actor died from complications of several short illnesses at his Los Angeles home. In appreciation of his contribution to Hollywood, here’s a look at Bob Newhart’s life and career.
Bob Newhart’s Early Life
Bob Newhart’s parents, George David Newhart and Julia Pauline (née Burns), were a plumbing supply business part-owner and housewife, respectively. The comedian and actor was born George Robert Newhart in Oak Park, Illinois, on September 5, 1929. Bob Newhart was raised in a family of six and had three sisters. He attended Roman Catholic schools in the Chicago area and was an alum of Loyola University Chicago, having graduated with a business management degree in 1952.
After graduating, Bob Newhart was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as a clerk during the Korean War and was discharged from active service in 1954 after serving for about two years. After his honorable discharge from service, Bob Newhart got an accounting job with United States Gypsum. He quickly realized he wasn’t suited to be an accountant after using his money to adjust petty cash imbalances.
Although he clerked for several other employers, the jobs could barely meet his financial needs. In 1958, Newhart finally found a job he enjoyed being at, not necessarily for the duties, but for the fun-based calls he shared with a coworker. Newhart has been hired as an advertising copywriter for Fred A. Niles, a Chicago-based production company. Bob Newhart and his coworker would make long calls, discussing absurd scenarios. Newhart continued making and recording the call after the coworker left for a new job in New York.
Bob Newhart’s Comedy and Acting Career
Bob Newhart sent these recorded phone conversations as audition tapes to radio stations. Interestingly, a year later, in 1959, Bob Newhart had been signed by Warner Bros. Records. It didn’t take long for Newhart’s talent to get recognition. Bob Newhart’s first live comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, released in 1960, was a global success. Besides becoming the first comedy album to sit at number one on the Billboard charts, it won Newhart two Grammy Awards (Album of the Year and Best New Artist).
Bob Newhart released 12 comedy albums (8 live albums and 4 compilation albums) throughout his career. Newhart also transitioned to screen in 1960, making his debut as a comedian on a few episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show. He also had a short-lived NBC variety show, The Bob Newhart Show, which he hosted from 1961 to 1962. Newhart made his film debut in 1962, starring as Private First Class James E. Driscoll in the war movie Hell Is for Heroes. He spent the next three decades starring in several film and television productions. For most audiences today, Bob Newhart is remembered for playing Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton in CBS’s The Big Bang Theory (2013–2018) and Young Sheldon (2017–2020).
Bob Newhart’s Personal Life
The late comedian and comic actor Buddy Hackett introduced Bob Newhart to his wife. Bob Newhart was married to Virginia Lillian “Ginnie” Quinn for 60 years until her death on April 23, 2023. Ginnie was 82 years old at the time of her death. Newhart’s wife was one of the daughters of the late character actor Bill Quinn. Newhart and Ginnie’s marriage produced four children, born between 1963 and 1977.
Bob Newhart’s Death
The first time the public knew about any of Bob Newhart’s illnesses was as far back as 1985. The comedian and actor had been hospitalized for secondary polycythemia. Newhart’s age-long smoking addiction had triggered the condition. After spending several weeks in recovery and receiving stern warnings from the doctor, Bob Newhart quit smoking.
Although Bob Newhart’s death was announced to be from complications of several short illnesses, the family did not disclose the true nature of the illnesses Newhart struggled with before his death. Bob Newhart is survived by his four children and ten grandchildren. In honor of Bob Newhart, CBS released an hour-long film tribute, Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter. Besides Bob Newhart, popular talk show host Dr. Ruth died at 96 in July 2024.
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