Comedian Bob Newhart, celebrated for his relatable everyman persona in two iconic TV sitcoms, passed away Thursday morning due to natural causes at the age of 94. Newhart excelled in humor, portraying modest characters who, under different circumstances, would have been delivering setups for someone else’s punchlines.
His death was confirmed by his longtime publicist Jerry Digney, according to whom Newhart died at his home in Los Angeles after “a series of short illnesses.”
Newhart’s career spanned six decades and began with a hugely influential stand-up album in 1960, followed by starring roles in beloved sitcoms throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was his clean, deadpan humor delivered in a soft-spoken stammer that placed him on the pedestal of the best comedians. Before the filming of The Bob Newhart Show in 1972, the producers suggested he deliver his lines more smoothly to what Newhart responded, “This stammer got me a home in Beverly Hills.”
In later years, he had memorable performances in the film Elf, Catch-22, In & Out, and Disney’s The Rescuers, among the rest.
Born on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, Newhart graduated from Loyola University Chicago and served as a Staff Sergeant in the US Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954.
Following his military service, Newhart worked as an accountant and advertising copywriter. During this period, he honed the comedic routines that would catapult him to fame, perfecting his “straight man” persona in one-sided phone conversations, reacting to absurd scenarios.
Newhart became a sensation and that helped him laid the foundation for his wildly successful live comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart that became the first comedy record to reach #1 on the Billboard Charts and, at the time, was the 20th best-selling album of all time.
At the same time, his album was the first ever comedy album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, earning Newhart Grammy for Best New Artist.
His show, The Bob Newhart Show, in 1961, which only ran for one season won the Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series.
He found greater success with his first sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show, which aired on CBS for six seasons from 1972 to 1978. The series portrayed the professional and personal life of Newhart’s character, Dr. Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychiatrist.
Newhart achieved rare success with two hit sitcoms: Newhart, where he played Vermont innkeeper and talk show host Dick Loudon, aired from 1982 to 1990.
Newhart concluded with a famously memorable finale, revealing Newhart’s character from The Bob Newhart Show waking up next to his former co-star Suzanne Pleshette, suggesting that the entire series was just a dream of his earlier character.
He also had a memorable recurring role on the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory as the former science TV host “Professor Proton.” For this role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, his first Emmy win, which was well-deserved for the TV legend.
Newhart is survived by his four children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, along with ten grandchildren. Fans around the world are mourning the loss of this comedic icon, whose work brought joy and laughter to countless people.
May he rest in peace.
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