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Hollywood has lost another legend.
On July 18, iconic actor Bob Newhart passed away at the age of 94. The inimitable actor had made a huge name for himself in the 1970s and 1980s, starring in a number of hit films and television shows. In 1972, he became a household name when he starred in The Bob Newhart Show, alongside Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily, and Marcia Wallace.
Credit: Screenshot, ‘The Bob Newhart Show’, NBC
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According to Newhart’s longtime publicist, Jerry Digney, the actor died in his Los Angeles home after a short illness. His wife of nearly 60 years, Virginia Quinn, died in 2023. The couple shared four children together — Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney.
George Robert Newhart was born on September 5, 1929, to Julia and George David Newhart. He was one of four children, but he was the Newharts’ only son.
Credit: Screenshot, ‘Newhart’, CBS
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It might surprise many people to know that Bob Newhart did not start out as an actor. Instead, he impressed Hollywood bigwigs with his deadpan sense of humor. He started out as an accountant before becoming a copywriter for Fred Niles, a huge independent film and television producer. It was there that he would have outrageous conversations with a coworker, and they recorded those conversations and sent them to radio stations.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Mr. Newhart was then introduced to the head of talent at Warner Bros. Records, who immediately signed him based just on those conversation recordings.
Just one year after signing with Warner Bros. Records, Newhart released his first stand-up album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart. It was an absolute hit and made history. Not only was it the first comedy album to reach number one on the Billboard charts, but it also won Grammys for Best New Artist and Album of the Year.
Credit: Warner Bros. Records
While the legendary comedian shot to fame in the 1970s and 1980s, he continues to be remembered by younger audiences, as he appeared in many recent hit television shows and movies, including Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, The Librarians, and Horrible Bosses (2011).
Of course, millennials will best remember the comedy icon for his role in the beloved Christmas film, Elf (2003). Mr. Newhart starred alongside Will Ferrell and played Papa Elf. Papa Elf worked alongside Santa Claus in the North Pole, but he took in and raised Buddy (Ferrell), a human baby who had snuck into Santa’s sack.
Credit: New Line Cinema
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And, of course, we can’t forget about the work he did with Disney during his time in Hollywood. While he was not a huge part of Disney, he did star in one of its most underrated animated films. Mr. Newhart provided the voice of Bernard in the 1977 film The Rescuers. He then reprised the role in The Rescuers Down Under (1990). Both times he starred alongside Eva Gabor, who voiced Ms. Bianca.
Shortly after news of Newhart’s death broke, the internet was flooded with messages of remembrance, including from Haunted Mansion (2023) and Freaky Friday (2003) star, Jamie Lee Curtis.
They will be laughing wherever people go when they leave us. God, he was funny! Bob Newhart. You will be missed!
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Bob Newhart is survived by his four children.
We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Bob Newhart. May he rest in eternal peace.
