Bob Newhart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bob Newhart
Newhart at the 1987 Emmy Awards
Birth name	George Robert Newhart
Born	(1929-09-05)September 5, 1929 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 18, 2024(2024-07-18) (aged 94) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Album film television stand-up
Alma mater	Loyola University Chicago (BBA)
Years active	1958–2020
Genres	Deadpan, satire, observational comedy
Subject(s)	American culture, American politics
Spouse	Virginia Quinn ​ ​ (m. 1963; died 2023)​
Children	4
Relative(s)	Paul Brittain (nephew) Bill Quinn (father-in-law)
Military service
Service	United States Army
Years of service	1952–1954
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	Armed Forces Radio Service
Awards	Good Conduct Medal

George Robert Newhart (September 5, 1929 – July 18, 2024) was a famous American comedian and actor. He was known for his calm, serious face (called "deadpan") and a slight stutter when he spoke. Bob Newhart started as a stand-up comedian and then became a successful actor on television.

He won many awards, including three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2002, he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which is a big award for comedians in America.

Newhart became very popular in 1960 when his comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, became a huge bestseller. It even reached number one on the Billboard music chart. His next album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, was also a hit, and both albums were at the top of the charts at the same time!

He hosted a TV show called The Bob Newhart Show in 1961. Later, he starred as a psychologist named Robert Hartley in a different show also called The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978. After that, he played an innkeeper named Dick Loudon in the series Newhart from 1982 to 1990. He also acted in movies like Elf (2003) and voiced Bernard in the Disney animated films The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990). From 2013 to 2018, Newhart played Professor Proton on the TV show The Big Bang Theory, for which he won an Emmy Award.

Early Life and Education

Bob Newhart was born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother, Julia Pauline, was a housewife, and his father, George David, helped own a plumbing supply business. His family had Irish and German roots. He used his middle name, "Bob," to avoid being confused with his father.

Newhart went to Catholic schools in Chicago. He graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in 1947. Then, he studied business at Loyola University Chicago and graduated in 1952. After college, Newhart joined the U.S. Army and served as a clerk from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War.

His Comedy Career

Starting in Comedy

Newhart, Caterina Valente, and Carol Burnett in 1964

After his time in the Army, Newhart worked as an accountant. He joked that he wasn't very good at it! In 1958, he became an advertising writer in Chicago. There, he and a friend would make funny phone calls to each other, pretending to be different characters. They recorded these calls and sent them to radio stations.

When his friend left, Newhart kept making the recordings by himself. A radio DJ named Dan Sorkin helped Newhart get a contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1959. Newhart then started performing his comedy routines in nightclubs.

He became famous for his unique style: he would act out one side of a phone conversation, letting the audience imagine what the other person was saying. His 1960 album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, was the first comedy album ever to reach number one on the Billboard charts. It won two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

Newhart said his favorite routine was "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue." In this skit, a modern advertising person tries to convince Abraham Lincoln to change his image. His next album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, also won a Grammy.

Newhart's success led to his own TV show in 1961, The Bob Newhart Show. It only lasted one season, but he earned an Emmy nomination and a special award called a Peabody Award. The Peabody Board praised his "gentle satire and wry and irreverent wit." In the mid-1960s, he appeared on many popular variety shows, including The Entertainers with Carol Burnett. He also guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 87 times!

The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978)

The cast of The Bob Newhart Show; standing (from left): Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace, Peter Bonerz; seated: Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette

In 1972, Newhart got the starring role in a new TV show called The Bob Newhart Show. He played Dr. Robert Hartley, a psychologist in Chicago. Suzanne Pleshette played his witty wife, Emily, and Bill Daily was their neighbor and friend, Howard Borden.

The show was an instant hit. In the opening credits, you would often see Newhart answering a telephone in his office, which was a nod to his famous comedy routines. The cast got along very well. Marcia Wallace played Carol Kester, Bob's funny receptionist, and Peter Bonerz played his friend, Jerry Robinson.

By 1977, Newhart wanted to end the show, but he had to do one more season. The writers tried to add a pregnancy storyline, but Newhart didn't want the show to be about "stupid Daddy." He even joked about it on set by repeating lines he didn't like to his co-star's dog, Maggie, who would yawn! The show ended in 1978 after six seasons.

Newhart also appeared in several movies during this time. He voiced Bernard in the Disney animated film The Rescuers (1977) and played the President of the United States in the comedy First Family (1980).

Newhart (1982–1990)

In 1982, Newhart started another successful TV show called Newhart. In this comedy, he played Dick Loudon, who owned an inn in Vermont. Mary Frann played his wife, Joanna. The show also featured Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen, a spoiled inn maid, and Peter Scolari as Michael Harris, Dick's TV producer. Tom Poston played the handyman, George Utley, and was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his role.

Like his first sitcom, Newhart was very popular. The show ended in 1990 after eight seasons with a famous surprise ending. In the last scene, Newhart wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, who played Emily, his wife from The Bob Newhart Show! He realizes that the entire eight years of Newhart was just a dream he had as Dr. Bob Hartley. Emily jokes that he must have eaten too much Japanese food before bed. This ending was later called the best finale in TV history by TV Guide.

Later Career (1991–2020)

In Norfolk, Virginia, c. 1991

Newhart continued to act in films and on television. He played a school principal in In & Out (1997) and Papa Elf in the Christmas movie Elf (2003) with Will Ferrell. He also made a cameo in Horrible Bosses (2011).

He returned to TV with a show called Bob in 1992, where he played a cartoonist. The show had Lisa Kudrow (from Friends) in the cast, but it was canceled after two seasons. In 1997, he starred in George and Leo with Judd Hirsch, but that show also ended quickly.

Newhart in 2004

In 2003, Newhart appeared in three episodes of the medical drama ER, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He also had a recurring role in Desperate Housewives as Morty.

In 2013, Newhart appeared on the popular show The Big Bang Theory as Professor Proton, a former science TV show host. He won his first Emmy Award for this role! He continued to play Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff show, Young Sheldon. In 2015, he appeared in the finale of Hot in Cleveland, reuniting with Betty White.

Comedic Style

Bob Newhart was known for his "deadpan" delivery, meaning he kept a very straight face while saying funny things. He also had a slight stammer, which he used as part of his comedy style. He said this stammer was natural for him and helped build tension before a laugh.

On his TV shows, Newhart often played the "straight man." This means he was the calm, normal person reacting to the funny things the other characters did. He said he was inspired by comedians like George Gobel and Bob and Ray.

Many of his most famous comedy routines involved him talking on the phone, where the audience only heard his side of the conversation. For example, in his "King Kong" routine, he plays a security guard trying to get instructions on how to deal with a giant ape on top of the Empire State Building. Other famous routines included "The Driving Instructor" and "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue."

Personal Life

Family

Bob Newhart met his wife, Virginia Lillian "Ginnie" Quinn, through his friend, comedian Buddy Hackett. Ginnie's father was also an actor, Bill Quinn. Bob and Ginnie were married on January 12, 1963. They had four children: Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney, and later, 10 grandchildren. They raised their children in the Roman Catholic faith. Ginnie passed away in April 2023 at the age of 82.

The Newhart family was close friends with the family of comedian Don Rickles. They often went on vacations together. Their friendship was even featured in a short documentary film called Bob & Don: A Love Story.

Health and Death

In 1985, Newhart had a health issue that doctors said was related to his many years of smoking. He recovered and eventually quit smoking. Bob Newhart passed away at his home in Los Angeles on July 18, 2024, at the age of 94, after several short illnesses. Many famous people, including President Joe Biden, Reese Witherspoon, and Carol Burnett, shared tributes to him.

Hobbies

Newhart was interested in early home computers and bought a Commodore PET in 1977. He joked that its 64 KB of memory was "more memory than I would ever possibly need." For over 25 years, his family lived in a large, beautiful home in Bel Air.

Film and TV Shows

Movies

Television Shows

Comedy Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

• The Best of Bob Newhart (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)
• Masters (Warner Bros. Records, 1973)
• Bob Newhart (Pickwick Super Stars, 1980)
• Something Like This...: The Bob Newhart Anthology (Warner Bros./Rhino, 2001)

Awards and Honors

Honorary Awards

• In 1993, Newhart was added to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
• In 1996, TV Guide magazine ranked Newhart number 17 on their list of the "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time."
• In 1998, Billboard magazine said Newhart's first album was one of the top 20 most popular albums of the past 40 years. It was the only comedy album on that list!
• On January 6, 1999, Newhart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television.
• In 2002, Newhart won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a very important award for comedians.
• In 2004, he was named number 14 on "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time."
• On July 27, 2004, a life-sized statue of Newhart as his character Bob Hartley was put up in Chicago. It was later moved to the sculpture park in front of Chicago's Navy Pier.
• On October 17, 2012, Loyola University Chicago honored him by naming their new theater the Newhart Family Theatre.

See also

In Spanish: Bob Newhart para niños