Bob Newhart, whose influence on television and comedy lasted decades, reportedly died after a series of brief illnesses.
Bob Newhart, the iconic comedian and actor known for his unrivaled sense of humor, has died, according to ET. He was 94.
Jerry Digney, Newhart’s longtime publicist, told ET that Newhart died on Thursday at his Los Angeles home after a series of short illnesses. The cause of death was not revealed.
Newhart, known for his mild-mannered satire and observational comedy, had a long-lasting impact on television and comedy.
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Born George Robert Newhart, the popular entertainer rose to prominence in the early 1960s following three successful appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
With his 1960 recording of The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, Newhart rose to prominence. The stand-up comedy album was the first in its genre to reach number one on the Billboard charts, earning him two GRAMMY Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
Newhart went on to make two additional comedy albums, including The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! (1960), which earned him his second GRAMMY Award for Best Comedy — Spoken Word.
A year later, Newhart made his television debut with the variety show The Bob Newhart Show. The one-season series garnered him an Emmy nomination as well as a Peabody Award. Over a decade after the first show’s success, Newhart developed a sitcom with the same name, which aired from 1972 until 1978.
In the series, Newhart played Dr. Bob Hartley, a psychotherapist headquartered in Chicago. The show’s colorful cast includes his loving, if sardonic, wife Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette, and his pesky neighbor Howard Borden, played by Bill Daily.
His second namesake sitcom, Newhart, aired from 1982 to 1990 and was set in a tiny village in Vermont, where he portrayed Dick Loudon, an innkeeper at a place full with hilarious incidents. The show got three Emmy nominations throughout its existence.
Newhart’s series finale, which broadcast in May 1990, is remembered for its famous, full-circle climax. Bob’s character awakens in bed next to Pleshette, his TV wife from The Bob Newhart Show, and says, “Honey, wake up! You won’t believe the dream I just had! I was the innkeeper in this strange small town in Vermont!”
Throughout the 1990s, Newhart hosted two more sitcoms: Bob from 1992 to 1993 and George & Leo from 1997 to 1998.
Newhart will be recognized by younger generations for his portrayal as Buddy’s adoptive father at the North Pole in Will Ferrell’s famous 2003 Christmas film Elf.
He also made multiple cameo appearances on The Big Bang Theory. He won his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013, after receiving seven nominations for previous roles. His character, Professor Proton, later appeared as a guest on the prequel series Young Sheldon.
Newhart married Ginny in 1963, and the couple had four children: Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney.
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