Bob Newhart, titan of American comedy, dead at 94
Bob Newhart, a comedy legend whose credits include two all-time-great sitcoms, has died, according to a statement released by his publicist.
The Hollywood Reporter and other entertainment outlets based news of Newhart’s death on a statement from publicist Jerry Digney. According to Digney’s statement, Newhart died in his Los Angeles home after “a series of short illnesses.” He was 94.
Newhart’s career was long and his legacy enormous. He came to national notice with a 1960 comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which won two Grammy Awards in 1961 including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. (It is extremely rare for non-musical acts to be among the finalists in either category, but this was only the third year for the Grammys; Newhart also won a third Grammy that year, taking Best Comedy Performance – Spoken Word for “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!,” a quick follow-up to his breakthrough.)
Though he had numerous TV credits, they’re topped by his runs on “The Bob Newhart Show” from 1972 to 1978 and “Newhart” from 1982 to 1990. The latter delivered a memorable twist in its finale, the revelation that the entire world of “Newhart” had been a dream experienced by the central character of “The Bob Newhart Show.”
Throughout his career, Newhart’s forte was the ability to deliver utterly deadpan reactions to extraordinarily absurd situations. He exemplified the quiet terror of a mild-mannered individual at the mercy of capricious fate.
FILE – Actor-comedian Bob Newhart sits with a bronze likeness of Dr. Bob Hartley, the character he played in the 1972-78 sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show,” at the unveiling of the statue in Chicago on July 27, 2004. Newhart, the deadpan master of sitcoms and telephone monologues, died in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 18, 2024. He was 94. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)AP
The Hollywood Reporter quoted a comment he made in a 1990 interview with Los Angeles magazine: “I tend to find humor in the macabre,” he said. “I would say 85 percent of me is what you see on the show. And the other 15 percent is a very sick man with a very deranged mind.”
Memorable latter-day roles included a recurring role in the TV series “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon,” and the part of Papa Elf in the Will Ferrell comedy “Elf.”
In addition to Grammys, his many honors included an Emmy for “The Big Bang Theory,” induction into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, a Golden Globe for “The Bob Newhart Show” and the 2002 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Newhart was born George Robert Newhart on Sept. 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Ill.