Bob Newhart, Comedy Legend and Star of ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ Dead at 94

Bob Newhart, the deadpan star of “The Bob Newhart” show , has passed away at the age of 94. The news of Newhart’s passing was announced by his longtime publicist Jerry Digney.

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George Robert Newhart was born on September 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois. The young Newhart was raised Roman Catholic, with his sister Mary Joan becoming a nun later in life. He enrolled at Loyola University of Chicago and graduated with a bachelor’s in business management in 1952. He was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War until 1954. He attended Loyola University’s law school for a time but later dropped out. Newhart then worked as a clerk in an unemployment office and as an accountant.

In 1958, he took to being an advertising copywriter for a prominent Chicago film and television producer. In his free time he’d record scenarios and skits he’d utilize as audition tapes. He was introduced to the head of talent at Warner Bros. Records where he was signed in 1959 based on his recordings.

He’d flesh them out into a stand-up routine he’d started performing in nightclubs. In 1960, he debuted his first comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” which showed off the actor’s straight man persona. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and secured him a Grammy. A follow-up album, “Behind the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” debuted six months later and was equally successful. Newhart would release 10 original albums through 1997.

Off the strength of his comedy routines Newhart was given his own variety show in 1961. Unfortunately, this take on “The Bob Newhart Show” only lasted a single season, though it did garner him his first Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award. He then started doing the rounds on various talk shows, becoming a popular face on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and guest-hosting on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” a whopping 87 times.

In 1972, after an appearance on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” he was asked to work on a pilot for a series to be called “The Bob Newhart Show.” He played the character Bob Hartley, a psychologist, opposite Suzanne Pleshette who played his wife. “The Bob Newhart Show” was an immediate hit in a decade filled with the likes of “MASH,” “Sanford and Son,” and “The Waltons.” The show ran from 1972 to 1977, garnering a Primetime Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe noms.

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Newhart would cancel the show of his own accord but he’d be drawn back into the sitcom world in 1982 when he debuted “Newhart.” Instead of a psychiatrist, Newhart played a Vermont innkeeper and TV talk show host. The series would end in 1990 after garnering three Primetime Emmy nominations. He’d dabble with the sitcom world one more time, in 1992, with a series called “Bob,” but it didn’t get the same following and was quickly canceled.

After appearing in roles in the features “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” in 1970 and “Cold Turkey” in 1971, Newhart lent his voice to the frightened mouse detective Bernard in Disney’s 1977 animated feature “The Rescuers.” It would be the Mouse House’s last animated feature until the late-1980s. Newhart would reprise the role of Bernard in the 1990 sequel “The Rescuers Down Under.”

Newhart continued to make guest appearances on various television shows and was nominated for another Emmy in a dramatic turn on “E.R.” before winning the prize for his 2012 guest appearance on “The Big Bang Theory.” He’d also appear in the “Librarian” series of made-for-TV movies, “Hot in Cleveland,” and “The Drew Carey Show.” In 2003, he delighted a new generation of children playing the gruff but beloved Papa Elf in Jon Favreau’s Christmas classic, “Elf.” He’d release his memoirs, titled “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This,” in 2006.

Bob Newhart was married to Virginia Quinn for nearly 60 years. He is survived by his four children and 10 grandchildren. Quinn died in 2023.