Renowned comedian Bob Newhart passed away on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at his Los Angeles, California residence following a series of brief illnesses. His death was confirmed by his longtime publicist, Jerry Digney. Newhart was 94 years old.
With a career spanning more than six decades, Newhart left a lasting impact on stand-up comedy and television. Born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, he initially pursued a career as an accountant before transitioning to comedy. His breakthrough came in 1960 with the comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.” This album, the first comedy recording to top the Billboard charts, won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
In a 1990 interview with Los Angeles magazine, Newhart stated, “I tend to find humor in the macabre. 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.”
Newhart’s comedic style, noted for his one-sided telephone conversations where he only portrayed his side of the dialogue, earned him a special place in American comedy. His unique deadpan delivery and keen observational humor resonated with audiences nationwide.
In 1972, Newhart secured the role of Dr. Bob Hartley, a Chicago, Illinois psychologist, in “The Bob Newhart Show.” The sitcom ran for six seasons, becoming a staple of American television. Despite its success, Newhart did not receive any Emmy Awards for his performance on the show. After 142 episodes, the series concluded in 1978, with Newhart feeling the show had run its course.
Newhart returned to television in 1982 with another successful sitcom, “Newhart,” where he portrayed Dick Loudon, a New York author who becomes a Vermont innkeeper. The show ran for eight seasons on CBS. The series finale is remembered for its iconic ending where Newhart’s character wakes up next to Suzanne Pleshette, his wife from “The Bob Newhart Show,” implying the entire series was a dream.
In an interview with a college business professor, Newhart once said, “Somehow there’s a connection between numbers and music and comedy. I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s there… I know it’s a case of 2 and 2 equals 5 in terms of a comedian. You take this fact and you take that fact and then you come up with this ludicrous fact.”
Despite his extensive acting resume, Newhart’s first Emmy Award came in 2013 for his guest role as Professor Proton on “The Big Bang Theory,” where he portrayed a former children’s science show host. He won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series award for this role.
Beyond television, Newhart appeared in several films, including “Catch-22,” “Elf,” and “Horrible Bosses,” and lent his voice to animated movies like “The Rescuers” and its sequel.
Newhart received induction into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1992 and was awarded the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002. A statue honoring his achievements was placed on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, depicting him sitting next to an empty psychiatrist’s couch.
Newhart reflected on his comedic style saying, “Keep in mind, when I started in the late fifties, I didn’t say to myself, ‘Oh, here’s a great void to fill — I’ll be a balding ex-accountant who specializes in low-key humor,’… That’s simply what I was and that’s the direction my mind always went in, so it was natural for me to be that way.”
Newhart was married to Virginia “Ginnie” Quinn, daughter of actor Bill Quinn, from January 1963 until her death in April 2023. They were introduced by comedian Buddy Hackett, who felt they would be a good match because of their shared Catholic faith. The couple had four children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, and ten grandchildren.
Bob Newhart’s comedic work and contributions to television have created an enduring legacy. His unique comedic style, marked by his deliberate pauses and stuttering delivery, endeared him to audiences and colleagues alike, leaving a lasting imprint on the world of comedy.