Bob Newhart, the beloved stand-up comedian famous for his witty, understated humor and iconic performances in two highly praised CBS sitcoms, died on Thursday morning at the age of 94.
Newhart’s veteran public relations representative verified the passing of the television legend in an official announcement, mentioning that Newhart died at his residence in Los Angeles following a succession of brief illnesses.
Remembering the legacy of Bob Newhart
Newhart, with his calm style and unassuming appearance, which was similar to that of a retired accountant, left a lasting impression on the world of comedy. His first album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart from 1960, was a huge success, showcasing his unique one-sided dialogues. The album received Grammy awards and reached the same level of popularity as a top pop music record. A reviewer back then even compared him to “a modern-day Mark Twain dressed in Brooks Brothers attire.”
Newhart became famous for his serious and calm way of speaking, and for occasionally stuttering, which he started using as part of his personality early on, and built a successful career around it. On his TV shows, even though he had some funny lines, he often played the “serious guy” like Jack Benny, letting the sometimes strange cast members around him be the ones to get the laughs. However, Newhart said, “Jack Benny didn’t inspire me,” and instead mentioned George Gobel and Bob and Ray as his first inspirations for writing and performing.
He often acted out one side of a phone conversation in his routines. For example, in “King Kong,” a new security guard at the Empire State Building seeks advice on handling an ape that is “between 18 and 19 stories tall, depending on if there’s a 13th floor or not.” He tells his boss that he looked in the guards’ manual under “ape” and “ape’s toes.” Other famous routines include “The Driving Instructor,” “The Mrs. Grace L. Ferguson Airline (and Storm Door Company),” “Introducing Tobacco to Civilization,” “Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,” “Defusing a Bomb,” “The Retirement Party,” “Ledge Psychology,” “The Krushchev Landing Rehearsal,” and “A Friend with a Dog.”
Newhart brought his early success to TV by appearing in two very popular sitcoms, The Bob Newhart Show during the 1970s and Newhart in the 1980s. The first show, where Newhart portrayed a psychologist, addressed topics such as mental health and the growing gay rights movement with care. As he got older, Newhart gained recognition from Generation X, Y, and Z for his parts in Elf and The Big Bang Theory.
He became a TV star in the 1970s when he played Dr. Bob Hartley on NBC’s The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978. Then, from 1982 to 1990, he was in the CBS show Newhart, where he played Dick Loudon, an author who moves with his wife from New York City to Vermont to run a historic inn.
Later on, Newhart got an Emmy nomination in 2003 for playing a librarian who went blind on ER, and then another one in 2008 for the TV movie The Curse of the Judas Chalice.
Newhart was on Saturday Night Live in 1980 and 1995, did a voice on The Simpsons in 1996, and was on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson 17 times from 1966 to 1992, guest-hosting three times. He also showed up on five episodes of the Leno version from 1998 to 2009, played himself in a 2002 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, and was part of a big joke at the 2006 Emmy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, before giving out the award for comedy series.
Bob Newhart’s book, I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This, mixes memories with funny parts, and it came out in 2006. He was put into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1993, and he got the second Mark Twain Prize for Humor from the Kennedy Center in 2002. In 2007, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was chosen as one of 25 recordings in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Maybe people will always remember Newhart for the last episode of his show Newhart. They say it’s one of the most unforgettable moments on TV. In the finale, a rich Japanese businessman buys the whole town and turns it into a huge golf course and resort.
His kids are Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer. He also has ten grandkids. His wife, Ginnie, died last year.
