Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian whose unique style made him one of the era’s most celebrated TV stars, has died at the age of 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, confirmed that the actor succumbed to multiple short illnesses and passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Remembered fondly as the face of two highly successful television shows of the 1970s and 1980s that bore his name, Newhart began his illustrious career as a standup comic in the late 1950s. His breakthrough moment arrived with the 1960 comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.” This album, filled with his iconic routines, earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, catapulting him to nationwide fame.
Unlike many contemporaries such as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Alan King, and the duo of Mike Nichols and Elaine May, who often took an aggressive approach to comedy, Newhart’s style was refreshingly subdued. His humor relied on a hesitant and almost stammering delivery, and his primary prop was a telephone, through which he pretended to have conversations with unseen characters on the other end of the line.
Despite initial reservations about venturing into television due to concerns over material overexposure, Newhart accepted NBC’s offer. “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on October 11, 1961. Although critically acclaimed and winner of both Emmy and Peabody awards, it was canceled after just one season, a fact that Newhart humorously referenced in his later routines.
A decade later, he returned to the small screen with another series, also named “The Bob Newhart Show.” This time, he starred as a Chicago psychologist living in a penthouse with his wife, played by Suzanne Pleshette, a schoolteacher. Their eccentric neighbors and Newhart’s neurotic patients, particularly the airline navigator Bill Daily, served as the perfect foil to Newhart’s calm and deadpan character. The show quickly became one of the most beloved series of the 1970s, running until 1978.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Newhart launched another successful series in 1982, simply titled “Newhart.” In this sitcom, he portrayed a New York writer who relocates to Vermont to run an inn. Once again, his character’s composure was juxtaposed against a cast of quirky locals. The show enjoyed a fruitful run on CBS, lasting eight seasons.
The 1990s were less kind to Newhart’s television aspirations, with two series failing to achieve comparable success. Despite multiple nominations, his sole Emmy Award came from a guest appearance on “The Big Bang Theory.” Reflecting on his lack of wins during his peak years, Newhart quipped, “I guess they think I’m not acting.
. That it’s just Bob being Bob.”
Newhart’s talents also found their way to the silver screen, with comedic roles in films like “Catch-22,” “In and Out,” “Legally Blonde 2,” and “Elf,” where he memorably played Will Ferrell’s adoptive father. In recent years, he had roles in “Horrible Bosses” and appeared in TV series such as “The Librarians” and “Young Sheldon,” a spin-off of “The Big Bang Theory.”
Commitment to his craft was a defining trait, and in 2003, Newhart pledged to keep working as long as he could. “It’s been so much, 43 years of my life; to quit would be like something was missing,” he reflected.
In 1964, Newhart married Virginia Quinn, affectionately known as Ginny, and they remained together until her passing earlier this year. The couple had four children: Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney.
One of Newhart’s closest relationships was with fellow comedian and eternal family man, Don Rickles. The contrast between Rickles’ boisterous insult humor and Newhart’s understated sarcasm defined their friendship. “We’re apples and oranges. I’m a Jew, he’s a Catholic. He’s low-key, I’m a yeller,” Rickles noted to Variety in 2012. This bond was celebrated in Judd Apatow’s 2014 short documentary “Bob and Don: A Love Story.”
Newhart’s foray into comedy was born out of a sense of ennui at his $5-an-hour accounting job in Chicago. He and a friend, Ed Gallagher, started making humorous phone calls to pass the time, which they eventually recorded and tried to sell to radio stations. Though initially unsuccessful, Warner Bros. saw potential and signed Newhart to a record deal, leading to his first nightclub performance in Houston in 1960.
The recording of his routines and the subsequent release of “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” on April Fools’ Day 1960 was a resounding success, selling 750,000 copies. It was followed by “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!” Both albums topped sales charts simultaneously, with The New York Times proclaiming Newhart as “the first comedian in history to come to prominence through a recording.”
Born George Robert Newhart in Chicago, he was nicknamed Bob to avoid confusion with his father, also named George. His German-Irish heritage and humble beginnings in comedy paved the way for a career that touched the hearts and funny bones of millions.
