Bob Newhart, the beloved comedian and actor renowned for "The Bob Newhart Show," has passed away at the age of 94, his publicist confirmed.
Newhart died following a series of brief illnesses, according to a statement from his publicist, Jerry Digney, on Thursday.
Known for his observational humor and deadpan delivery, Newhart, a Chicago native, began his career as an accountant before venturing into comedy. He gained widespread fame with the release of his 1960 comedy album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." The album earned him two Grammys: Album of the Year and Best New Artist, a feat no other comedian has matched.
"The album just - it went crazy. I went from a man on the street program in Chicago to a year and a half later, to calls from Ed Sullivan," Newhart reflected in a 2008 interview with the Archive of American Television. "It was just weird. There was a period of adjustment."
Following the success of "The Button-Down Mind," Newhart was given his own variety show on NBC, "The Bob Newhart Show." Although it was canceled after one season, he received an Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award for his work on the show.
Newhart went on to guest star on shows such as "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" over the following years. In 1972, he starred in "The Bob Newhart Show," playing psychologist Robert Hartley, who constantly interacted with patients and colleagues.
"The Bob Newhart Show" ran for six seasons. In 1982, Newhart took on a new sitcom, "Newhart," where he played innkeeper Dick Loudon. "Newhart" earned him three Emmy nominations, and its finale is considered one of the greatest in television history. Newhart credited his wife, Ginnie, for the idea behind the episode, where his character is revealed to be a figment of Hartley's dream.
"We were apprehensive. We didn't know how it would be received," he recalled in the 2008 interview. "But then when we got the audience's reaction, we said, 'That's it. That's it.'"
Newhart also had two other shows, "Bob" and "George and Leo," though neither matched the success of "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart." In 2013, he won his first Emmy for a guest-starring role in "The Big Bang Theory."
A talented voice-over artist, Newhart lent his voice to films such as "The Rescuers" and "The Rescuers Down Under." He is survived by his four children, Jennifer, Courtney, Timothy, and Robert, as well as numerous grandchildren. His wife of 60 years, Virginia "Ginnie" Newhart, passed away in 2023.
