Bob Newhart, the comedian and actor known for "The Bob Newhart Show," has passed away at the age of 94, according to his publicist.
Newhart died after a series of brief illnesses, as confirmed by his publicist Jerry Digney on Thursday.
Best known for his observational humor and deadpan delivery, the Chicago native began his career as an accountant before transitioning to comedy.
Newhart gained widespread recognition with the release of his 1960 comedy album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart," which earned him two Grammys: Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
No other comedian since that time has achieved the latter honor from a man on the street program in Chicago to a year and a half later, to calls from Ed Sullivan," he marveled in a 2008 interview with the Archive of American Television. "It was just weird. There was a period of adjustment."
After the success of "The Button-Down Mind," Newhart earned his own variety show with NBC, "The Bob Newhart Show." Although it was canceled after one season, the comedian earned an Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award for his work on the show.
Comedian and actor, Bob Newhart
Newhart went on to guest star on shows including "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Ed Sullivan Show"
Newhart went on to guest star on shows including "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" over the next few years.
"The Bob Newhart Show"
In 1972, he took on the starring role in "The Bob Newhart Show." In that series, Newhart played a psychologist named Robert Hartley, who was constantly interacting with patients and colleagues.
"The Bob Newhart Show" lasted six seasons, and in 1982, he took on a new sitcom, "Newhart," in which he portrayed an innkeeper named Dick Loudon.
"Newhart" earned the actor three Emmy nominations, and its finale has been lauded as one of the greatest in television history.
Newhart credited his wife, Ginnie, for originating the idea for the episode, in which Newhart's character is revealed to be a product of Hartley's dream.
"We were apprehensive. We didn't know how it would be received," he said in the 2008 interview. "But then when we got the audience's reaction, we said, 'That's it. That's it.'"
Newhart went on to have two other shows, "Bob" and "George and Leo," though neither became the hits that "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart" were. In 2013, the actor won his first Emmy for a guest-starring role in "The Big Bang Theory.
A voice-over artist who provided his talent to films such as "The Rescuers" and "The Rescuers Down Under," Newhart is survived by four children: Jennifer, Courtney, Timothy, and Robert, as well as numerous grandchildren.
His wife of 60 years, Virginia "Ginnie" Newhart, passed away in 2023.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones as well as all those that knew and loved him over the years.
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