BEL AIR—On July 18, actor and comedian, Bob Newhart died at age 94. Newhart’s publicist, Jerry Digney first told Fox News Digital, that Newhart died of natural causes following a series of illnesses. Newhart was best known for clean comedy.
Born George Robert “Bob” Newhart in Oak Park, Illinois on September 5, 1929, he was a lifelong Catholic. He attended St. Ignatius Preparatory School, graduating in 1947. He then enrolled in Loyola University in Chicago earning a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1952 before being drafted into the U.S. Army.
Loyola University gave tribute to Bob Newhart in an article by Adam Doster in Loyola Today entitled “An Unexpected Calling: Remembering Bob Newhart.” In the article, Doster shares a quote from Newhart:
“I just fell in love with the sound of laughter. I thought, “Wow, what a great sound that is!” I want to keep repeating that as much as I can. — Bob Newhart (BS ’52), actor and comedian.
Newhart served as a personal manager in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict which ended in 1953. Newhart was discharged in 1954.
His life partner was his wife, Ginnie who passed away in April 2023, not long after the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage. The Newhart’s had four children together, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, and 10 grandchildren.
Bob Newhart acted on many different stages and won a multitude of awards including three Grammys. The role he was most famous for was that of a psychologist named Bob Hartley on the Bob Newhart Show that ran from 1972-1978. And then in a spin-off show, Newhart from 1982-1992.
Some of the films he acted in include, Catch-22 (1970), Cold Turkey (1971), In & Out (1997), and Elf (2003.)
Nothing seemed to slow him down. In 2013, Newhart played “Professor Proton,” (Arthur Jeffries) in The Big Bang Theory. He stared at the character, Sheldon Cooper in the same way he did his patients on the old couch on the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s.
Newhart starred alongside many other comedians who were truly funny, and for the most part, they kept it clean. He had what could be considered a dry sense of humor. It wasn’t necessarily what he said that kept people laughing. It was more of what he didn’t say.
He’d just sit there and stare at one of his fellow actors’ ridiculous statements as he worked the role of their therapist. People could not stop laughing. He, and his clean sense of humor, will surely be missed.
Newhart guest starred on The Carol Burnett Show in 1971. She was a good friend of both Bob Newhart and his wife, Ginnie.
Burnett wrote the following passage on an old black and white photo of Burnett and Bob Newhart.
“I had the great pleasure of working with Bob and being his friend.”
By Sharon