Bob Newhart, the actor and comedian who starred in “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart,” has died, his publicist confirmed to CBS News. He was 94.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the Newhart family wrote: “Our father passed away this morning surrounded by all our family. We feel blessed that he is reunited with our mom and all of his friends waiting for him. Thank you for all of your well wishes. He was deeply loved by all, but especially by his children and grandchildren.”
Newhart, who was from the Chicago area, worked as an accountant until his career in show business took off. In 1960, when at age 30 his album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” rose to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, the first comedy album to ever hit the top spot.
Newhart released his next album, “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back,” later that same year. It too proved to be a chart-topper and the two albums led to three Grammy Award wins for Newhart in 1961: best new artist, album of the year and best comedy performance.
Following the success of his first two albums, Newhart briefly hosted an NBC variety show, “The Bob Newhart Show.” Running from late 1961 through the summer of 1962, the show didn’t last long, but it earned critical praise and an Emmy nomination for outstanding writing for a comedy series at the 1962 award ceremony. Newhart also continued putting out comedy albums throughout the ’60s, during which he also made a few more TV appearances.
In the 1970s, he made the jump to television stardom, playing Dr. Bob Hartley on CBS’ somewhat confusingly titled “The Bob Newhart Show” from 1972 to 1978. From 1982 to 1990, he starred in the CBS sitcom “Newhart,” playing Dick Loubin, an author who moves from New York City with his wife to Vermont to operate a historic inn.
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“The Bob Newhart Show” earned an Emmy nomination for best comedy in 1977, while Newhart’s costar Suzanne Pleshette, who played Hartley’s wife, Emily, was nominated for best actress in a comedy series that same year.
Newhart himself earned three consecutive nods for best actor in a comedy series in 1985, 1986 and 1987 for his role on “Newhart,” but he lost out each time.
His first and only Emmy win came in 2013, when he took home the award for best guest actor in a comedy for his role as Arthur Jeffries, aka Professor Proton, on “The Big Bang Theory.” He would be nominated two more times for the role in 2014 and 2016.
Newhart also filled in for Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” 87 times throughout the years, Newhart’s publicist said.
In addition to his TV success, Newhart appeared in numerous films throughout his decadeslong career, including the 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller’s classic “Catch-22” and 2003’s “Elf,” in which he played Papa Elf, who also serves as the film’s narrator.
Newhart continued to perform standup comedy throughout his career, only stopping when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“People would say, ‘Why do you still do it?’ I say, ‘Yeah, you’re right, I’m tired of making people laugh. I hate it!'” he joked to CBS News’ “Sunday Morning.”
“I have this theory that when it’s all over, for death, and you go up I’ve been led to believe to heaven and there’s a God and he says, ‘What did you do?’ And I say, ‘I made people laugh.’ ‘Yeah, get in that real short line over there.'”
Before his success, Newhart was drafted into the Army in 1952 during the Korean War and served as a personnel manager until he was discharged in 1954. He then worked as an accountant in Chicago while honing his craft as a comedian at night.
“Mr. Wilkinson — I still remember his name — he said, ‘Jeez, these are not sound accounting principles,'” Newhart told “Sunday Morning” about his first profession. “I said, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for accounting.’ And that’s when I decided, OK, let’s find out if I’m any good [at comedy].”
Bob Newhart is survived by his children, Jennifer, Courtney, Timothy and Robert. His wife, Virginia “Ginnie” Newhart, died in 2023. They had been married for 60 years.