Bob Newhart, an American stand-up comedian, an actor as well as a writer, is known for his famous comedy TV series Newhart (1982) and comedy show The Bob New Heart Show (1972). He was also a former United States Army during Korean War. His breakthrough performances earned him several reputed awards including three Grammy, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award.
Early Life Of Bob Newhart
Comedian and TV actor Bob Newhart was born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929, at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois. He is the eldest son of George David Newhart, a businessman, and mother Julia Pauline, a housewife. He has three sisters Virginia, Mary Joan and Pauline.
He did his schooling from St. Catherine of Siena grammar School in Oak Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep, graduating in 1947. He then graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in business management. Newhart served in the Army from 1952 to 1954, fighting in the Korean War.
Bob Newhart's Career
After returning from war, Newhart worked as an accountant for United States Gypsum. Later on, he started acting in local theatres and also began writing some of the comedy sketches for radio.
In 1958, he worked at an ad company as an advertising copywriter. While working there, Newhart and co-worker Ed Gallagher would make random calls to each other during the working days, making random jokes. Then he decided to record phone calls and continued doing so and eventually become a staple of his excellent act.
CAPTION: Bob Newhart's Career SOURCE: Later he was signed by Warner Bros. Records and in 1960 he released his first comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart which was the first comedy album to top the Billboard Charts. His work was loved and appreciated by everyone and garnered him a Grammy Award for Album of the Year & another for Best New Artist of the year.
The same year, he released another comedy album The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! for which he won Grammy Award for the Best Comedy Performance- Spoken Word.
Later in 1961, he began his TV career appearing in TV variety show The Bob Newhart Variety Show (1961-1962) starring Jackie Joseph, Ken Berry, Andy Albin, and Joe Flynn among others. Because of his better performance, in 1961 he was honored with Peabody Award and also won the Emmy Award for the Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor in 1962. Peabody cited him as,
a person whose gentle satire and wry and irreverent wit waft a breath of fresh and bracing air through the stale and stuffy electronic corridors. A merry marauder, who looks less like St. George than a choirboy, Newhart has wounded, if not slain, many of the dragons that stalk our society. In a troubled and apprehensive world, Newhart has proved once again that laughter is the best medicine.
In 1962, he appeared in the movie Hell is for Heroes. His The Bob Newhart Show aired in 1971 on CBS as a sitcom and was a major hit. The show rated in Top 20 during its first three seasons.
Newhart’s appearance as the president of the United States comedy film First Family (1980) was highly enjoyed by the public. Between 1972 and 2003, he has appeared in many movies. Since then he has was seen in many TV shows and comedy shows.
Bob Newhart's Net Worth
Stand-up Comedian, as well as a popular actor, Newhart earned a good sum from his acting career which is estimated around $65 million. He earned his wealth through, film appearances, his comedic monologue album sales, and the success of his sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart.
In 1990, Newhart bought a Wallace Neff-designed house in Bel-Air for $4.2 million. He listed the house in 2006 for $18.9 million but later took it off after it didn't sell for a year. He again put the house for sale at $15.5 million in 2013. The 9,100 square feet home consist of a large lagoon pool, outdoor kitchen, and entertainment area.
Bob Newhart's Personal Life
Bob Newhart married the daughter of actor Bill Quinn, Virginia ‘Ginnie’ Quinn on January 12, 1963. The couple is blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters, Robert, Timothy, Jennifer and Courtney and also have ten grandchildren.
There was a rumor that he gave up smoking as he used to have a lot of cigarettes in his teenage. In 1985 he was admitted to the hospital because of Polycythemia.
In addition to this, he is active in social media like Facebook and Twitter. But he does not have an Instagram account. He has 152k followers on his Twitter account.
Body measurements
Height- Bob Newhart stands a height of 5 feet 8 inches.
Weight- 68 kg
Here is an interview with Bob Newhart.
by rabina, 13 Jul, 2018
