Bob Newhart, legendary actor and comedian, dies at 94

Bob Newhart, the actor and stand-up comedian known for his deadpan, stuttering delivery, has died at age 94.

Bob Newhart was born on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois. He graduated with a degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago in 1952 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as a personnel manager in the Korean War until he was discharged in 1954. After his stint in the Army, Newhart briefly returned to Loyola to study law, but dropped out of the program after being asked to act unethically during an internship.

Newhart went to work as a bookkeeper for United States Gypsum, but said his “That’s close enough” mantra and tendency to settle account imbalances with his own money proved he wasn’t cut out for the job. In 1958, he went to work as a copywriter for film and television producer Fred A. Niles, passing the time by having long, meaningless telephone conversations with a co-worker. After a while, the two began recording their conversations and sending them to radio stations as audition tapes. When that co-worker left the business, Newhart continued the recordings himself, and thus developed his monologue style.

Thanks to disc jockey Dan Sorkin, Newhart signed with Warner Bros Records in 1959 and began releasing comedy albums. In his one-sided conversations, Newhart played the straight man, reacting to what the nonexistent other person was saying. His 1960 debut, Bob Newhart's buttoned-down mentality, It became the first comedy album to reach number one on Billboard's Mono Action Albums chart. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Album in 1961, and Newhart won Best New Artist, the first time a comedy project had won either award.

That same year, Newhart landed his own variety show on NBC. The Bob Newhart Show It lasted only one season, but earned an Emmy nomination and a Peabody Award. Newhart went on to co-host the variety show. The artists with Carol Burnett and Caterina Valente and became a frequent guest on The Dean Martin Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and the Tonight's show starring Johnny Carson. He was the host Saturday Night Live twice, in 1980 and 1995.

Newhart was also a famous actor. The Bob Newhart Show In 1972, Newhart was given the sitcom treatment and aired on CBS until 1978. On the show, Newhart played psychologist Bob Hartley. Naturally, hijinks ensued with his family and patients. When the show ended, Newhart began New Hart, where he played innkeeper and television show host Dick Loudon. New Hart aired on CBS until 1990. In 1992, he played a cartoonist on the short-lived CBS series Beto.

Newhart continued acting into the 21st century, with recurring roles on IS and Desperate housewives and special appearances in Big Bang Theory and It's hot in Cleveland. In 1995, he filmed his first stand-up special, Off the record. In 2006, Newhart published his first book, I shouldn't even be doing this.

In 1985, Newhart was hospitalized for secondary polycythemia, brought on by years of smoking. He recovered after several weeks and quit smoking after the scare. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Quinn, his four children, Robert, Timothy, Jennifer and Courtney, and ten grandchildren.