Bob Newhart, whose trademark deadpan delivery made him one of the most enduring TV comedians of the 1970s and ’80s, died at his Los Angeles home Thursday at the age of 94 after a short illness, his longtime publicist confirmed.
The Chicago-born Newhart was a 31-year-old former accountant and copywriter in 1960, when he decided to give standup a try by pressing two comedy albums, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, which spent 14 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, and follow-up The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, which hit No. 1. The latter also won Grammys for Album of the Year and Comedy Album of the Year. Newhart himself was named Best New Artist.
The success of the LPs helped spawn the recorded comedy business, not to mention Newhart’s TV comedy career, which (kind of) took off with NBC comedy-variety series The Bob Newhart Show. That series lasted only a season but did win a Peabody Award.
A decade later, CBS would launch a new show starring Newhart with the same title, and this time it found success, ranking in the top 20 of primetime shows for its first three seasons and staying on the air from 1972-'78
Newhart played low-key Chicago psychologist Dr. Robert “Bob” Hartley, whose deadpan skill set played well off Suzanne Pleshette (who played his schoolteacher wife, Emily), Marcia Wallace (who played receptionist Carol) and Peter Bonerz (doctor chum Jerry), among other cast mates.
Newhart's winning comedic formula transitioned by CBS in 1982 with the launch of Newhart, in which the eponymous star played a book author turned Vermont innkeeper. That successful series ran until 1990.
During and after this core span of work, there were too many TV guest appearances and movie roles to name — you can see Newhart's full IMDB profile here.
Not surprisingly, with yet another TV comedy legend from his era passing, Newhart received plenty of recognition on the social internet Thursday:
Bob Newhart made the world a better place for a really long time. pic.twitter.com/n2TqaX7a3CJuly 18, 2024
Bob Newhart was a giant, a genius, and a great guy. I’ll always remember when he hosted SNL and did a stellar show. He was, as you might expect, a joy to work with. May his memory be a blessing. https://t.co/5EUfsdR37gJuly 18, 2024
And we lose another comedy legend. I had the honor of doing a guest role on Newhart & got to spend the week listening to the great Bob Newhart making us all laugh. A brilliant standup & comedic actor, he was truly one of a kind. His legacy will live on. https://t.co/dxGXnLoPYxJuly 18, 2024
There aren’t many comedians that I admired as much,or frankly,stole from as much as Bob Newhart.He made quietly thinking on camera hilarious.The pause was his art. Clearly,in this photo you can see the admiration was mutual.A loving goodbye to one of the greatest comics ever. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nzMe9bu6JQJuly 18, 2024
From his groundbreaking stand-up to his two classic sitcoms he gave us a lifetime of laughter. Truly one-of-a-kind. Thank you Bob Newhart!#RIP pic.twitter.com/NlkJNuOw80July 18, 2024
