Bob Newhart, a 94-year-old American stand-up comedian renowned for his deadpan delivery and several honors, passed away.
The Bob Newhart Show actor, who died at home following a string of brief illnesses, was announced by his representative in a statement sent to the BBC on Thursday.
Newhart began his professional life as an accountant in Chicago before turning to stand-up comedy. He went on to appear 87 times as a guest host on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
He starred in The Big Bang Theory and the beloved Christmas movie Elf more recently.
1952 saw Newhart, a Chicago suburbia native and the son of a plumber, earn his business degree from Loyola University.
During the Korean War, he spent two years in the Army. After that, he enrolled in graduate law school but eventually dropped out.
Not long after, he and a friend started filming spontaneous comedic acts. He was found in 1959 through a recommendation from a local DJ to Warner Bros Records, which had just been established.
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, a live recording from a Houston comedy club, went on to become the first comedy album to reach the top of the charts.
After then, seven more albums were published, selling millions of copies.
In a statement declaring his passing, Newhart’s longtime publicist, Jerry Digney, stated that he started his career “toiling in Chicago as an accountant by day and moonlighting at night as a comedy performer and writer.”
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Newhart was credited as being the first to perform stand-up acts that told lengthy stories and included several humorous comments instead of just one big punchline joke at the end.
As per his publicist, he stated that a “comedy sea change” was occurring.
With his observant approach and contemporary outlook—he never raised his voice and occasionally came close to stammering—Newhart set himself apart from other comedians of his day.
His one and only prop for his stand-up routine was a phone, which he pretended to be talking to someone on the other end of the line.
Through his 80s, Newhart continued to be a regular presence on Hollywood sets and stages because he had a strong love for performing for audiences.
His four children survive him.
