Bob Newhart was born George Robert Newhart on September 5 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois. His father was also named "George," so he went by the diminutive of his middle name, "Bob," to avoid confusion with him. Growing up he was a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, and in 1945 he even took part in the Cubs' victory parade when they won the National League pennant in 1945. He attended St. Catherine of Siena Grammar School in Oak Park, and then St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. He graduated from Loyola University with a degree in business management. Following his graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served as a clerk stateside. He attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law, but did not graduate. During this whole time he never thought about a career in entertainment.
Afterwards he worked as an accountant at U.S. Gypsum and later the Glidden Co. Bob Newhart decided he was not suited to being an accountant, and he later worked as a copywriter for Fred A. Niles, a Chicago based film and television producer. To pass the time he and a coworker would make prank calls, which would evolve into one-sided phone conversations on sometimes absurd topics. Bob Newhart and his friend eventually recorded some of these comedy routines and sold them to radio stations for $7.50 a week. In 1959 another friend in Chicago, Dan Sorkin, who was a disc jockey, introduced Bob Newhart to a Warner Bros. Records executive. He wound up signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records.
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart proved to a success. It became the first comedy album to reach no. 1 on the Billboard album chart and the first to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. It would be followed six months later by The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back, which also proved to be a hit. In the Sixties Bob Newhart would record several more albums, including Behind the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, The Button-Down Mind on TV, Bob Newhart Faces Bob Newhart, The Windmills Are Weakening, and This is It!. He recorded one last comedy album, Button-Down Concert, which was released in 1997.
Bob Newhart's success with comedy records would lead to television appearances. In 1960 alone he appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar, The Ed Sullivan Show, Teh Garry Moore Show, and Playhouse Penthouse. He had his own variety show, The Bob Newhart Show, during the 1961-1962. With Carol Burnett and Caterina Valente, he was one of the stars of the variety show The Entertainers, which ran during the 1964-1965 season. During the Sixties he appeared on such variety shows, talk shows, and game shows as The Dinah Shore Show, Dateline, Here's Hollywood, What's My Line?, House Party, The Judy Garland Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Fractured Flickers, Password, The Jack Paar Program, The Celebrity Game, The Andy Williams Show, The Perry Como Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, Personality, The Jackie Gleason Show, Laugh-In, The Jackie Gleason Show, George Jessel's Here Come the Stars, Playboy After Dark, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, It's Your Bet, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and The Jim Nabors Show. He guest starred on the shows The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, and Captain Nice. He appeared in the movies Hell is for Heroes (1962), Hot Millions (1968), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), and Catch-22 (1970).
In the Seventies Bob Newhart starred as Chicago psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show. The show proved to be a hit and would persist in syndication for years. He guest starred on The Don Rickles Show and Insight. He appeared on such variety shows, talk shows, and game shows as The Don Knotts Show, The David Frost Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Dick Cavett Show, The Vin Scully Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffith Show, The Mike Douglas Show, and Tattletales. He appeared in the movies Cold Turkey (1971), Little Miss Marker (1980), and First Family (1980),. He ws the voice of Bernard in the Disney animated movie The Rescuers (1977).
Throughout the Eighties Bob Newhart played innkeeper Dick Loudon on the hit TV show Newhart. He guest starred on It's Gary Shandling's Show. He reprised the voice of Bernard in The Rescuers Down Under (1990). In the Nineties he starred as comic book artist Bob McKay on the sitcom Bob. Later in the decade he starred on the short-lived sitcom George & Leo with Judd Hirsch. He reprised his role as Dr. Bob Hartley in an episode of Murphy Brown and played himself on an episode of The Simpsons. He appeared in the movie In & Out (1997).
In the Naughts he appeared in the movies Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde (2003) and Elf (2003). He guest starred on the shows ER, Committed, and Desperate Housewives. He appeared as Judson in TNT's series of The Librarian television movies. In the Teens he guest starred on the shows NCIS, Svengoolie, Hot in Cleveland, The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. He reprised his role as Judson on the TV series The Librarians.
With his low-key humour I always thought Bob Newhart was one of the funniest comedians of all time. What is more, his humour translated well to television. Both the sitcom The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart were hits. It was perhaps because he never aspired to working in show business when he was growing up that in both his comedy routines and on his sitcoms he always came off as an ordinary, everyday guy. In Catch-22 he played the overly mediocre Major Major. As great as Bob Newhart was at comedy, he could play other sorts of roles as well. He guest starred on three episodes of ER as a doctor developing macular degeneration. In Hell is for Heroes he played a green combat solider. On NCIS he played Dr. Walter Magnus, the former Chief Medical Examiner before Dr. Donald Mallard took over. Bob Newhart was one of the greatest comics of all time and a fine actor. He will never be forgotten.
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