Legendary comedian and actor Bob Newhart has passed away at the age of 94. To generations of children, he was the voice of Bernard the mouse in Disney’s 1977 animated feature The Rescuers, its 1990 sequel The Rescuers Down Under, and most recently, the 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio. Other Disney credits include playing himself on The Simpsons (Season 7, Episode 15: “Bart the Fink”), a recurring role on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, and an iconic Lost parody on Jimmy Kimmel Live! But his indelible legacy extends far beyond the screen.
(Disney/Invision/AP)
Breaking out first as a deadpan standup comedian, Bob Newhart was already an established name by the time he hosted his first television show in 1961, a variety program titled The Bob Newhart Show. While the format wasn’t a success, a decade later, the title would be recycled for one of TV’s most beloved sitcoms, which ran from 1972 to 1978 on CBS (the rights are currently held by 20th Television). It was followed up with Newhart (1982-1990), Bob (1992-1993), and George and Leo (1997-1998), all on CBS where Bob Newhart would once again return for his Emmy-winning recurring guest role as Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory and its spin-off Young Sheldon.
Born George Robert Newhart on September 5th, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, young Newhart first attempted a career in business, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1952 before being drafted in 1954 to fight in the Korean War. It was upon his return that he began to tool around with writing comedy, recording his deadpan, stammering routines and sending them to radio stations, which is how he ended up with a comedy record deal with Warner Bros. Records. His debut album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, became the first comedy album to reach the top of the Billboard charts, winning two Grammy Awards.
Bob Newhart married his wife, Virginia Lillian "Ginnie" Quinn, on January 12th, 1963, whom he was introduced to by another famous comedian, Buddy Hackett (The Love Bug, voice of Scuttle in The Little Mermaid). Bob Newhart is survived by their four children and ten grandchildren.