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Bob Newhart Facts
| Sign | Virgo |
| Born |
Sep 5, 1929 Oak Park, IL |
| Age | 97 |
| Total Facts | 43 |
An only son.
Appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (a.k.a. "The Ed Sullivan Show" (1948)) 8 times.
Appeared on "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour" (1965) 24 times.
As a little boy, he always wanted to be called Bob, hence, he dropped his first two names George Robert to rechristen the name of Bob Newhart.
Before he was a successful comedian, he became an advertising copywriter for Fred A. Niles, a major independent film and television producer in Chicago.
Before he was a successful comedian, he had a lot of jobs from a pinspotter to an office boy in Downtown Chicago.
Before he was a successful comedian, he used to work as a delivery boy for a meat market.
Began his contract career as a comedian for Warner Bros. Records in 1959.
Best friend of Suzanne Pleshette from 1971-2008.
Best known by the public for his starring roles as Dr. Robert 'Bob' Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972) and as Dick Loudin on "Newhart" (1982).
Drafted in the U.S. Army and served stateside during Korean War until he was honorably discharged in 1954.
Every television series he starred in has his name in the title: "The Bob Newhart Show" (1961), "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972), "Newhart" (1982), "Bob" (1992), and "George & Leo" (1997) (George is his real first name, Robert is his middle name).
Father of Robert William Newhart, Courtney Newhart, Timothy Newhart and Jennifer Newhart.
Friends with: Jane Curtin, Bill Daily, Don Rickles, Bernard Fox, Tim Conway, Dick Martin, John Fiedler, Eva Gabor, Suzanne Pleshette and Tony Randall.
Good friend of Don Rickles.
Graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.
Graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in Chicago, Illinois, in 1947.
Guest hosted "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) 87 times.
Had released 10 comedy albums.
He attended the Sixth Army in San Francisco, California, after spending 22 winters in Chicago.
He has a sister (Sister M. Joan Newhart) who is a nun.
He was awarded a Kennedy Centre Mark Twain Prize for comedy.
His 1960 comedy album [i]The Buttoned-Down Mind of Bob Newhart[/i] went to #1 on the charts, beating out Elvis Presley and [i]The Sound of Music[/i] original Broadway cast album. The album won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for 1960.
His former "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972) and "Newhart" (1982), co-stars, Marcia Wallace, Bill Daily, Tom Poston, William Sanderson, Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari, had all guest-starred on the same episode of "George & Leo" (1997) in 1997.
His idols when he was young were Robert Benchley, Jack Benny and Fred Allen.
His parents were Julia Pauline Burns, who was a housewife, and George David Newhart, who was part-owner of a plumbing and heating-supply business.
His wife came up with the idea for [i][/i]The Last Newhart[/i] (the last episode of "Newhart" (1982)), in which the entire 1982 series was all a dream of Dr. Bob Hartley of "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972).
Is a big boxing fan.
Is the best and closest friend of the late Suzanne Pleshette, and spoke at her funeral, alongside another ex-"The Bob Newhart Show" (1972) co-star and best friend, Marcia Wallace, on 24 January 2008. Both Pleshette and Wallace co-starred in "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972) with him.
Like Bill Cosby, Newhart has the ability to be funny without resorting to profanity. The closest Newhart comes is in his bit "The Driving Instructor," in which he comments, "...I don't suppose it is so damn funny".
Lived with his parents until he was in his twenties.
Newhart insisted that there never be any children for his character to be the father of in each of his television series. "I told the creators I didn't want any children, because I didn't want it to be a show about 'How stupid Daddy is, but we love him so much, let's get him out of the trouble he's gotten himself into.'" In the sixth year of Newhart's CBS series, "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972), the writers wrote a script in which Emily Hartley was pregnant. When Newhart was asked his opinion of the script, he said, "It's very funny. Who are you going to get to play Bob?".
Nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award in the best spoken word album category for his album [i]I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This![/i].
Of Irish and German descent.
Prior to hitting his success on the comedy circuits in the 1960s, Bob worked as an accountant for a Chicago firm. He hated every minute of it.
Son-in-law of actor Bill Quinn.
The oldest of four children.
Uncle of Paul Brittain.
Was a fan of both shows: "I Love Lucy" (1951) and "The Milton Berle Show" (1966).
Was a heavy smoker for years, until he was ordered by doctors to stop in 1985.
Was considered for the role of Andy Stone in Casino (1995).
Was hospitalized with a nosebleed, followed by polycythemia, after all that smoking, but soon recovered. [3 September 1985].
Was stationed at Camp Roberts in San Luis, Obispo, California, in 1952.