LOS ANGELES.- Bob Newhartthe expressionless accountant who became comedian to become one of the most popular stars of the television of his time after achieving success with a classic comedy album, he died at the age of 94.
Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, said the actor died today – July 18 – in Los Angeles after a series of brief illnesses.
Newhart, best remembered for his role in two successful television shows in the 1970s and 1980s that bore his name, began his career as a nightclub comedian in the late 1950s. He gained national fame when his routine was recorded on vinyl in 1960 under the title The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhartwith which he won a Grammy for album of the year.
Modern approach to comedian
While other comedians of his era, such as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Alan King, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, often drew laughs with their aggressive attacks on modern mores, Newhart was the exception. His approach was modern, but he rarely raised his voice above a whisper. His only prop was a telephone, which he used to pretend to be carrying on a conversation with someone on the other end of the line.
Throughout his career he appeared in several films, usually in comedic roles, including Catch 22, In and Out, Legally Blonde 2 y Elfwhere he played the diminutive father who adopts Will Ferrell. His most recent work includes appearances in Horrible Bosses and in television series The Librarians, The Big Bang Theory y Young Sheldon.
Newhart married Virginia Quinn, known to friends as Ginny, in 1964, and they remained together until her death in 2023. They had four children: Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney. Newhart was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson and liked to tease him about his three divorces, saying that at least some comedians had long marriages.
FUENTE: AP