Bob Newhart Biography

Date of Birth: September 5, 1929

Bob Newhart first worked as an accountant and advertising copywriter, but in his spare time, he performed in a theatrical stock company in his hometown of Chicago. Newhart and a friend at the ad agency, Ed Gallagher, recorded audition tapes of themselves making long, antic phone calls to each other. However, when Gallagher decided to drop out, Newhart continued on his own, doing the one-man, two-way telephone conversations for which he would soon become famous. In 1959, a Chicago deejay introduced Newhart to the head of talent at Warner Bros. Records, who signed him to a contract. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was released in 1960 and became the first comedy album to go to #1 on the charts, beating out Elvis and the cast album of The Sound of Music. Newhart began performing in nightclubs all across America.

He made several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and in 1961 was offered his own variety show, The Bob Newhart Show. The show lasted one season, but the second The Bob Newhart Show, this time a sitcom, debuted in 1972 on CBS, co-starring Suzanne Pleshette as his wife. The immensely popular show ran for six years and made Newhart a household name. As well, he made the leap to the big screen, appearing in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) with Barbra Streisand; Little Miss Marker (1980) with Walter Matthau; and First Family (1980) with Gilda Radner.

In 1982, Newhart returned to CBS with Newhart, playing an author turned Vermont innkeeper. Surrounded by an exceptional ensemble of quirky characters (a trademark of his television career), the series was an enormous success that ran for eight seasons. Newhart won a Q Award in 1987 for Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series for his role in the show. He also has a Golden Globe for Best TV Star - Male, won in 1962, and has been nominated six more times for Golden Globes, and has four Emmy award nominations. He was given the Sir Peter Ustinov/Comedy Network Award in 1998 at the Banff Television Festival and received a Star on the Walk of Fame in 1999. In 2001, Newhart was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

On the big screen in 2003, he can be seen in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde as well as Elf. Newhart has been married to Virginia Quinn since 1964, and they have four children.

Filmography:

Elf (2003)
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
In & Out (1997)
Rescuers Down Under, The (1990)
First Family (1980)
Little Miss Marker (1980)
Rescuers, The (1977) (voice)
Cold Turkey (1971)
Catch-22 (1970)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Hot Millions (1968)
Hell Is for Heroes (1962)