The comedy legend died today at the age of 94:
Bob Newhart, the genteel but sharply satirical comic whose TV series “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” were huge hits throughout the 1970s and ’80s, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 94.
Newhart’s publicist Jerry Digney said he died after a series of short illnesses.
Before his TV success, Newhart’s comedy albums were wildly popular for their at-the-time new approach of observational humor. He ruled TV for the better part of two decades, first with “The Bob Newhart Show” as a befuddled Chicago psychologist and then on “Newhart” as an equally at-a-loss New England innkeeper. He drew Emmy nominations for actor in a comedy three years running from 1985-87.Both shows were major successes for CBS, and they ran for a total of 16 years between 1972 and 1990.
Surprisingly, his first Emmy win didn’t come until 2013, when he won for a guest acting spot on “The Big Bang Theory.”
Of his Catholic upbringing, one story notes:
Born and raised on Chicago’s west side, Newhart was brought up Catholic and attended parochial schools, including St. Ignatius College Prep (high school) where he graduated in 1947.
“I went to Loyola University in Chicago, which is a Jesuit school,” he said. “Ever since my success in comedy, I’ve always credited the Jesuits for the somewhat twisted way I have of looking at life.”
Two of his sisters still call the Midwest home. In fact, one of Newhart’s three sisters is a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “She’s about two years older than I am,” he told Legatus magazine. “She’s a whiz at everything she does.”
A few years ago, he talked about being Catholic with Conan O’Brien:
How can any of us forget the classic finale of “Newhart”? Still, and forever, comedy brilliance.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him …
