Bob Newhart Biography Quotes 20 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
George Robert "Bob" Newhart was born on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up in the Chicago area in a close Catholic family. The son of George David Newhart and Julia Pauline Burns Newhart, he attended local Catholic schools and developed an understated, observant sense of humor that would later become his trademark. After earning a business degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1952, he served stateside in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, working in personnel. Returning to Chicago, he took jobs as an accountant and then in advertising, experiences that sharpened his eye for the absurdities of corporate life and authority figures.

Finding the Voice of Comedy
While working in advertising, Newhart and colleague Ed Gallagher amused themselves by recording improvised, one-sided telephone conversations in which Bob played the flustered, reasonable man trying to make sense of illogic. The tapes circulated informally and reached Chicago radio personality Dan Sorkin, who championed Newhart and helped connect him with Warner Bros. Records. Newhart refined his persona as the buttoned-down everyman, delivering wry monologues with a stammering rhythm, impeccable timing, and an ear for the way people actually talk. His mastery of the one-sided phone call became his signature.

The Button-Down Mind Breakthrough
In 1960 Warner Bros. released The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, a landmark comedy album whose sharp, literate routines, including Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue, propelled him to national fame. The album became a chart-topping phenomenon, an unprecedented achievement for a comedy record, and earned Newhart multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Its success was followed by The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, cementing his place as a top stand-up headliner and a staple of television variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Newhart's cool, precise delivery stood out in an era dominated by broader styles, and he won admirers among fellow comics and hosts like Johnny Carson, on whose Tonight Show he appeared frequently and occasionally served as guest host.

Television: Variety to Classic Sitcom
Riding the momentum of his albums, Newhart headlined an NBC variety program, The Bob Newhart Show (1961), which showcased his sketches and monologues. A decade later he returned to television with a very different project: the MTM Enterprises sitcom The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978). Created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music and produced under the stewardship of Mary Tyler Moore and Grant Tinker, the series cast Newhart as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist navigating the anxieties of patients and friends with the same unflappable calm he brought to stand-up. The ensemble became beloved: Suzanne Pleshette as his wife Emily, Bill Daily as neighbor Howard Borden, Peter Bonerz as dentist Jerry Robinson, Marcia Wallace as receptionist Carol Kester, and Jack Riley as the memorably self-involved patient Mr. Carlin. The show's urbane tone and character-based comedy influenced later sitcoms and deepened Newhart's reputation as a master of the slow burn and the comedic pause.

"Newhart" and an Unforgettable Finale
In 1982 Newhart reinvented himself with Newhart on CBS, created by Barry Kemp. As Dick Loudon, an author who runs a Vermont inn, he presided over another deft ensemble: Mary Frann as his wife Joanna, Tom Poston as the handyman George, Julia Duffy as the acerbic maid-turned-heiress Stephanie, and Peter Scolari as the ambitious producer Michael. The show also introduced the deadpan woodsman trio of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl, played by William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad. Newhart's gift for reacting, letting others spin out and then puncturing the balloon with a single line, animated the series for eight seasons. Its 1990 finale, conceived after a suggestion Newhart publicly credited to his wife, Virginia "Ginnie" Newhart, brought back Suzanne Pleshette for a surprise ending that revealed the entire series as a dream, a closing twist often cited as one of television's greatest.

Film and Voice Work
Between and beyond his television successes, Newhart built a notable film and voice-acting career. He appeared in Hell Is for Heroes (1962) alongside Steve McQueen, in Mike Nichols's Catch-22 (1970), and in Norman Lear's Cold Turkey (1971). He later charmed new generations with roles in In & Out (1997) and as Papa Elf in the holiday favorite Elf (2003) with Will Ferrell. As a voice actor, he gave gentle authority to Bernard, the timid but brave mouse hero of Disney's The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990), partnered with Eva Gabor's elegant Miss Bianca.

Later Career, Honors, and Continued Relevance
Newhart continued experimenting with series television in the 1990s, including Bob and George and Leo with Judd Hirsch, and remained a sought-after guest star. In 2013 he earned his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for The Big Bang Theory, portraying Professor Proton, a children's science-show host turned reluctant mentor. The honor reflected his enduring ability to connect with audiences across eras. A recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, he also published a bestselling memoir, I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!, offering insights into craft, career, and the discipline behind his seemingly effortless style.

Personal Life and Legacy
In 1963 Newhart married Ginnie Quinn, daughter of character actor Bill Quinn. Their partnership was central to his life and work until Ginnies passing in 2021; she was known among friends and colleagues, including close family friends Don Rickles and Barbara Rickles, as a witty and grounding presence. The Newharts raised four children, Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, and Courtney, while Bob balanced touring, television production, and film work. After a serious health scare in the mid-1980s tied to smoking, he quit and continued performing with renewed vigor. A Chicagoan by temperament and training, and a practicing Catholic, Newhart preserved a private life even as he remained an active figure on stage and screen.

Newhart's legacy rests on precision and restraint: the calibrated pause, the stammer that reveals character, and the one-sided call that lets audiences fill in the other half. His collaborations with creators David Davis, Lorenzo Music, and Barry Kemp, his work with ensembles led by Suzanne Pleshette, Mary Frann, Tom Poston, Julia Duffy, and Peter Scolari, and his friendships with figures like Johnny Carson and Don Rickles place him at the heart of American comedy's transition from the club era to modern television. Generations of comedians and writers have drawn from his example: that wit can be gentle without being toothless, that character can carry a joke farther than a punchline, and that the funniest man in the room may be the one who listens longest before speaking.

Our collection contains 20 quotes who is written by Bob, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Funny - Learning - Live in the Moment - Work Ethic.

Other people realated to Bob: Jack Paar (Entertainer), Don Rickles (Comedian)