Bob Newhart dead at 94: Elf and The Big Bang Theory star dies as heartbreaking tributes paid
Bob Newhart has died at the age of 94, his publicist confirmed on Friday. The beloved entertainer was a fixture on television screens for decades and was best known for his role as Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory
Bob Newhart, the star of ELF and The Big Bang Theory, has sadly passed away at the age of 94, leaving fans to pay tribute to the much-loved entertainer.
The news of the Emmy Award winner's death was made public on Thursday. He "died at his home in Los Angeles" one year after his beloved wife of 60 years Virginia "Ginnie" Newhart - who died in April 2023. The cause of his death has not been disclosed as of yet.
Newhart first made a name for himself in Hollywood during the 1970s, taking on the role of Chicago psychologist Robert Hartly in The Bob Newhart Show. He also was a recurring guest on the popular sitcom series, The Big Bang Theory. Despite his fruitful career, he didn't win an Emmy Award until 2013 for his role as Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton in the Jim Parsons show.
He came to prominence in the early 60s when his album of monologues, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, became a bestseller. It became number one on the Billboard Pop Album chart and is the 20th best-selling comedy album in history. He also released a follow-up album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!
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Bob also appeared in many movies, such as Catch-22, In And Out, Legally Blonde 2 and Elf, where he played the dad of adopted son Will Ferrell. He played Merwin Wren in 1971's Cold Turkey, and Bernard in 1990's The Rescuers Down Under. He was also Tom Halliwell in In and Out. The star had a Cameo in the hit comedy movie Horrible Bosses - which starred Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.
In 1961, he won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Album of the Year and Best Comedy Performance - Spoken. Bob was nominated for Best Comedy Album in 1998 and Best Spoken Word Album in 2007. His last appearance was as Bernard in Once Upon a Studio. However, it was archival audio.
Despite many Emmy nominations since the 60s, he didn't win an award until his Big Bang Theory role. The comedy star won Best TV Star in the 1962 Golden Globe Awards. Bob was married to Ginnie - who was the daughter of actor Bill Quinn - from 1963 until her death in 2023.
In one of his last interviews last year, Bob said Elf was his favourite role to play. "Without question, the part of Papa Elf outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played," he said to CNN. "My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it."
He is survived by four children, Jennifer, Courtney, Timothy and Robert, and numerous grandchildren, according to his publicist.
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