LOS ANGELES – (WBAP/KLIF) – Actor Bob Newhart has died at the age of 94. Widely loved for his ability to bring laughter to all age groups, the comedic performer whose hallmark was deadpan humor, was showcased on his own network television shows starting in the 1970s and running well into the 90’s with appearances on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”, starring as character Professor Proton.
Newhart died at his home in Los Angeles.
Despite being recognized for his trademark humor worldwide, Newhart failed to win an Emmy Award until his appearances as “Arthur Jeffries”, playing Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory. Newhart had an ability to reach into the funny bones of all ages, but lacked a newer and fresher venue watched by America’s younger audiences through The Big Bang Theory.
Newhart became a household name in the early 1970’s with his sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show”, playing clinical psychologist Bob Hartley, which ran through 1978. In 1982, he began another television favorite; “Newhart”. He played Dick Loudon, owner of a bed and breakfast home in Vermont. This show ran for eight seasons.
Newhart also won Grammy Awards for album of the year and best new artist for the 1960 record “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart”. His publicist says Newhart died after several short illnesses.
His attitude toward comedy and life might be summed up by a quote from an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I tend to find humor in the macabre. I would say 85 percent of me is what you see on the show. And the other 15 percent is a very sick man with a very deranged mind.”
Bob Newhart, gone at the age of 94 in Los Angeles.
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