Bob Newhart

Bob Newhart (born George Robert Newhart, September 5, 1929 - July 18, 2024) was an American comedian and actor known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, he worked as an accountant and advertising copywriter before developing comedic monologues that he recorded for radio stations. His 1960 album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart became the first comedy album to reach number one on the Billboard charts and won two Grammy Awards, for Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Newhart expanded his material into a stand-up routine performed at nightclubs, typically portraying one end of a telephone conversation as the comedic straight man. He later transitioned to television, starring as psychologist Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show and as innkeeper Dick Loudon on Newhart. He also played Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory, winning his first Emmy Award, and received three Grammy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.