Bob Newhart, the actor and comedian who starred in “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” has died, his publicist confirmed to CBS News. He was 94.
Newhart’s career in show business began in earnest in 1960, when at age 30 his album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” rose to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, the first comedy album to ever hit the top spot.
Newhart released his next album, “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back,” later that same year. It too proved to be a chart-topper and the two albums led to three Grammy Award wins for Newhart in 1961: best new artist, album of the year and best comedy performance.
In the 1970s, he made the jump to television stardom, playing Dr. Bob Hartley on CBS’ “The Bob Newhart Show” from 1972 to 1978. From 1982 to 1990, he starred in the CBS sitcom “Newhart,” playing Dick Loubin, an author who moves from New York City with his wife to Vermont to operate a historic inn.
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Prior to his success, Newhart was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952 during the Korean War and served as a personnel manager until being discharged in 1954. He then worked as an accountant in Chicago while honing his craft as a comedian at night.
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