Bob Newhart, the American stand-up performer whose comedy made him one of the leading TV stars of his time, has passed away, his publicist announced July 18. He was 94 years old.
The acclaimed Chicago icon, who was an accountant before finding success in comedy, was known for his dry, deadpan delivery.
His longtime publicist, Jerry Digney, confirmed his death in Los Angeles following a series of brief illnesses, describing it as the ‘end of an era in comedy.’
More about Newhart
Throughout his five-decade career, Newhart’s popularity remained strong, whether as the star of the groundbreaking comedy album ‘The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart’ (the first comedy album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year), the lead in two hit television sitcoms, or as a supporting actor in films like ‘Catch-22’ (where he played the timid Maj. Major), ‘Cold Turkey,’ and ‘Elf.’
Newhart is best remembered for his roles in the television shows ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ (1972-78) and ‘Newhart’ (1982-90), which showcased his talent for playing a reasonable man surrounded by eccentric characters.
Born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, Newhart initially worked as an accountant and advertising copywriter.
Newhart first gained fame with his 1960 comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart. The album was a major hit, topping Billboard’s album chart for 14 weeks and winning multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, beating out Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, and Nat ‘King’ Cole. He also achieved No. 1 status with his follow-up album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!
In 1972, ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ premiered, not to be confused with his Peabody and Emmy Award-winning variety show of the same name from 1961. On the sitcom, he played Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who dealt with a cast of quirky patients.
Throughout his career, Newhart received a total of nine Emmy nominations.
He was a frequent guest on popular variety and talk shows of the era and served as a regular fill-in host on The Tonight Show, stepping in for his friend Johnny Carson 87 times.
Newhart never truly retired, continuing to make television appearances in recent years on shows like Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Hot in Cleveland, and The Librarians.
His film work included roles in Horrible Bosses and In & Out.
Cheng Pei-Pei Dies
Cheng Pei-pei, the Chinese-born action film legend known for her roles in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and King Hu’s influential wuxia film Come Drink With Me, has passed away at the age of 78.
A trailblazer in martial arts roles for female actors, Cheng died in the San Francisco Bay Area on July 18 after a long battle with a degenerative brain disease. She had donated her brain to medical research.
‘To all her friends, colleagues, and fans, thank you for all the support you showed her over the years. Our mom Cheng Pei Pei wanted to be remembered for who she was: the legendary Queen of Martial Arts best known for her roles such as Golden Swallow (‘Come Drink With Me’), Madam Wah (‘The Flirting Scholar’), and Jade Fox (‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’). She was a versatile, award-winning actress whose film and television career spanned six decades, not only in Asia but internationally as well in roles such as “Junn” (‘Lilting’), “Maria Wang” (‘Meditation Park’), and “The Matchmaker” (‘Mulan’),’ said a statement from her family.
‘She loved being an actress and knew, even with her hard work, how fortunate she was to have the career she had. Our mom remained humble and approachable, patient and kind, and always generous with her time, eager to help others whenever she could. She will be dearly missed,’ the statement concluded.
Cheng was born in Shanghai in 1946 and moved to Hong Kong in 1962, where she began working with the renowned Shaw Brothers studio, known for popularizing kung-fu films. Her film debut was in the drama Lovers’ Rock, and leveraging her ballet and dance training, she quickly rose to prominence in martial arts, action, and swordplay films.
Her breakout role came in the 1966 action film Come Drink With Me, directed by King Hu. Although it was submitted as Hong Kong’s contender for the Oscars, it did not receive a nomination.
In the 1970s, Cheng relocated to San Francisco, where she attended business school at the University of California, Irvine, while raising four children, who later pursued their own careers in show business.
Cheng’s most notable role came as the villain Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. The film won four Academy Awards and was the first foreign-language film to gross over $100 million in the U.S.
Her later career included roles in Naked Weapon and Hyde Park Entertainment’s adaptation of Capcom’s game, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. She also appeared in 2014’s Lilting and played The Matchmaker in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake of Mulan.
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