Comedian Bob Newhart, who made a mark on American television in the 1960s and 1970s and recently portrayed the character of Professor Proton in the series “The Big Bang Theory,” has passed away at the age of 94, his agent announced on Thursday.
Comedian Bob Newhart, who made a mark on American television in the 1960s and 1970s, then took on the role of Professor Proton in the series “The Big Bang Theory,” has died at 94, his agent Jerry Digney reported on Thursday. Bob Newhart passed away at his home in Los Angeles after a series of health issues, Digney stated in a press release.
Originally an accountant, he broke into comedy in 1960 by recording a monologue album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which topped the sales charts of the time and, an unprecedented achievement for a stand-up comedian, earned him the most prestigious awards in the music industry, with Grammy Awards for Best Album and Best New Artist.
Man of the Small Screen
Following this success, he launched “The Bob Newhart Show” on NBC, then an eponymous series in the 1970s where he played a psychologist in Chicago. His character established him as a legendary icon of American television, which also opened doors to film, with roles in “In and Out” (1997) and “Elf” (2003).
In the 2010s, he made several appearances as Professor Proton in “The Big Bang Theory,” a series about physicists that has become one of the most-watched shows in the world.