Bob Newhart Net Worth: Bob Newhart is an American actor and comedian who has a net worth of $65 million. Newhart made a name for himself in the 1960s with his unique style of comic delivery. Combining a nonstop approach with a stutter, Bob won the hearts of viewers everywhere. He has released a series of successful comic monologues as albums, and many of these albums have reached number one in the charts.
After proving to be a popular comic, Newhart moved on to acting. Over the next several years, Newhart appeared in a wide range of films and TV projects and continues to be an active force in Hollywood to this day.
First Life: George Robert Newhart was born on September 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois. Raised with three sisters, Bob attended Catholic schools in the Chicago area as a child, including St. Ignatius College Prep After graduating from the latter, Newhart attended Loyola University Chicago. He left university in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
After leaving college, Bob was drafted into the United States Army. Although he served during the Korean War, he never left the United States and served as a personnel manager. After being externed in 1954, he attended law school but did not complete his degree.
Career: After leaving the military, Newhart worked as a bookkeeper and clerk at an unemployment office. He later became an advertising copywriter for a film and television producer. He and a co-worker spent their time making long phone calls to each other, talking about crazy scenarios. The pair sent tapes of these calls to radio stations, but his co-worker eventually left to work in New York, prompting Newhart to develop his own style of comedy.
His friend Dan Sorkin later took Bob’s recordings to Warner Bros. Records, who signed him in 1959. Newhart then adjusted his comedy routine so that he could perform live in nightclubs and break into the world. stand up comedy. However, his audio recordings were definitely his forte, and in 1960 “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” became the number one comedy album. Newhart then went on to have six more hit comedy albums throughout the 1960s and continued to release more albums well into the 21st century.
After making a name for himself as a comedian, Bob Newhart was given his own NBC variety show called “The Bob Newhart Show.” Although it only lasted one season, the show was well received. During its run, Newhart appeared on a number of other variety shows, such as “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and “The Judy Garland Show.”
His success as a comedian also led to a prominent acting career. Since the 1960s, Newhart has booked roles on such shows as “Captain Nice,” “Murphy Brown,” “NCIS,” “ER,” “Desperate Housewives” and “The Big Bang Theory.” Bob also established himself as a voice actor with roles in animated series such as “The Simpsons”.
Newhart also found success in the film world with a role in the war film Hell is for Heroes. Towards the end of the 1960s, Bob booked another role in the movie “Hot Millions”. In the 1970s, Newhart appeared in films such as On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Cold Turkey, Catch 22 and the animated film The Rescuers. In 1980, he played the role of the President of the United States in “First Family”. His most prominent role in the 90s was in the film ‘In & Out’, where he played a school principal. Newhart gained further exposure in the 2000s with a role in “Elf” opposite Will Ferrel, followed by a role in “Horrible Bosses” in 2011.
Outside of these projects, Bob Newhart was particularly active in the world of sitcoms. This started in 1972 when he starred on “The Bob Newhart Show”. The series premiered in 1978 and ran for six seasons. Even though his show competed with some of the biggest shows of the era, it remained largely successful throughout its run. In 1982, a new sitcom called “Newhart” was created. Bob played an innkeeper in this new show and it became as successful as his previous sitcom. Over its 8-year run, the series was nominated for several Emmy Awards before ratings began to decline. After “Newhart” ended in 1990, Bob came back again with a sitcom called “Bob”. Although his latest effort received rave reviews,
Relations: In 1963, Bob Newhart married Ginnie Quinn, daughter of actor Bill Quinn. They eventually had four children together and raised them as Roman Catholics. The couple currently lives in Beverly Hills, California.
Health problems: After years of heavy smoking, Bob Newhart was hospitalized in 1985 and subsequently treated for polycythemia. After this health scare, Newhart quit smoking.
Other companies: In 1995, Newhart joined several investors to acquire radio station KKSB in Santa Barbara. He later sold the radio station to Santa Barbara Broadcasting.
Real Estate: In 1990, Bob spent $4.2 million to buy a 1.4-acre compound in Bel Air, California—the equivalent of $8 million today, adjusted for inflation. In 2013, Bob put this residence on the real estate market for $15.5 million. He finally found a buyer in 2016, selling the property for $14.5 million. Just a year after the sale, the buyer (a Canadian real estate developer) demolished Bob’s 9,000-square-foot mansion and listed the nearly 60,000-square-foot vacant lot for $26 million. In November 2017, the vacant lot found a new buyer for $17.65 million.
