Bob Newhart death updates — Grammy Award winning actor best known for role in Elf dies aged 94
ACTOR and comedian Bob Newhart best known for his roles in Elf and Legally Blonde has died aged 94.
Bob Newhart began as a comedian appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Shortly after, he transitioned to acting in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Catch-22.
Before playing Papa Elf, he also voiced Leonard the Polar Bear in the classic holiday animated movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and starred in Legally Blonde 2.
Bob died Thursday morning, according to the . His cause of death has not been revealed.
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Newhart was drafted by the US Army
Bob Newhart was educated in Roman Catholic schools around Chicago, including St. Catherine of Siena Grammar School in Oak Park and St. Ignatius College Prep, from which he graduated in 1947.
He then attended Loyola University Chicago, earning a bachelor's degree in business management in 1952.
After graduating, Newhart was drafted into the United States Army and served as a personnel manager during the Korean War until his discharge in 1954.
He briefly attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law but did not complete his degree, citing a request for unethical behavior during an internship as one of the reasons for his decision to leave.
A look at Newhart
Have a look at Newhart throughout moments of his life.
Credit: Bob Newhart starred in Newhart (1982) 
Credit: Reuters Comedian's family life
Newhart was born on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois.
He was the son of Julia Pauline, a housewife of Irish descent, and George David Newhart, who co-owned a plumbing supply business and was of mixed German and Irish heritage.
One of Newhart's grandmothers was from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
He grew up with three sisters.
Bob Newhart’s rise, continued
Newhart began his television career with the brief NBC variety show The Bob Newhart Show before gaining fame as Chicago psychologist Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show.
He then starred as Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon on Newhart.
In the 1990s, he appeared in two short-lived sitcoms, Bob and George & Leo.
Newhart's film credits include Catch-22, Cold Turkey, In & Out, and Elf.
He also voiced Bernard in Disney’s animated films The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.
From 2013 to 2018, Newhart played Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory, a role that earned him his first Primetime Emmy Award.
Bob Newhart's rise
Bob Newhart gained widespread recognition in 1960 with his record album of comedic monologues, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.
The album became a bestseller, reaching number one on the Billboard pop album chart and remains the 20th-best-selling comedy album of all time.
Its follow-up, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, was also a hit, with both albums holding the number one and number two spots on the Billboard chart simultaneously.
Watch a scene from Newhart (1982)
Watch the trailer for Season 2 of NewhartNewhart only got an Emmy 11 years ago
Bob Newhart, who had previously never won an Emmy, was finally honored in 2013.
He received the award for his guest appearance as Arthur Jeffries on The Big Bang Theory.
Comedian died in LA home
Chicago icon Bob Newhart passed away at his Los Angeles home.
His death followed a series of short illnesses, as announced by his longtime publicist, Jerry Digney, per .
Bob Newhart has died at 94
Bob Newhart, the cherished stand-up comedian renowned for his dry, deadpan humor featured in two highly praised CBS sitcoms, passed away on Thursday morning.
He was 94.