In Memory of Bob Newhart (1929-2024)

Bob Newhart (1929-2024)

On 18th July 2024, legendary comedian and actor Bob Newhart has passed away. He was 94 years old. His publicist confirmed through a statement in a news article that Bob died following a battle with a series of short illnesses. He's most famous for shows like "Newhart" and "The Bob Newhart Show", but over the past 50 years, he's appeared in countless projects.

Originally an accountant who took up comedy, Newhart became famous in the 1960s for his dry observational humour and quirky delivery. In 1961, he won two Grammys for Best New Artist and Album of the Year for his breakout album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart", recorded over several days in Houston before Newhart had any stand-up experience. He quickly moved on to television, becoming a household name with his own NBC variety series, "The Bob Newhart Show", in 1961, and went on to star in his sitcom, also called "The Bob Newhart Show", on CBS from 1972 to 1978. The actor had another popular sitcom, "Newhart", which lasted from 1982 to 1990.

Newhart has appeared in several movies, including "Catch-22", "In And Out", "Legally Blonde 2", "Elf" (in which he played Will Ferrell's diminutive adoptive father) and "Horrible Bosses". Throughout his career, he received a total of nine Emmy nominations. But it wasn't until 2013 that he won a single acting Emmy, in the Outstanding Guest Actor category, for his portrayal of Professor Proton in "The Big Bang Theory". Newhart didn't retire and continued to appear on TV in recent years in "Big Bang" and "Young Sheldon", as well as "Hot in Cleveland" and "The Librarians".

In addition to appearing in films and shows since the '60s, Newhart lends his voice in animated projects, most notably as the voice of Bernard in Disney's "The Rescuers" and its sequel "The Rescuers Down Under", and even a guest spot in an episode of "The Simpsons".

Back to Home

In Memory of Shelley Duvall (1949-2024)

Shelley Davis (1949-2024)

Shelley Davis, the actress most famous for her role with Jack Nicholson in "The Shining", is dead. She was 75 years old.

Duvall attended junior college in her hometown of Houston before being discovered by some of director Robert Altman's crew at a party she was hosting. They brought her to Altman, who chose her to play teen temptress and Astrodome tour guide Suzanne Davis in 1970's "Brewster McCloud". Over the years, the childlike actress has worked with Altman, portraying characters in films like a mail-order bride in "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", a woman who has a fling with Keith Carradine's Mississippi bandit in "Thieves Likes Us", the hot-pants-loving L.A. groupie in "Nashville", Mrs. Francis Cleveland, the wife of President Grover Cleveland, in "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson", and "3 Women". In 1980, Duvall portrayed the iconic comic strip character Olive Oyl, the strong-willed damsel in distress, in Altman's live-action adaptation of "Popeye" opposite Robin Williams. That same year, she co-starred with Jack Nicholson as Wendy Torrance, the tormented wife and mother in Stanley Kubrick's famous movie adaptation of Stephen King's "The Shining". During the making of the film, Kubrick, a well-known perfectionist, was known for being difficult on the actress, with one harrowing scene reportedly shot in 127 takes.

She also appeared in "Annie Hall", "Time Bandits" and "Roxanne". In the 1990s, her acting roles dwindled, with Jane Campion's "The Portrait of a Lady" picking up the slack, and she fell from the public eye in 2002. While on a hiatus from acting, Duvall appeared in an interview on Dr Phil McGraw's talk show in 2016, where she disclosed that she struggled with mental illness. In 2022, after two decades away from acting, she returned to star in the horror film "The Forest Hills", which turned out to be her last.

Back to Home