Bob Newhart, Elf Actor and Comedy Icon, Dead at 94

Comedy is mourning the loss of a legend. 

Bob Newhart—the comedian who played Will Ferrell’s adoptive father Papa Elf in the beloved 2003 Christmas film Elf—died July 18 after a series of short illnesses, his publicist Jerry Digney confirmed. He was 94.  

Bob—who worked as an accountant before becoming a comedian in 1960—quickly found success in the comedy world. His debut comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart earned a Grammy in 1960 for Album of the Year—beating out Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Nat King Cole—as well as two other awards and a number one spot on Billboard’s album chart. 

Later, the comedian transitioned onto the screen, starring in The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978, as well as the Emmy nominated Newhart from 1982 to 1990. He found a longtime collaborator and friend in fellow comedian Don Rickles, and collaborated with other comedic greats including Betty White in Bob and Carole Burnett in The Entertainers. 

Bob was exceptional in his personal life, too. He married his wife Ginnie Newhart in 1963, after the pair were introduced by a friend. The couple was married for 60 years leading up to Ginnie’s death in April 2023. They shared four kids together: Robert, 60, Timothy, 55, Jennifer, 54, Courtney, 46, as well as 10 grandchildren. 

Bob continued to work into his 90s, making appearances on Young Sheldon as Professor Proton—reprising his Emmy-winning role from The Big Bang Theory—until 2020. Prior to his 2013 Emmy win, Bob—who had been nominated for 10 awards over the course of 50 years—was also named a Hall of Fame honoree by the Television Academy in 1993. 

Despite his legendary status in the comedy scene, Bob recently celebrated Elf’s 20th anniversary in December by admitting his role of Papa Elf was one of his all-time best. 

“Without question, the part of Papa Elf outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played,” The Oak Park native told CNN in an email interview in December. “My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it.”

Even so, Bob loved any opportunity to make people laugh—and he did so for as long as he possibly could. 

“I get this question a lot: 'Why do you still do come­dy?' " he told People in 2019. "Why would you ever get tired of making people laugh? You nev­er want to give up that sound, that great sound that you fell in love with 60 years ago."