BOB Newhart went from working in accounting and advertising to winning Grammy and Emmy awards seemingly overnight.
After the comedy legend died on July 18, 2024, fans both old and new became interested in learning more about Newhart’s personal life, including his relationship with his wife, Ginnie.
Who was Bob Newhart’s wife Ginnie?
Virginia Lillian “Ginnie” Quinn was born on December 9, 1940.
She was the daughter of Mary Catherine Roden and William “Bill” Tyrell Quinn.
Before his death, Bill was a well-known actor who appeared in more than 150 films and TV shows in his career, which spanned more than seven decades.
In 1962, Ginnie and Newhart went on a blind date with mutual friend, comedian and actor Buddy Hackett.
“Well, we are both Catholic. She is three-quarters Irish. I’m three-quarters Irish,” said Newhart People during an interview in October 2019.
“Buddy said, ‘I’ve got a girl for you. She’s seeing another guy, but I don’t think he’s right for her, so I’m going to set you up on a blind date.
“He said, ‘You’re going to meet her, date her and get married. Then you will have children and call one of the children your friend,’” he added.
“What we did — one of our daughters, we called her Buddy,” Newhart joked.
The couple married in 1963 and were together for sixty years, until Ginnie’s death.
She often collaborated with her husband behind the scenes and was his biggest supporter.
“She was in the dressing room,” Newhart recalled, adding, “She was saying, ‘Something’s wrong with the sound system. I couldn’t hear anything’.
“I said, ‘Honey, there was nothing wrong with the sound system. They didn’t laugh!'”
She is also credited with coming up with “the innovative idea for how to conclude her Vermont-based sitcom by combining it with her previous Chicago-based show”, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Newhart actress Julia Duffy called her “funny” and “sincere,” adding that she had a “huge heart.”
“[Ginnie] gave me the best advice on everything from decorating to childbirth to kids and yes, husbands,” Duffy wrote.
On April 23, 2023, Ginnie died at the couple’s Century City home after a long illness, leaving behind her husband, children, grandchildren, and countless fans and friends.
Who was Bob Newhart?
Bob Newhart was a comedian and actor, best known for his deadpan, stuttering style.
Newhart was born on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois.
After graduating from Loyola University Chicago in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Newhart served in the US during the Korean War as a personnel manager.
After being discharged in 1954, he attended Loyola University Chicago Law School, but reportedly failed to earn a law degree after a law internship asked him to behave unethically.
Before beginning his comedy career, Newhart worked for United States Gypsum as an accountant and later as an advertising copywriter for Fred A. Niles.
In the early 1960s, his comedy career catapulted him to stardom, beginning with his 1960 comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, winning two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
He later appeared and starred in several successful sitcoms and variety shows, including:
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Bob Newhart Show (variety series)
- The Bob Newhart Show (sitcom)
- Newhart
- Bob
Younger viewers may remember him best as Morty Flickman from Desperate Housewives, or for his portrayal of Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon.
He is also best known for his roles as Sid Post in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, and Papa Elf in the 2004 holiday comedy Elf.
One of his last major roles was in a 2023 documentary short film titled Bob & Don: A Love Story.
Directed by Judd Apatow, the documentary short featured interviews and home movies of Newhart and one of his closest friends, the late comedian and actor Don Rickles, along with the duo’s respective families.
Bob Newhart died on July 18, 2024, in Los Angeles, California.
two
Did Bob and Ginnie Newhart have children?
Bob and Virginia “Ginnie” Newhart had four children over their decades-long marriage.
The couple’s first child, Robert, was born in 1963, while their second child, another son, Timothy, was born in 1966.
Newhart and his wife Ginnie also had two daughters, Jennifer, born in 1970, and Courtney, born in 1977.
The couple, both raised in the Roman Catholic faith, raised their four children in the same faith.
Although none of Newhart’s children followed in his footsteps, they did become involved in the entertainment industry.
Robert, his eldest son, has an acting credit on Heart and Souls in 1993, while Timothy has worked as a crew member on several TV shows, including Get a Life, Newhart, and Ferris Bueller.
Courtney also appeared on Newhart in 1986, and later served as a production assistant on George & Leo, one of her father’s shows, in 1997.
Before their respective deaths – Ginnie on April 23, 2023, and Newhart on July 18, 2024 – they were also grandparents, leaving ten grandchildren.
When asked if he had learned any “life lessons” on the eve of his 90th birthday, Newhart gave a moving answer.
“It’s probably trite, but it’s also true: When all is said and done, and all the praise and honors you receive, it’s all about friends and family,” he said, as reported by Closer.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
