The series touched on topics including the emerging movement advocating for gay rights, as well as the stigma surrounding mental health.
In the 1980s, he would go on to star in Newhart.
Newhart would then go on to become known to later generations for his roles in Elf, starring Will Ferrell and The Big Bang Theory.
The comedian once recalled how while he was working as an accountant, he would improvise silly scenes with a colleague to pass the time.
Speaking in 2012, he said: “Around 3:30, 4 o’clock, I would become … depressed. To break up the monotony of accounting, which I wasn’t very good at to begin with, I would call Ed and … we would improvise over the phone.
“I called him one time and I said, ‘Mr. Smithers? Yeah, this is Bob at the yeast factory, and we have a fire here, sir. The fire company, they’re pouring water on it… Mr. Smithers, I’m gonna have to run up to the second floor’.”
Newhart married Virginia ‘Ginny’ Quinn in 1963, and the pair were married until her death in 2023 at the age of 82.
He is survived by his children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney and Jennifer, and 10 grandchildren.
