Bob Newhart suggested Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson should portray him in a biopic before passing away at 94.
Bob Newhart once joked he wanted Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to play him in a biopic. The late comedian-turned-actor, whose demise at age 94 was reported on Thursday, July 18, claimed he gets mistaken for the wrestler-turned-actor a lot; hence, it would only be fair if he played him in his biopic.
Appearing on Conan O’Brien’s talk show in 2021, Newhart was asked by the host who he would most want to play him in a movie about his 70-year career. Bob replied, “I think The Rock. I get mistaken for him a lot.”
“People will say, ‘Hey, Dwayne,’ and I’ll say, ‘No, I’m not Dwayne,’” Newhart quipped. He also mentioned Brad Pitt as an actor who was “supposed to be very interested” in playing him on screen.
Bob Newhart was proud of his comedic career and rightly so
Newhart’s death was announced by his publicist, Jerry Digney, in a press release issued yesterday. The actor, per the media statement, passed away at his Los Angeles home following a series of short illnesses.
In November 2020, Newhart reflected on his career and his enduring legacy during a CBS Sunday Morning interview, saying, “I have a theory that when it’s all over — and you go up — [if] I’ve been led to believe to heaven — and there’s a God and he says, ‘What did you do?’ [And I say, ‘I made people laugh’] — he will say, ‘Yeah, get in that real short line over there.’”
According to his obituary, Newhart believed laughter is one of the great sounds of the world.
His death comes just over a year after his wife of six years died in 2023 after a long illness.
Bob Newhart’s screen credits — Know which of his roles was his absolute favorite
Bob Newhart, who is best known among the new generation of TV audiences as Professor Proton from The Big Bang Theory, landed his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1962 for his comedy variety series The Bob Newhart Show.
His favorite role of his career, however, was his part in Elf, the actor revealed last year to CNN. The part of Papa Elf outranked any role he ever played. Newhart told the outlet that he fell in love with his character as soon as he read the script.
Bob, who served in the US Army during the Korean War until being discharged in 1954, is survived by his four children: sons Robert and Timothy, and daughters Jennifer and Courtney — as well as 10 grandchildren.
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