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Bob Newhart, everyman comic who elevated sitcom to art form, dies at 94

Newhart approached comedy with economic precision, honing his craft by watching other comedians and seeing what they did well — especially his idol, Jack Benny.

Born on Sept. 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of a part owner of a plumbing supply company and a homemaker and the brother of three sisters, there was little in the first 30 years of his life to foreshadow the success that would come over the next six decades. CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images“I had years of subsequently working for different bosses and you really appreciate Bob’s professionalism, not to mention his incredible sense of humor,” said Sanderson, who had been bartending as much as acting in the New York theater scene when he landed his big break. In that episode, Hartley wakes up next to his original on-screen wife — a role reprised by Pleshette in one of the most memorable cameos in television history — to realize that the whole eight seasons of the story set in Vermont had been just a dream.

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