Tributes keep pouring in for comedian Bob Newhart who passed away at the age of 94 on July 18, 2024, with the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Judd Apatow leading the way.
The actor, best-known for his work in The Bob Newhart Show, Elf, and The Big Bang Theory, passed away just a year after his long-time wife Ginnie died. The actress, then-82, passed away on April 23, 2023 in Los Angeles after battling an illness. They had celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary just months before. Together, they had four children and 10 grandchildren.
In an industry where actors and actresses are known for their short-lived relationships and messy divorces, Bob and Ginnie were a rarity in that they were married for over 60 years. Here's an overview into their love story.
© VarietyHow they met
© Michael Ochs ArchivesThey met through a mutual friend, the actor Buddy Hackett, in 1962. Retelling the story to People in 2019, Bob said: "Buddy said, 'I've got a girl for you. She's going with another guy, but I don't think he's right for her, so I'm going to fix you up on a blind date.'"
It seemed that Buddy knew immediately that Ginnie and Bob were perfect for each other, as he predicted: "'You'll meet her and you'll date and you'll get married. Then you'll have kids and you'll call one of the kids Buddy.'"
That's exactly what the couple did, as they married on January 12, 1963, welcoming their son Robert in November 1963, before having another son Timothy in 1967, and two daughters, Jennifer and Courtney, in 1971 and 1977 respectively. True to Buddy's prediction, and as if to pay homage, they nicknamed one of their daughters 'Buddy'.
Ginnie was well-respected in Hollywood within her own right, as the daughter of character actor Bill Quinn. While Bob came from a more down-to-earth background as the son of part-owner of a plumbing supply business, they immediately had a lot in common.
"Well, we're both Catholic", he said. "She's three-quarters Irish. I'm three-quarters Irish." It was a match made in heaven.
Ginnie's role in Bob's work
© Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunchGinnie was one of Bob's biggest supporters - and played a pivotal role in the famous ending for the series finale of his show Newhart, and how it connected with his previous show The Bob Newhart Show. The final episode, aired in 1990, is still considered one of the most ingenious finales of all time.
In the final moments of the Newhart finale, his character woke up in bed next to his on-screen wife from The Bob Newhart Show, played by Suzanne Pleshette, alluding to the idea that Newhart had simply been a dream all along.
© NBCBob explained that his wife thought of the twist while at a holiday party, as he told her during the show's sixth season that he was thinking about ending it.
"Without missing a beat, she said, 'You ought to end it with a dream sequence where you wake up in bed with Suzy,'" he told Entertainment Weekly. Suzanne, who was at the same party, "loved the idea."
The secret to their long marriage
© Jason LaVerisThe couple managed to weather a long and loving relationship, which Bob attributed "to laughter."
"No matter how intense the argument you’re having, you can find a line, and then you both look at each other and start laughing. It’s over, you know? I think that sense of humor is very important to the longevity of a marriage," he told Parade.
Meanwhile, Ginnie said that she thought it helped that they prioritized their family together: "I think that they knew that we loved them," she said of her children. "They mentioned this, that we tried to keep the family together in sometimes very difficult circumstances. And that came first."
