Bob Newhart wanted Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to play him in a biopic.
Bob Newhart wanted Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to play him in a biopic
The late comic and actor – whose death aged 94 was announced on Thursday (18.97.24) – joked about the wrestler-turned-actor, 52, being the best pick to portray him in during one of his last interviews, a 2021 appearance on Conan O’Brien’s talk show.
The 61-year-old host asked who he would most want to play him a movie version of his astonishing 70-year career, with Bob replying: “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!’
“But there should be quite a fight over it.”
When Conan joked ‘The Rock’ would do a great job portraying his “early football career”, Bob added: “Brad Pitt is supposed to be very interested.”
A year before the chat with Conan, Bob saif in a separate interview about his life and career: “I have a theory that when it’s all over… and you go up – I’ve been led to believe, to heaven, and there’s a God and he says, ‘What did you do?’
“(I’d) say, ‘I made people laugh’. (He’ll say) ‘Yeah, get in that real short line over there’.
“Comedy has given me a wonderful life. When I first started out in stand-up, I just remember the sound of laughter.
“It’s one of the great sounds of the world.”
Bob’s death comes after his wife Ginnie, who he married in 1963, died in April 2023.
Along with their four children, ‘Elf’ actor Bob is survived by 10 grandchildren.
Bob landed his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1962 for his comedy variety series ‘The Bob Newhart Show’, and got a new generation of fans playing Professor Proton on ‘The Big Bang Theory’.
He said in one of his final interviews by email with CNN in 2023 his part in ‘Elf’ was his favourite role from his seven-decade career, adding: “Without question, the part of Papa Elf outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played.
“My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it.
He added he thought it was going to be “another ‘Miracle on 34th Street’” as people would “watch it every year”.
Bob served in the United States army during the Korean War as a personnel manager until being discharged in 1954 – going on to land jobs as an accountant and copywriter.
