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Comedy legend Bob Newhart passed away at the age of 94. Known for his deadpan humor and stammering delivery, he knew how to make an audience laugh with his two sitcom shows and his Emmy Award-winning performance in The Big Bang Theory. Of course, we can’t forget about the time Newhart played Papa Elf in Elf and neither can his co-star Zooey Deschanel who described him as “wonderful” in her tribute to him.
The cast of Elf had superb comedy talent that made this holiday flick so memorable. You had Will Ferrell as Buddy who was a human raised in the North Pole, Bob Newhart as Papa Elf who adopts Buddy, and Zooey Deschanel as Jovie who falls for Buddy. The New Girl actress paid tribute to Newhart in Variety who described her experience with the stand-up comic as nothing short of “wonderful:”
I always say the best actors are very generous people. He was really such a kind and generous man and so funny, but not wrapped up in himself or anything. He was just kind, and sweet and wonderful to work with.
Zooey Deschanel must have felt incredibly fortunate to work with such a talent as Bob Newhart. In one of his best movies Elf, the Golden Globe winner portrayed a kind soul in Papa Elf who took Buddy under his wing as he snuck into Santa’s bag from the orphanage. He brought love to Buddy and trained him as a hardworking elf with the knowledge of how to operate Santa’s sleigh.
While we can argue that Papa Elf should have told Buddy about his origins sooner, he’s still a Christmas movie dad I’d like to spend the holidays with. Whereas Buddy’s biological father Walter Hobbs couldn’t accept Buddy’s holiday optimism and quirks at first, Papa Elf had unconditional love and acceptance for his adoptive son all the way through.
Bob Newhart clearly loved Papa Elf so much that he was willing to reprise his iconic role for a local TV commercial. The Kentucky Lottery advertisement had Newhart back in the Papa Elf costume leading a focus group for potential Christmas gifts. Seeing Newhart don the green-and-white elf costume again can’t help but bring a smile to your face.
Like Zooey Deschanel, many other celebrities paid tribute to Bob Newhart after his death. Stars like Mark Hamill and Newhart’s Big Bang Theory co-star Mayim Bialik reflected on their times watching Newhart’s sitcoms like The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart and what a one-of-a-kind talent he was.
In Judd Apatow’s tribute, he mentioned that the Grammy Award winner inspired him to be a comedy writer. Apatow also felt lucky to work with Bob Newhart on the short documentary Bob & Don: A Love Story about his friendship with comedian Don Rickles. Whether celebrities knew him by watching his series or by getting to work with him, Newhart left a big impact on the entertainment industry and those who knew him.
After the death of Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel tributed her “wonderful” Elf co-star who showed generosity and kindness working on the holiday movie together. The talented television star will truly be missed. Make sure to see the 2024 movie release of Deschanel’s new movie Harold and the Purple Crayon in theaters on August 2nd.