Bob Hope

Overview

Born
May 29, 1903 · Eltham, Woolwich [now in Greenwich], London, England, UK
Died
July 27, 2003 · Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA (pneumonia)
Birth name
Leslie Townes Hope
Nicknames
- Old Ski Nose
- Packy East
Height
5′ 10″ (1.78 m)

Mini bio

Comedian Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, London, England, the fifth of seven sons of Avis (Townes), light opera singer, and William Henry Hope, a stonemason from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. His maternal grandmother was Welsh. Hope moved to Bristol before emigrating with his parents to the USA in 1908. After some years onstage as a dancer and comedian, he made his first film appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) singing "Thanks for the Memory", which became his signature tune.

In partnership with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, he appeared in the highly successful "Road to ..." comedies (1940-52), and in many others until the early 1970s. During World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars he spent much time entertaining the troops in the field. For these activities and for his continued contributions to the industry he received five honorary Academy Awards.
- IMDb mini biography by: Lester A Dinerstein/Robert Sieger

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

His ski shaped nose
Usually played a coward
Performing stand up for the U.S. military
Often worked with Bing Crosby
Quick one-liners.

Trivia

On his wartime USO tours he had one ironclad rule that he insisted his fellow performers follow: under no circumstances were they allowed to cry when visiting wounded soldiers in military hospitals. This was often difficult given the amount of suffering they saw, but he told his performers that it was their duty to always smile and provide laughs and good cheer for the troops. According to Hope, he broke his own rule only once. While visiting an army hospital in Italy in 1943, he stopped at the bedside of a wounded soldier who had been in a coma for two months. The soldier suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Hey, Bob Hope! When did you get here?" He had to leave the hospital room to keep the troops from seeing his tears, but he returned a few hours later to present the soldier with his Purple Heart medal.
In 1997 Congress named Hope an honorary U.S. veteran, citing his decades of entertaining troops around the world. He is the only person to receive that distinction.
He bought several acres of prime real estate in Rancho Mirage, CA, to build a racetrack. He later decided a medical center was needed in the area instead, so he donated the land to build Eisenhower Medical Center, which is now rated as among the top 100 hospitals in America. A medical building on the campus is named for him and contains statues of he and wife Dolores Hope in the lobby. Another medical building next door is called "Hope Square".
Despite a well documented reputation for frugality, Hope is believed to have donated an estimated $1 billion to charity.
Served as United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) Entertainment Coordinator from 1941-2001. Retired his post at age 98 in favor of Wayne Newton.

Quotes

[on being told he was being awarded an honorary knighthood] What an honor and what a surprise for a boy born in England, raised in Cleveland and schooled in vaudeville.
Golf is my real profession--show business pays my greens fees.
You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.
[on his 100th birthday] I'm so old, they've canceled my blood type.
[at the height of the Cold War] We had a very successful trip to Russia. We made it back.