Bob Hope

ABC-TV Network News Poll, A&E Biography Viewers Poll, as well as magazine and newspaper century roundups have proclaimed Hope as the "Entertainer of the 20th Century."

In 1959 he was awarded the Emmy Trustees Award "for bringing the great gift of laughter to all peoples of all nations; for selflessly entertaining American troops throughout the world over many years; and for making TV finer by these deeds and by the consistently high quality of his TV programs through the years".

Winner of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985.

In 1995 he was presented the National Medal of Arts: presented by President Bill Clinton.

Has four adopted children: Eleanora Avis "Nora", Anthony, Linda Hope and Kelly Hope.

Has entertained the troops overseas in every war from WWII to the Gulf War

In 1998 he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

In the 1950s he was a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. His guest appearance in "I Love Lucy" centered around his attending a Yankees-Indians game at Yankee Stadium.

Holds two entries in "The Guinness Book of World Records". One is for having the distinction of being the entertainer with "the longest running contract with a single network--spanning 61 years". The second is for being the "most honored entertainer", with over 1500 awards.

Served as United Service Organizations, Inc. Entertainment Coordinator from 1941-2001. Retired his post at age 98 in favor of Wayne Newton.

Received 58 honorary degrees.

Entertained U.S. troops starting 6th May 1941, and became the first to be named an "honorary veteran" by Congress.

He entertained 11 different Presidents, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt and ending with Bill Clinton.

His golf buddy was Prescott Bush , the father and grandfather of presidents George Bush and George W. Bush.

He was the only entertainer to have complete carte blanche to walk on whenever he felt like it on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" .

He changed his name from Leslie to Bob, because in school they would call the roll as Hope, Leslie and classmates shortened it to hopeless.

In a mostly ad-libbed skit for a TV show, Hope joked with Jimmy Durante about the size of his own nose. Durante quipped "When it comes to noses, youre a retailer. Im a wholesaler!"

Appointed an honorary CBE in 1976.

Wife Dolores Hope was born 27th May 1909. She and Bob celebrated their birthdays on 28th May every year--splitting the difference between their respective real birthdays.

Spent his 99th birthday--29 May 2002--at home in Toluca Lake, CA. Wife Dolores Hope s 93rd birthday was just two days before. Los Angeles National Cemetery dedicated veterans chapel in his name to salute his lifetime of service entertaining U.S. troops.

His grandfather lived to 99 years, 11 months, and 25 days.

Was the first honoree of the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts" series on October 30, 1974. The Celebrity Roasts had begun in the last season (1973-74) of "The Dean Martin Show" and were so popular that after that show went off the air, the "Celebrity Roasts" continued as specials.

Has three theaters named after him--London, CA, and on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.

Was incorrectly declared dead several times since retiring from the public eye. On the most infamous occasion in 1998, a wire service accidentally posted a pre-written obituary to a Web page. A member of the US House of Representatives saw this bogus news flash and announced Hopes death during a session at the Capitol. Hope learned he was dead when a reporter called his home asking for a statement. According to family members, Hope took this mistake in good humor.

First show-business job was as a dancer in the Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle vaudeville revue at the Bandbox Theater in Cleveland, OH, in 1924. Arbuckle recommended Hope and his partner Lloyd Durbin to producer Fred Hurley , who hired them for his popular revue, "Hurleys Jolly Follies." While on tour with Hurley, Durbin ate a piece of tainted coconut custard pie and died a few days later. Dancer George Byrne replaced him.

Graduated from Fairmount High School in Cleveland, OH.

Wrote several books about his experiences over the years, including "I Owe Russia $1200", about his Soviet tour in early 1962; "Confessions of a Hooker", about his lifelong passion for golf; and "Dont Shoot, Its Only Me!", about his many overseas trips to entertain U.S. troops over the years.

In 1999 he became the first to start the tradition of the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Disneyland. Afterwards, he and wife Dolores Hope drove their own golf cart down Main Street, through Frontier Land to Club 33 for dinner.

His last TV appearance with Lucille Ball was March 28, 1989 on The 61st Annual Academy Awards . They received a standing ovation upon walking out on stage. Hope and Ball introduced a musical number featuring "The Stars of Tomorrow", which included Johnny Depp , Christian Slater , and Ricki Lake. Lucille Ball passed away 28 days later on April 26, 1989.

Brother Jack Hope sometimes served as producer of Bobs shows; his memoir "I Owe Russia $1200" is dedicated to Jacks memory.

Has a ship named after him: USNS Bob Hope.

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.

In 1997 the U.S. Air Force honored Hope by naming a cargo plane "The Spirit of Bob Hope" after him.

The Bob Hope USO Center is named after him.

Biography in: "Whos Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 219-222. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Was a supporter of Valley Forge Military Academy & Junior College in Wayne, PA. He has the "Bob Hope Five-Star Award for Distinguished Service to the United States of America" named in his honor.

At 69 years, his marriage to Dolores Hope held the record for the longest Hollywood marriage when he passed away in 2003. It has since been passed by the marriage of Art Linkletter to Lois Foerster. They were married November 25, 1935.

He is among the select few non-band members who have had the honor of dotting the "i" during The Ohio State University Marching Bands Script Ohio routine. This is considered the greatest honor the band can bestow to any non-band person and is an extremely special (and rare) event.

Awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President John F. Kennedy at the White House on September 11, 1963. Only two other entertainers--George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin --were similarly honored.

Awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson on his last day in office, January 20, 1969.

He was one of the richest movie stars, ranking in the top ten highest salaried stars continuously from 1941-53 [except for 1948].

Hosted the Academy Awards in 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945 (alongside John Cromwell ), 1946 (alongside James Stewart ), 1953 (alongside Conrad Nagel ), 1955 (alongside Thelma Ritter ), 1958 (alongside James Stewart , David Niven , Jack Lemmon , Rosalind Russell and "Donald Duck"), 1959 (alongside Jerry Lewis , David Niven , Laurence Olivier , Mort Sahl and Tony Randall ), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1975 and finally in 1978.

According to Hopes biographer Arthur Marx , son of comedian Groucho Marx , Hope married his vaudeville partner of five years, Grace Louise Troxell, on 25 January 1933, although they divorced soon afterwards. Hope denied that they had actually married.

As a young comedian, he won a Charles Chaplin look-alike contest in Cleveland.

Was briefly a professional boxer. He fought under the name Packy East.

He and best friend Bing Crosby were planning to make one last "road" picture in early 1977, but Bing died before filming. Bob was so broken up about Bings death that he couldnt sleep for days on end. He stated that it was one of the worst times of his life and that his wife was his rock who got him through the tough time.

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.

Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1983.

Attended the funeral of his friend of more than 40 years, former President Richard Nixon , on April 27, 1994.

He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party.

In November of 1948, when President Harry S. Truman scored his upset presidential election victory, Hope sent him a one-word telegram: "Unpack". Truman was so amused by it he kept it in his desk in the Oval Office.

There is a major street in Rancho Mirage, CA, named after him. Bob Hope Drive crosses Frank Sinatra , Gerald Ford , Ginger Rogers and Dinah Shore Drives.

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".

Hospitalized with pneumonia and respiratory problems in August 2001. A week after he left hospital on 4 September, Hope and his wife released a joint statement expressing their horror at the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

At the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, Hope released a statement saying he wished he could go there to entertain the troops, but that his doctors would not allow him.

Despite a well documented reputation for frugality, Hope is believed to have donated an estimated $1 billion to charity.

Retired from show business at the age of 93 after filming Bob Hopes Bag Full of Christmas Memories .

Once remarked the only place where he could walk unrecognized was in the Peoples Republic of China. However, even then a Chinese man still recognized him from one of his movies from before the Chinese Revolution.

In 1969 he was worth in excess of $150 million, largely as a result of shrewd business and real estate investments.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 256-258. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

His mothers name was Agnes Townes (she was a concert singer). He had many brothers, including Jack Hope (1898 - 1962) who was his personal manager. James Hope was Director of Hope Enterprises. Ivor Hope (? - 1969) was President of Hope Metal Products. George Hope (? - 1969) was a production company coordinator. Two more brothers were Sidney Hope (? - 1946) and Frederick Hope.

Pictured on a 44 USA commemorative postage stamp issued 29 May 2009, Hopes 106th birthday. The two official first-day-of-issue postmarks for the stamp feature caricatures by cartoonist Al Hirschfeld.

Introduced two Oscar-winning songs: "Thanks for the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938 (music by Ralph Rainger , lyrics by Leo Robin ) and "Buttons and Bows" from The Paleface (music by Jay Livingston , lyrics by Ray Evans ).

After his death in 2003, an airport in Burbank, CA, was named "Bob Hope Airport" in his memory.

In addition to the three theaters cited as bearing Hopes name, Alumni Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, houses the Bob Hope Performing Arts Center.

Hope first met Bing Crosby when they were both playing New Yorks Capitol Theater in 1932. He first met Dorothy Lamour when she was a cocktail singer at New Yorks Hotel One Fifth Avenue in the same year.

Was friends with comedienne Vicki Lawrence. She was a veteran from his USO shows and Hope worked with her in "The Carol Burnett Show" . He guest=starred twice on Vickis own talk show, "Vicki!" .

He got his big break in feature films when Jack Benny turned down a role in The Big Broadcast of 1938 and it was given to him instead.

In 1998 he was interviewed in "The Great Comedians Talk About Comedy" by Larry Wilde.

Along with George Burns and Seor Wences , he is one of three "The Muppet Show" guest stars to live to be 100 years old.

Established the Bob Hope Home for Disabled Children in Port Arthur, TX. He also contributed towards its expansion.

Younger brother of Jim Hope.

At one point he and Bing Crosby were due to make The Road to Paris.

[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.

[at the height of the Cold War] We had a very successful trip to Russia.

We made it back.

[When asked by his wife where he wanted to be buried] Surprise me.

I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable,tears into something bearable, even hopeful.

[referring to the Academy Awards ceremonies] Tonight we set aside petty,differences, forget old feuds and start new ones.

[1991] Remember, you kids, always pay to get into the movies; the,Japanese need the money.

People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.

I was lucky, you know, I always had a beautiful girl and the money was,good. Although I would have done the whole thing over for, oh, perhaps,half.

[Hosting the Oscars, 1967] I will not seek nor will I accept an Oscar.

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest,things--not the great occasions--give off the greatest glow of,happiness.

[on growing up in poverty] Four of us slept in one bed. When it got cold,mother threw on another brother.

[on turning 70] I still chase women, but only downhill.

[about his arrival in Hollywood in 1937] At last Paramount could no,longer ignore the inevitable, and I was brought to Hollywood with great,fanfare. A man in a red cap met me at the station and showed me to the,nearest streetcar.

When vaudeville died, television was the box they put it in.

A James Cagney love scene is one where he lets the other guy live.

When she started to play, Steinway came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano.

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?,When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.

People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

We had a very successful trip to Russia we got back.

People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.

People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.

The audience was swell. They were so polite they covered their mouths when they yawned.

I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.

Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.

When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things - not the great occasions - that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness.

The trees in Siberia are miles apart, that is why the dogs are so fast.

I love to go to Washington - if only to be near my money.

I have too much money invested in sweaters. .