Bob Hope - Biography

Last Editor: catherine.mackin				Bob Hope Biography -   Name : Bob Hope Date of birth : 29 May 1903 Place of birth : Eltham, London, England, UK Date of death : 27 July 2003 Place of death : Toluca Lake, California, USA. (pneumonia) Birth name : Leslie Townes Hope Nickname : Old Ski Nose Height : 5' 11˝

Bob Hope Trivia -

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." 1957: Golden Globe: Ambassador of Good Will Award 1959: 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" 1962: Hollywood Foreign Press Association: Cecil B. DeMille Award. 1965: Screen Actors Guild: Life Achievement Award 1984: Emmy: Governor's Award 1985: Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award 1994: American Comedy Award: Lifetime Achievement (male) 1995: National Medal of Arts: presented by President Bill Clinton. Has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Has 4 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 Awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. (1998) Played his first big part in the Broadway version of "Roberta" in 1933. In the 1950s, a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. His guest appearance in "I Love Lucy" (1951) 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 sixty-one years". The second is for being the "most honored entertainer", with over 1500 awards. Served as United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) 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 'honorary veteran' by Congress. He entertained 11 different Presidents, beginning with Franklin Delano 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" (1962). He change 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, you're a retailer. I'm a wholesaler!" Appointed an honorary CBE in 1976. Wife Dolores 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's 93rd birthday was just two day 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 age of 99 years, 11 months. Was honored on the "'Dean Martin' Celebrity Roasts" in 1974. Has two theaters named after him, one in London and another in California. 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 Hope's 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 review in Cleveland in 1924. Graduated from Fairmount High School in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 "Don't Shoot, It's Only Me!", about his many overseas trips to entertain U.S. service men and women over the years. Hosted the Oscars 18 times, including the ceremonies in 1939, 1954, 1962 and 1968. In 1999, he became the first to start the tradition of the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Disneyland. Afterwards, he and Dolores drove their own golf cart down Main Street, through Frontier Land to Club 33 for dinner. His last appearance with Lucille Ball on television was in 1989 on the 62nd Accademy Awards announcing the nominations and winner of Best Picture. They both received a standing ovation on arriving on stage. Grandfather of actress Leslie Hope. Brother Jack Hope sometimes served as producer of Bob's shows; his memoir 'I Owe Russia $1200' is dedicated to Jack's 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 the legendary entertainer. USO center is named after him Biography in: "Who's 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, Pennsylvania. He has the "Bob Hope Five-Star Award for Distinguished Service to the United States of America" named in his honor. Was a Master Mason. At 69 years, his marriage to Dolores Hope holds the record for the longest Hollywood marriage. He is among the select few non-band members who have had the honor of dotting the "i" during The Ohio State University Marching Band's '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. Fought as a Professional boxer under the name Packy East Awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President John F. Kennedy at the White House. (September 11th 1962) Awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson on his last day in office. (January 20th 1969) He was one of the richest movie stars.... he ranked in the top ten highest salaried stars continuously from 1941-1953 [except for 1948] Hosted the Academy Awards in 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 (alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra) and finally in 1978.

Bob Hope Detailed Biography -

Leslie Townes Hope (known as Bob Hope, May 29, 1903 - ) is a famous entertainer, having appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, and in the movies. Before becoming an actor, Hope boxed professionally under the boxing nickname of Packey East. He was born in Eltham, England, as fifth of seven sons. His family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1907. He became U.S. citizen in 1920. Hope became famous with several Broadway musicals. He married Dolores Reade in 1934. They have four children. His entertaining of troops stretched from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War all the way until the Persian Gulf War. He took the matter to heart when entertaining, he was almost always seen in army duds, just like his audience as a sign of support for the troops he performed for.