Bob Hope (Performer) | Playbill

Bob Hope

Performer

Mr. Hope's persona as a cowardly wise-craker was well known to the public from a string of wildly successful (and, for the time, innovatively extemporaneous) "Road" films with Bing Crosby and, later, a series of television specials which saw him warbling and cutting up with the latest stars of the moment. Mr. Hope was famous for his ready stream of one-liners and retorts, supplied by an unseen, but notorious team of joke men kept in his employ. He delivered each quip with a sheepish grin, clenched jaw and ski-slope nose thrust out, his slicked-back hair seemingly gleaming with flop sweat, and often milked a second laugh out of the crowd by squirming under the supposed failure of the first joke. He did not create characters, but was always Bob Hope, and, according to a John Lahr New Yorker profile, the self-preserving, hustling personality he presented on stage was not far from his own, faults and all.

Read Full Obituary
  • Also Known As: Leslie Townes Hope, Lester Hope
  • Born: May 29, 1903 in London, England
  • Death: Jul 27, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA

Roles (20)

The 32nd Annual Tony Awards Playbill - June 4, 1978 The 32nd Annual Tony Awards - 1978
Opened June 04, 1978
  • as Participating Artist (Original)
Pb Listing Placeholder BROADWAY V4 Red, Hot and Blue
Opened October 29, 1936
  • as Bob Hale (Original)
Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 Playbill - April 1936 Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
Opened January 30, 1936
  • as "I Can't Get Started With You" Singer (Original)
  • as "The Voice of Friendship" Performer (Original)
  • as Bing Powell (Original)
  • as Director (Original)
  • as Operator (Original)
  • as Rexford Givewell (Original)
  • as Sir Robert (Original)
Say When Playbill - Nov 1934 Say When
Opened November 08, 1934
  • as Jimmy Blake (Original)
Roberta Playbill - May 1934 Roberta
Opened November 18, 1933
  • as Huckleberry Haines (Original)
Ballyhoo of 1932 Playbill - Oct 1932 Ballyhoo of 1932
Opened September 06, 1932
  • as "Ballyhoo Complaint Department" Performer (Original)
  • as "Old Fashioned Wedding" Performer (Original)
  • as "Talker Backer" Performer (Original)
  • as Dick (Original)
  • as Minsky (Original)
  • as Second Traveller (Original)
Pb Listing Placeholder BROADWAY V4 Bob Hope at the Palace
Opened February 28, 1931
  • Performer
Ups-a Daisy Playbill - October 1928 Ups-a Daisy
Opened October 08, 1928
  • as Screeves (Original)
  • as Ensemble (Original)
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!