After seven nominations, actor and comedian Bob Newhart, 84, has finally won at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, September 15. He was named Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." Here Newhart jokingly held an Emmy years before snagging one.
(CNN) -- It's hard to believe, but TV veteran Bob Newhart has just snagged his very first Emmy.
Newhart, 84, has been nominated seven times throughout his 52-year career, and on Sunday night he finally won at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmys.
He was named Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." He appeared as Professor Proton, the former host of a kids' science show, on an episode in May.
"They wrote an awful good script," Newhart said of his "Big Bang Theory" colleagues. "They gave me a lot of hanging curveballs and I kept swinging at them."
'Big Bang Theory' surprises audience
The swinging paid off. When he was honored on Sunday with his first Emmy statue, Newhart humbly told reporters backstage that he "was totally unprepared for that," according to Entertainment Weekly.
Given the breadth and impact of his career -- from "The Bob Newhart Show" of the early '60s and '70s to "Newhart" in the '80s and the short-lived "Bob" in the '90s -- it's curious how Newhart managed to go this long without a prior win.
"The best answer to that really is whenever I was nominated, there were better people in the category than me," the star told Entertainment Weekly. "That's the truth. The best person wins. That's the way it is."
The Primetime Creative Arts Emmys usually honor the people behind the shows in addition to talent like guest stars ahead of the televised Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony.
"The great thing about (the honor) is that you're voted on by your peers, and that's very important," Newhart told CNN on Sunday, moments before his big win.
As for what's next, Newhart is working on reprising his "Big Bang Theory" role this season and, if he can help it, a number of gigs after that.
"I'm trying to drop dead on a soundstage," the 84-year-old told CNN. "That's really my ultimate goal -- to just keel over in the middle of a show."
The 2013 Creative Arts Emmys will air on September 21 at 8 p.m. PT on FXX, followed by the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 22 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
CNN's Topher Gauk-Roger contributed to this report.
Loading weather data ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Newhart and his wife Ginny laugh together at their home in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, in 1964.
Newhart has built quite a career as a comic and actor. Here is in April 1962.
Newhart played a psychiatrist in his show "The Bob Newhart Show" that ran from 1972-78. In this 1972 episode, Newhart counsels a clown about his problems.
Known for mostly playing nice guys, Newhart poses as a dour devil with a red cape, pitchfork and horns in 1978.
Newhart plays Don Johnson, with Bill Murray as Jim Lange, for a "The Dating Zone" sketch on a Saturday Night Live episode in 1980.
Cast members of the comedy show "Newhart" appear during an episode in 1982. The show ran from 1982-1990.
Newhart receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.
Newhart and former "The Bob Newhart Show" co-star Suzanne Pleshette appear at the 54th Annual Emmy Awards in 2002. She died in 2008.
Newhart won the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.
Newhart guest stars as Ben Hollander, alongside actress Sherry Springfield as Dr. Susan Lewis, in the TV drama "ER" in 2003.
Newhart plays Papa Elf in the 2003 comedy film "Elf."
In the show "Desperate Housewives," Newhart guest stars as Morty Flickman.
Newhart plays Professor Proton in the TV show "The Big Bang Theory" alongside characters Sheldon and Leonard.
Newhart poses with his first Emmy in the press room at the 2013 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California.
|