40 Fun Facts About Famous Bobs

Which Bob rose to master sergeant in the US Air Force before hosting The Joy of Painting on PBS?

Bob Ross had held military posts that required him to act tough and mean, so he decided never to raise his voice again once he left. His calm lessons ran from 1983 to 1994.

Which Bob was wounded by gunmen at home in 1976 yet played a free concert in Jamaica two days later?

Bob Marley, his wife Rita and his manager were all hit in the attack before the Smile Jamaica show. His later hits collection Legend became the best-selling reggae album of all time.

Which Bob hosted The Price Is Right for 35 years and beat up Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore?

Bob Barker played himself in the 1996 golf comedy and won the fistfight. Away from the cameras he was an animal rights advocate who backed groups such as PETA and Sea Shepherd.

Which Bob, born Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016?

Bob Dylan was honoured for creating new poetic expressions within the American song tradition. Eight years earlier he had received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize board.

In A Christmas Carol, which member of clerk Bob Cratchit's family walks with a crutch?

Tiny Tim is ailing because the family cannot afford proper treatment on the salary Scrooge pays his clerk. Dickens never says what the illness is.

Which Frasier star voices Sideshow Bob, the Yale-educated villain of The Simpsons?

Kelsey Grammer based the voice on stage actor Ellis Rabb. His Frasier co-stars David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney were later cast as Bob's brother and father.

Which British-born Bob hosted the Academy Awards a record 19 times and made 57 USO tours?

Bob Hope entertained military personnel around the world for half a century, from 1941 to 1991. In 1997 Congress made him an honorary veteran of the Armed Forces.

Which typeface was designed for Microsoft Bob, a friendlier Windows interface of 1995 dropped within a year?

Comic Sans was finished too late to ship with Microsoft Bob. Designer Vincent Connare drew it after seeing the program's cartoon characters speak in formal Times New Roman.

Who plays Silent Bob, the mostly mute sidekick of Jay first seen in the 1994 film Clerks?

Kevin Smith created the pair for his own films, and they are the only characters to appear in every film of his View Askewniverse. Jason Mewes plays the talkative Jay.

Which Bob played Danny Tanner on Full House while hosting America's Funniest Home Videos?

Bob Saget was also the unseen narrator of How I Met Your Mother, voicing the older Ted Mosby across all nine seasons of the sitcom.

Which Bob, singer of the Boomtown Rats, co-organised the 1985 charity concert Live Aid for famine relief?

Bob Geldof organised the concert with Midge Ure, a year after the pair formed the charity supergroup Band Aid. He was granted an honorary knighthood in 1986 for his work in Africa.

Which Bob broke the long jump world record by 55 centimetres at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics?

Bob Beamon was unfamiliar with metric measurements, so the distance meant little until a teammate converted it. His legs then gave way, and the record stood for almost 23 years.

In What About Bob?, which actor plays Bob Wiley, a patient who follows his therapist on vacation?

Bill Murray plays the neurotic, multiphobic Bob opposite Richard Dreyfuss as his egotistical psychotherapist. The comedy was directed by Frank Oz.

In Bob the Builder, who is Bob's business partner, working alongside machines such as Scoop, Muck and Lofty?

Wendy keeps the business in order and organises the tools and equipment. The show's theme song became a million-selling number one hit in the UK.

Which Bob, a Kansas senator badly wounded in World War II, was the Republican nominee for president in 1996?

Bob Dole was hit by German fire in Italy in April 1945, which shattered his collarbone and part of his spine. He resigned from the Senate during the 1996 campaign.

Which Bob, a Washington Post reporter, broke much of the Watergate story with colleague Carl Bernstein?

Bob Woodward had joined the paper only the year before the 1972 burglary. He applied for the job while taking graduate courses in Shakespeare and international relations.

Which Bob, a former accountant, won the Album of the Year Grammy with a record of comedy monologues?

Bob Newhart's debut, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, reached number one on the Billboard album chart in 1960. His first Emmy came decades later, for The Big Bang Theory.

In the 2015 film Minions, Bob and two fellow Minions break into which landmark to steal the crown?

The Tower of London break-in ends in a chase in which Bob pulls the Sword in the Stone free and is made king. He later abdicates in favour of the villain Scarlet.

Which Bob played the bumbling first mate on Gilligan's Island after portraying beatnik Maynard G. Krebs?

Bob Denver kept returning to the role long after the series ended in 1967, in movies, guest spots and an animated version. Maynard was the best friend of Dobie Gillis.

Which Detroit rocker named Bob formed the Silver Bullet Band and recorded Old Time Rock and Roll?

Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll peaked at only No. 28 on the Hot 100, then found a second life when Tom Cruise danced to it in his underwear in Risky Business.

Which Bob was long credited as the sole creator of Batman, before writer Bill Finger was officially recognised?

Bob Kane drew the first story, while Finger wrote it and suggested the cowl, the scalloped cape and the darker colours. DC named Finger a co-creator only in 2015.

Which Bob won an Oscar for directing Cabaret, plus Tony and Emmy awards, all in 1973?

Bob Fosse took the Tonys for directing and choreographing Pippin and the Emmys for Liza Minnelli's television special Liza with a Z. Nobody else has won all three in the same year.

Which Bob played detective Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mario in Super Mario Bros.?

Bob Hoskins later called the 1993 video game film the worst thing he ever did. He often played Americans, and earned an Oscar nomination for the British crime drama Mona Lisa.

Which Bob wrote for Saturday Night Live before playing lawyer Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad?

Bob Odenkirk created the motivational speaker Matt Foley for Chris Farley, a character later reprised on SNL. He had won two Emmys for comedy writing long before his dramatic fame.

Which crooner plays Broadway star Bob Wallace opposite Danny Kaye in the 1954 musical White Christmas?

Bing Crosby had introduced the title song twelve years earlier in the film Holiday Inn. The story was written for him and Fred Astaire, who dropped out after reading the script.

Bob Ewell is found dead after trying to murder the Finch children in which American novel?

To Kill a Mockingbird ends with the reclusive Boo Radley carrying the injured Jem home. The sheriff's official report says Ewell fell on his own knife.

Which sitcom features Bob Vance, owner of Vance Refrigeration and husband of saleswoman Phyllis?

The Office made his firm a neighbouring tenant of paper company Dunder Mifflin in the same business park. He often plugs the company when he introduces himself.

Which Bob posted a 1.12 ERA for the Cardinals in 1968, a year before baseball lowered the pitcher's mound?

Bob Gibson then struck out 17 batters in Game 1 of that year's World Series. He had briefly played basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters before choosing baseball.

Which Bob, nicknamed the Houdini of the Hardwood, won six NBA titles as the Boston Celtics' point guard?

Bob Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight straight seasons, using no-look and behind-the-back passes in a league then dominated by low post scorers and set shooters.

Which Bob coached Indiana to an undefeated 1976 title season and once threw a chair across the court?

Bob Knight, nicknamed the General, won 902 Division I games, a record when he retired. He also coached the United States men to Olympic gold in 1984.

Which Bob, as Australia's prime minister, all but declared a public holiday after the 1983 America's Cup win?

Bob Hawke said on air that bosses should not sack anyone who failed to turn up for work that day. The former Rhodes Scholar won four elections in a row for Labor.

Which Bob, as Disney chief executive, led the purchases of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm?

Bob Iger once dreamed of being a news anchor and spent five months as a local TV weatherman. He bought Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012.

Which Bob invented the first commercial synthesizer, which debuted in 1964 under his surname?

Bob Moog had been designing and selling theremins for years before the synthesizer. His portable Minimoog of 1970 has been described as the most famous synthesizer in history.

Which Bob, a .200 career hitter, was dubbed Mr. Baseball by Johnny Carson and became a Brewers announcer?

Bob Uecker turned a modest playing career into comedy and played announcer Harry Doyle in the film Major League and its two sequels. He called Milwaukee's games for 54 seasons.

Which star of The Goonies plays Bob Newby in the second season of the Netflix series Stranger Things?

Sean Astin made his film debut as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies. He later played Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Which rock singer plays Bob, a former bodybuilder the narrator meets at a support group in Fight Club?

Meat Loaf wore a weighted fat harness for the part. The narrator meets his character at a testicular cancer group that a doctor suggests he attend to see real pain.

In VeggieTales, Bob the Tomato leads the show alongside Larry, who is which kind of vegetable?

A cucumber and a tomato have no limbs, which suited creator Phil Vischer: his early 3D software made arms, legs, hair and clothes hard to animate. His first test model was a candy bar.

Bob Evans founded his restaurant chain after making which food on his Ohio farm for a 12-stool diner?

Sausage good enough for his diner was hard to find, so he made his own from his own hogs. The shed was built open-ended so it could store machinery if the business failed.

Which actor voices both burger cook Bob Belcher and the secret agent Sterling Archer?

H. Jon Benjamin was named male comedy performer of the year at Vulture's TV Awards in 2014 for the two roles. He also voiced Coach McGuirk in Home Movies.

Which Bob, a Cleveland pitcher who debuted at 17, joined the Navy two days after Pearl Harbor?

Bob Feller was the first American professional athlete to enlist after the attack, and he missed more than three seasons serving aboard the battleship USS Alabama. He still threw three no-hitters.