Bob Elliott (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Robert Brackett "Bob" Elliott (born March 26, 1923) is an American
actor
and comedian
, formerly one-half of the comedy duo
of Bob and Ray
. He is the father of comedian/actor Chris Elliott
and the grandfather of Saturday Night Live
cast member Abby Elliott
.
. These were in different series and time slots over decades.
On television, Elliott and Goulding hosted The Bob and Ray show from 1951 to 1953. Elliott appeared on a number of other television programs, including Happy Days
; Newhart
; and Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda in 1979 (with Goulding, Jane Curtin
, Laraine Newman
and Gilda Radner
). He also appeared on radio with Garrison Keillor
in The American Radio Company of the Air.
In 1989, Elliott co-authored his son's mock autobiography, Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father. The junior Elliott satirized celebrity tell-all biographies by writing completely fictional and highly-sensationalized tales of his childhood as the son of a famous comedian. The concept of the book is that the publisher's attorneys had insisted that Chris allow his father to write every other chapter of the book, so that Bob could rebut any "factual errors" Chris might have made in the preceding chapter. In his first "rebuttal" chapter, Bob professes not to have understood anything Chris wrote; he proceeds to use this and all subsequent chapters to talk about the summer he's having at his vacation cottage in Maine instead, employing the familiar Bob and Ray style of dry wit.
In 1990, Elliott portrayed Fred Peterson in the television series Get a Life
, which starred his real-life son Chris Elliott
as his son in the show.
In 1994, Elliott appeared in the Tim Burton
–produced film Cabin Boy
, where he played his real-life son's father once again.
In 2004, he appeared in a skit on the Air America
radio program The O'Franken Factor. He revived his classic character of field reporter Wally Ballou, interviewing international air travelers delayed at Heathrow Airport by post-9/11 security measures.
Bob and Ray writer Raymond Knight
died in 1953. In 1954, Bob Elliott married Knight's widow, Lee, creating a comedic lineage that spans three centuries and four generations, from Raymond Knight and Bob Elliott to Chris Elliott
and his daughter, Abby Elliott
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, formerly one-half of the comedy duo
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
of Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades. Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as...
. He is the father of comedian/actor Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
and the grandfather of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
cast member Abby Elliott
Abby Elliott
Abigail "Abby" Elliott is an American actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Life and career:...
.
Life and career
Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Gail M. and Fred Russell Elliott. On radio, Elliott did countless programs with his long-time partner Ray GouldingRay Goulding
Raymond Walter Goulding was an American comedian, who, together with Bob Elliott formed the comedy duo of Bob and Ray....
. These were in different series and time slots over decades.
On television, Elliott and Goulding hosted The Bob and Ray show from 1951 to 1953. Elliott appeared on a number of other television programs, including Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
; Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
; and Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda in 1979 (with Goulding, Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
, Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman is an American comedienne, actress, and writer, and was part of the original Saturday Night Live cast.-Personal life:...
and Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
). He also appeared on radio with Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
in The American Radio Company of the Air.
In 1989, Elliott co-authored his son's mock autobiography, Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father. The junior Elliott satirized celebrity tell-all biographies by writing completely fictional and highly-sensationalized tales of his childhood as the son of a famous comedian. The concept of the book is that the publisher's attorneys had insisted that Chris allow his father to write every other chapter of the book, so that Bob could rebut any "factual errors" Chris might have made in the preceding chapter. In his first "rebuttal" chapter, Bob professes not to have understood anything Chris wrote; he proceeds to use this and all subsequent chapters to talk about the summer he's having at his vacation cottage in Maine instead, employing the familiar Bob and Ray style of dry wit.
In 1990, Elliott portrayed Fred Peterson in the television series Get a Life
Get a Life (TV series)
Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...
, which starred his real-life son Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
as his son in the show.
In 1994, Elliott appeared in the Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
–produced film Cabin Boy
Cabin Boy
Cabin Boy is a 1994 fantasy comedy film directed by Adam Resnick and produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Adam Resnick...
, where he played his real-life son's father once again.
In 2004, he appeared in a skit on the Air America
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
radio program The O'Franken Factor. He revived his classic character of field reporter Wally Ballou, interviewing international air travelers delayed at Heathrow Airport by post-9/11 security measures.
Bob and Ray writer Raymond Knight
Raymond Knight (radio)
Raymond Knight was an actor, comedian and comedy writer, best known as a pioneer in satirical humor for network radio....
died in 1953. In 1954, Bob Elliott married Knight's widow, Lee, creating a comedic lineage that spans three centuries and four generations, from Raymond Knight and Bob Elliott to Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
and his daughter, Abby Elliott
Abby Elliott
Abigail "Abby" Elliott is an American actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Life and career:...
.