Bob Newhart won't retire at age 90: ‘I don’t think I’ll ever stop performing’

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Bob Newhart is turning the big 9-0 on Sept. 5 and the last word that’s on his mind is retirement.

“I always say, ‘What are you going to tell people: ‘I’m really tired of making people laugh?’” the actor told Closer Weekly for their latest issue currently on newsstands. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do. You go out and do a good show, and you and the audience are happy for an hour or so. People forget their troubles, pick themselves up and dust themselves off. How could you hate that? I don’t think I’ll ever stop performing. It’s in my blood.”

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“I’ve done just about everything I’ve ever thought or even didn’t think I would do,” Newhart continued. “Making people laugh is all I care about.”

Bob Newhart spoke about the lasting success of his beloved '70s series "The Bob Newhart Show." (Brian To/The Paley Center for Media)

Newhart revealed he’s eager to pass on the many lessons he learned along the way in Hollywood to his grandchildren

“My grandson, who’s 12, did stand-up the other day,” he explained. “I asked him what it was like. He said he told one joke and it worked, then he told another that didn’t work, but he went right ahead. I said, ‘That’s the secret. You’ve got to keep going and put one foot in front of the other.’”

Newhart also shared he’s loving life with his wife Ginny Newhart by his side. The couple tied the knot in 1963 and have been together ever since.

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Actor Bob Newhart and wife Ginny Newhart and comic Don Rickles and wife attend the premiere of The Russia House on December 4, 1990, at the Cineplex Odeon Cinema in Century City, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

According to the outlet, it was Buddy Hackett who introduced Newhart to Ginny when she was a babysitter to the comic’s children.

“… He said, ‘I’ve got a nice Catholic girl for you,’” Newhart recalled. “So he set us up on a blind date, and then we started dating, and we ended up getting married in 1963.”

Newhart added he never had any doubt that Ginny was the one.

“We had the same values, and we enjoyed being with each other,” he said to Closer Weekly. “She had a great sense of humor, so she had all the things I was looking for. She brings me down to Earth if I get too full of myself. Several years ago, Ginny asked me to take out the recyclables. I was feeling full of myself, so I said, ‘Do you think Angelina Jolie makes Brad Pitt take out the recyclables?’ And she said, ‘If you were Brad Pitt, I wouldn’t ask you to take out the recyclables!’”

Tim Conway, left, pictured with and Bob Newhart. (Getty)

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It also helped that Ginny was no stranger to Hollywood.

“She was an extra in movies, so we know the other side of show business,” he explained. “We didn’t go to all the A-list parties. That isn’t the way we wanted to live. It looks glamorous, but when you’re going to perform and you have to walk through the kitchen and somebody says, ‘Don’t step on that lettuce over there,’ it brings you back down to Earth. … If I could’ve afforded it, I would’ve gotten married earlier. When my first record came out and hit number one, I really didn’t have anyone to share it wit. It would’ve been great if Ginny and I could’ve shared that, but I couldn’t afford to get married.”

But life hasn’t been completely blissful for Newhart. In fact, he lost some close friends, such as Don Rickles, Mike Connors and Tim Conway in recent years. One of his sisters, Mary Joan, also passed away last year.

Don Rickles was the only comic who could get away with 'insulting' Frank Sinatra. (Reuters)

“She was a nun, and she was hoping she’d make 90,” said Newhart. “She just missed it by a couple of days, so I’m making it to 90 for her.”

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Newhart said that the deaths made him realized that spending quality time with his family is a priority, more than any gig that may come his way.

“I got some offers to appear in Chicago, which is where I’m originally from,” he told the outlet. “Then I thought to myself, ‘No, I want to be with my family on my 90th birthday.’ So we’re all getting together, and that’s the way it should be… It’s probably trite, but it’s also true: When all is said and done, and all the accolades and honors you receive, it’s all about friends and family.”

Bob Newhart (pictured) returns as Professor Proton in "The Big Bang Theory." — Photo by Darren Michaels/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (© 2014 WBEI. All rights reserved.)

Back in 2018, Newhart told The Hollywood Reporter he was grateful for his time on “The Bob Newhart Show.” The popular sitcom aired from 1972 until 1978.

“I’m very proud of the show, the cast and the writing,” he said. “Look at how long its lasted and how long people have enjoyed it. I run into people more and more who come up to me and say, ‘We used to sit as a family and watch your show.’"

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"They look upon it as a wonderful time in their life. It’s very real to them and an important part of their life. It’s nice to be remembered that you made people laugh.”