Bob Elliott (comedian)
| Bob Elliott | |
|---|---|
 Elliott at right with Ray Goulding on Monitor in 1960. | |
| Born |
Robert Brackett Elliott March 26, 1923 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1951–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Lee Peppers (1954-present); 5 children |
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 former Saturday Night Live cast member Abby Elliott.
Life and career
Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Gail Marguarite (née Brackett), a needleworker, and Fred Russell Elliott, who worked in insurance. On radio, he appeared in programs with his long-time partner Ray Goulding. These were in different series and time slots over decades, beginning in the late 1940s at Boston's WHDH radio when the two were first paired for Matinee with Bob and Ray, simply because it sounded better than "Matinob with Ray and Bob".
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 appeared on radio with Garrison Keillor in The American Radio Company of the Air. Bob and Ray writer Raymond Knight died in 1953. In 1954, Elliott married Knight's widow, Lee.
In 1989, Elliott co-authored his son's mock autobiography, Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father. 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. Four years later, the elder 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.
External links
Media related to Bob Elliott at Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Elliott at the Internet Movie Database
- Larry Josephson's official Bob and Ray site
- Portland Monthly: Elliott family life in Maine
- New York Times article about the Elliot family
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