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Robert Brackett Elliott (March 26, 1923 – February 2, 2016) was an American comedian and actor, one-half of the comedy duo of
Bob and Ray Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...
. He was the father of comedian/actor Chris Elliott and grandfather of actresses and comedians Abby Elliott and Bridey Elliott. He is most remembered for the character of radio reporter Wally Ballou.


Life and career

Elliott was born in
Winchester, Massachusetts Winchester is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 8.2 miles (13.2 km) north of downtown Boston as part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It is also one of the List of Massachusetts locations by per capit ...
, the son of Gail Marguarite (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Brackett), a needleworker, and Fred Russell Elliott, who worked in insurance. Bob Elliott served in the U.S. Army in Northern Europe during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. 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 on the show ''Matinee with Bob and Ray''. On television, Elliott and Goulding hosted ''
Bob and Ray Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...
'' from 1951 to 1953. He appeared on a number of other television programs, including ''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
''; ''
Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respe ...
''; and ''Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda'' in 1979 (with Goulding, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner); '' The David Steinberg Show''; and ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. In 1982, Elliott was in '' Author! Author!'' as Patrick Dicker. He would star in made-for-TV-Movie's such as '' Between Time and Timbuktu'' and ''FDR: A One Man Show''. Elliott also made television commercials, and co-wrote some humor articles with Ray Goulding for '' Mad Magazine'' in the 1950s. In 1970, the duo debuted in ''The Two and Only'' on Broadway. Bob and Goulding worked together up until Goulding's death in 1990.


Solo works

In 1990, Elliott portrayed a bank guard in ''
Quick Change ''Quick Change'' is a 1990 American crime comedy film directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray (in their directorial debuts) and written by Franklin. Based on the novel of the same name by Jay Cronley, the film stars Murray, Geena Davis ...
''. In 1990, he portrayed "Fred Peterson" in the television series '' Get a Life'', which starred Chris as his son. Four years later, the elder Elliott appeared in the
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production ''
Cabin Boy A cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy or young man who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain. The modern merchant navy successor to the cabin boy is the steward's assistant. Duties Cabin boys ...
'', playing Chris's father again. In 2004, he appeared in a skit on the Air America radio program '' The O'Franken Factor''. Elliott appeared on radio with Garrison Keillor in '' The American Radio Company of the Air''.


Personal life

Elliott married Jane Underwood in 1943. They divorced in 1953, having no children. ''Bob and Ray'' writer Raymond Knight died in 1953. In 1954, Elliott married Knight's widow, Lee (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Peppers). They were married for 58 years until her death in 2012. They had two sons, Chris Elliott and Bob Elliott Jr., and one daughter, Amy Andersen. They adopted Lee and Ray Knight's two children, Colony Elliott Santangelo and Shannon Elliott. They had 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In 1989, Elliott co-authored son Chris's mock autobiography, ''Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father''.


Death

Elliott died in Cundy's Harbor, Maine on February 2, 2016, from throat cancer at the age of 92.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* *
''Portland Monthly'': Elliott family life in Maine


* Bob and Ray shows at the Internet Archive collection "Bob and Ray for the Truly Desperate" https://archive.org/details/bobandraytoaster * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Bob 1923 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American comics writers American male comedians American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors American male voice actors American radio personalities American satirists Bob Elliott Comedians from Massachusetts Deaths from cancer in Maine Deaths from throat cancer in the United States Mad (magazine) people Male actors from Boston Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Army personnel of World War II