Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, and entertainer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films — 54 in which he starred. These included a series of seven Road to... musical comedy films with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner.
In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, Hope appeared in many stage productions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" was his signature tune.
Hope was born in the Eltham district of southeast London. He arrived in the United States with his family at the age of four, and grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. After a brief stint in the late 1910s as a boxer, Hope began his career in show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, before acting on Broadway. Hope began appearing on radio and in films starting in 1934. He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes that were often self-deprecating. He helped establish modern American stand-up comedy.
Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining active duty U.S. military personnel around the world. In 1997, the United States Congress passed a bill that made Hope an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. Hope appeared in numerous television specials for NBC during his career and was one of the first users of cue cards.
Hope retired from public life in 1998 and died on July 27, 2003, at the age of 100.
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Screen Actors
Bob Hope: Laughing With the Presidents
Bob Hope's USO Christmas in Beirut
Watch the Birdie
Bob Hope's Bag Full of Christmas Memories
Roberta
Is Everybody Listening?
Bob Hope: The Road to Laughter
Radio Star - Die AFN-StoryMurderers, Mobsters, & Madmen: Volume 6: Hollywood Police Files
Bob Hope's Love Affair with Lucy
Just a Song and DanceA Masterpiece of MurderAll Star Party for Clint Eastwood
Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny
Derby Fever USA
The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special
The Great Radio ComediansJack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
Road to Home
Don't Hook Now
Legendary Christmas Entertainers
100 Years of Hope and HumorEntertaining the Troops: Bob Hope & the USO
Television: The First Fifty YearsBehind The Music: The Day The Music Died
Bob Hope: The First 90 Years
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
It's Ho-Ho Hope's Jolly Christmas Hour
Bob Hope on the Road to China
The Royal Variety Performance 1977
Bob Hope's World of ComedyTexaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television
Today: While You Were Away (1964-1973 Retrospective)
Festival at Ford's
Bob Hope Comedy SpecialMurder at N.B.C.
Bob Hope: The Vietnam Years 1964-1972Talking Comedy