Bob Hope is an American comic theater actor and character film actor, radio and television presenter, vaudeville writer, singer, dancer, athlete, and Academy Awards host. Real name - Leslie Towns Hope.
Biography
Hope was born on May 29, 1903 in London, in a terraced house on Creighton Road in Well Hall. Father William Henry Hope was a simple bricklayer, an Englishman from Weston-Super-Maine. Somerset's mother, Alice, of Welsh nationality, worked as an opera singer at Barry.
In 1908, Hope's parents moved to the United States, to Cleveland, Ohio. At the new location, Leslie Towns attended an industrial school for boys in Lancaster, Ohio for a while. Subsequently, when Hope becomes rich, he will generously sponsor this institution.
At the age of 12, Leslie Towns began performing in variety shows. At the same age, he began to earn pocket money for himself speaking in front of passers-by. The range of his performances consisted of songs, dances and comic numbers.
At 16 he tried himself as a boxer, but his career in the ring quickly bored Hope. Acting under the pseudonym Packy East, he fought only 4 fights with a score of 3 wins to 1 loss. However, the experience gained in the ring was later useful to Leslie Townes when he performed at charity fights.
To make his way to the big stage and cinema screens, Hope entered every talent competition he could find. In 1916, he even won a competition to imitate Charlie Chaplin. He started earning a living early by trying the professions of a butcher and lineman in a car company.
When he turned 18, he took a job at the Banbox Theater in Cleveland as a comedian and vaudeville dancer. A few years later he moved to New York, took part in the production of several famous musicals on Broadway.
In 1921, Leslie Townes had an accident: he was sitting on a tree, which, together with a young man, collapsed to the ground. Hope smashed his entire face, but by a happy coincidence, surgeons were able to reconstruct his appearance. Leslie Towns' face took on a rather bizarre appearance as a result of the injury, which subsequently contributed to his career as a character actor.
In 1929, Leslie Towns decided to change his name and chose a new name for himself, Bob. At first unofficially, but after a few years, everyone but the closest ones forgot that Bob is Hope's fake name. According to one version, Bob took this name in honor of the then famous race car driver Bob Berman. His real name, Leslie Towns, was last mentioned in a legal document dated 1942.
Since 1934 he began to appear on radio and film screens. In 1938, he successfully starred in films for the first time. In the same year he began working as a radio host. His role is as a grotesque actor, making fun of films of various genres. He had the face of a clown, the witticism of a traveling salesman, and the vulgarity of a jester.
In the 50s he began working in television. Has played roles in over 80 short and feature films. Hope has starred in 54 feature films. In the 60s, he became one of the most famous TV presenters in the United States.
In 1966, Hope purchases the Corriganville ranch for filming, but in 1975 it almost completely burns down. In 1979, a second fire breaks out on it, which finally destroys all the surviving buildings. However, in 1988, the City Hall of Simi Valley buys the land from Hope and rebuilds the ranch into a public park.
From 1939 to 1977, Bob hosted the Academy Awards 19 times, more than any other presenter, participated in numerous stage and television productions, was the author of 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" became the most famous song in the USA and around the world, written to the music of Hope.
During his career on United Military Organizations (USO), Hope has performed in front of the US Army numerous times, including 57 concerts in conflict areas. For services to the US Armed Forces, he was awarded the Gene Hersholt Award and the title of Veteran of the US Armed Forces.
Hope has frequently acted as a professional golfer and boxer and owned a stake in the Cleveland Indians baseball team.
Personal life
Bob Hope has been married several times.
He first got married in 1933. His chosen one was vaudeville partner Grace Louis Troxell, a secretary from Chicago who came to try herself as a star. But after 22 months, the couple broke up. The marriage was doomed from the very beginning: Bob and his girlfriend signed up for dance lessons, and three days later he proposed to her. Such a hasty choice could not lead to a long-term relationship.
In 1934 he married a second time to the singer and philanthropist Dolores Hope. Their marriage was full of confusion for outsiders. For example, both spouses claimed to be married in February 1934, but Bob divorced his first wife in November of this year. It turns out that he was either lying or was a bigamist.
It is also known for certain that there is not a single document in any archives confirming the marriage of Dolores and Hope. There are no wedding photos either. Bob's biographers have accurately established that he sent money to his first wife for at least a year after his divorce.
During their second marriage, the couple adopted four children: Linda in 1939, Tony in 1940, Kelly in 1946 and Nora (Eleanor) in 1946. Subsequently, Bob and Dolores also became legal guardians of Tracy, the daughter of Bernard Shore, the well-known owner of Tootsie salons and restaurants in New York.
He retired in 1997. He died on July 27, 2003 in California, USA, at his home on the shores of Lake Toluc in Los Angeles. At the time of his death, he was 100 years old and 2 months old. His wife Dolores died on May 27, 2003 at the age of 102.
Best Bob Hope Movies
Swing School is a 1938 musical comedy starring Gracie Allen and George Burns.
The Road to Singapore is a 1940 musical comedy directed by Viktor Scherzinger. The film stars Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.
The Road to Zanzibar (1941) is a sequel to The Road to Singapore, a musical comedy by the same director with the same cast. By the decision of the National Council of Film Critics of the United States, the picture was included in the top ten films of 1941.
"Road to Morocco" (1942) - the final part of the series "Roads to …". This film is already directed by David Butler, not Victor Scherzinger. The cast has not changed.
"My Favorite Brunette" (1947) is an American comedy film with elements of melodrama and parody of detective films in the genre of noir. Directed by Elliott Nangent.
