Bob Hope net worth is
$150 Million
Bob Hope Wiki Biography
An athlete, author, singer, comedian and actor, Leslie Townes Hope was born on 29 May 1903 in the suburban district of Eltham, London. Bob Hope had a career that spanned almost 80 years, appearing in more than 70 shorts and films and hosting Academy Awards 14 times. He also appeared in numerous television roles and stage productions, not to mention publishing a total of fourteen books. ‘Thanks for the Memory,’ is one of his hit songs that is regarded by many as his signature tune. He died on 27 July 2003.
So, how wealthy was Bob Hope by the time of his death? What was his net worth? Sources point out that Bob Hope was a wealthy individual with a net worth estimated to be more than $150 million. His involvement in comedy, acting and writing contributed hugely to his wealth, making him one of the richest celebrities in his time.
Bob Hope Net Worth $150 Million
Bob Hope was born to William Hope and Avis Townes as the fifth of seven children. In 1908, his family boarded SS Philadelphia and immigrated to the U.S., settling in Cleveland, Ohio. From the age of 12, he earned a few dollars performing comedy, dancing and singing along the Lunar Park area. He entered some amateur dancing and talent contests as Lester Hope, winning a prize in 1915 for impersonating Charlie Chaplin. As a kid, he joined the Boy’s Industrial School located in Lancaster, Ohio.
In his early 20s, Bob worked as a lineman and also a butcher’s assistant, before finally getting into the show business, when Fatty Arbuckle, a silent film comedian, noticed him in 1925. In 1929, he changed his first name from Leslie to Bob, a name believed to be of a racer driver called Bob Burman. In 1934, he started performing on radio, switching to TV when the medium became more popular in the 50s. In 1954, he started doing TV specials, including hosting 18 Academy Awards between 1941-1978.
In film, Bob hope signed a lucrative contract with Educational Pictures for six films, starting with a comedy called ‘Going Spanish’ that was released in 1934. He signed another deal with Warner Brothers, performing Broadways shows and making movies. In 1938, he was signed by Paramount Pictures and he moved to Hollywood to make the film ‘The Big Broadcast of 1938.’ His signature song ‘Thanks for the Memory’ was first introduced in that film. As a film star, Bob is best known for starring in the ‘Road’ series of comedies with Bing Crosby, such as ‘My Favorite,’ ‘Road to Singapore,’ ‘Road to Morocco,’ ‘Road to Zanzibar,’ ‘Road to Rio,’ and ‘Road to Utopia.’ Between the years 1938 and1972, he also starred in over 50 theatrical features and short films. Beginning April 1960, Hope also did numerous specials for NBC.
When the World War II started in September 1939, Bob volunteered to perform to the passengers of RMS Queen Mary. On 6 May 1941, he performed the first USO show at March Field, California. He then travelled with troops, entertaining them as they went to fight during World War II, Vietnam War, Korean War and the last phase of the Lebanese Civil War. This made him extremely popular and loved, plus increasing his net worth.
When it comes to honors and awards, Bob Hope was one of the most recognized actors of his time. In his career he was rewarded with more than 2,000 awards and honors, which include an amazing 54 honorary doctorates. President John F. Kennedy gave him the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal in 1963 for his service to the country. He was bestowed another award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Lyndon Johnson in 1969 for services he had committed to do for the armed forces throughout USO. Other notable awards he received include Jefferson’s Awards, National Medal of Arts, and five Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences honorary Awards.
In his personal life, Bob Hope married his first wife, Grace Louise Troxell, in January 1933, but the couple divorced after one year (1934). In February that same year, he married Dolores Reade, and the two adopted four children: Eleanora, Kelly, Tony and Linda. They lived first in Manhattan before moving to Toluca Lake, California in 1937, where they lived until the time of his death.
Bob hope remained in great health until his old age, when he admitted to hospital due to gastrointestinal bleeding and later pneumonia. On 27 July 2003, he succumbed to pneumonia while at his home located in Toluca Lake.
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Established the Bob Hope Home for Disabled Children in Port Arthur, TX. He also contributed towards its expansion. |
| 2 | Along with George Burns and Señor Wences, he is one of three The Muppet Show (1976) guest stars to live to be 100 years old. |
| 3 | In 1998 he was interviewed in “The Great Comedians Talk About Comedy” by Larry Wilde. |
| 4 | He got his big break in feature films when Jack Benny turned down a role in The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) and it was given to him instead. |
| 5 | Was friends with comedienne Vicki Lawrence. She was a veteran from his USO shows and Hope worked with her in The Carol Burnett Show (1967). He guest=starred twice on Vicki’s own talk show, Vicki! (1992). |
| 6 | Hope first met Bing Crosby when they were both playing New York’s Capitol Theater in 1932. He first met Dorothy Lamour when she was a cocktail singer at New York’s Hotel One Fifth Avenue in the same year. |
| 7 | In addition to the three theaters cited as bearing Hope’s name, Alumni Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, houses the Bob Hope Performing Arts Center. |
| 8 | After his death in 2003, an airport in Burbank, CA, was named “Bob Hope Airport” in his memory. |
| 9 | Introduced two Oscar-winning songs: “Thanks for the Memory” from The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) (music by Ralph Rainger, lyrics by Leo Robin) and “Buttons and Bows” from The Paleface (1948) (music by Jay Livingston, lyrics by Ray Evans). |
| 10 | Pictured on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp issued 29 May 2009, Hope’s 106th birthday. The two official first-day-of-issue postmarks for the stamp feature caricatures by cartoonist Al Hirschfeld. |
| 11 | His mother’s name was Agnes Townes (she was a concert singer). He had many brothers, including Jack Hope (1898 – 1962) who was his personal manager. James Hope was Director of Hope Enterprises. Ivor Hope (? – 1969) was President of Hope Metal Products. George Hope (? – 1969) was a production company coordinator. Two more brothers were Sidney Hope (? – 1946) and Frederick Hope. |
| 12 | Biography in: “The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives”. Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 256-258. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. |
| 13 | In 1969 he was worth in excess of $150 million, largely as a result of shrewd business and real estate investments. |
| 14 | Once remarked the only place where he could walk unrecognized was in the People’s Republic of China. However, even then a Chinese man still recognized him from one of his movies from before the Chinese Revolution. |
| 15 | Retired from show business at the age of 93 after filming Bob Hope’s Bag Full of Christmas Memories (1993). |
| 16 | Despite a well documented reputation for frugality, Hope is believed to have donated an estimated $1 billion to charity. |
| 17 | At the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, Hope released a statement saying he wished he could go there to entertain the troops, but that his doctors would not allow him. |
| 18 | Hospitalized with pneumonia and respiratory problems in August 2001. A week after he left hospital on 4 September, Hope and his wife released a joint statement expressing their horror at the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. |
| 19 | Hospitalized with gastro-intestinal bleeding in June 2000. Although he received a blood transfusion after the bleeding in his colon was stopped, no surgery was performed. |
| 20 | He bought several acres of prime real estate in Rancho Mirage, CA, to build a racetrack. He later decided a medical center was needed in the area instead, so he donated the land to build Eisenhower Medical Center, which is now rated as among the top 100 hospitals in America. A medical building on the campus is named for him and contains statues of he and wife Dolores Hope in the lobby. Another medical building next door is called “Hope Square”. |
| 21 | There is a major street in Rancho Mirage, CA, named after him. Bob Hope Drive crosses Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford, Ginger Rogers and Dinah Shore Drives. |
| 22 | In November of 1948, when President Harry S. Truman scored his upset presidential election victory, Hope sent him a one-word telegram: “Unpack”. Truman was so amused by it he kept it in his desk in the Oval Office. |
| 23 | He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party. |
| 24 | Attended the funeral of his friend of more than 40 years, former President Richard Nixon, on April 27, 1994. |
| 25 | Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1983. |
| 26 | On his wartime USO tours he had one ironclad rule that he insisted his fellow performers follow: under no circumstances were they allowed to cry when visiting wounded soldiers in military hospitals. This was often difficult given the amount of suffering they saw, but he told his performers that it was their duty to always smile and provide laughs and good cheer for the troops. According to Hope, he broke his own rule only once. While visiting an army hospital in Italy in 1943, he stopped at the bedside of a wounded soldier who had been in a coma for two months. The soldier suddenly opened his eyes and said, “Hey, Bob Hope! When did you get here?” He had to leave the hospital room to keep the troops from seeing his tears, but he returned a few hours later to present the soldier with his Purple Heart medal. |
| 27 | He and best friend Bing Crosby were planning to make one last “road” picture in early 1977, but Bing died before filming. Bob was so broken up about Bing’s death that he couldn’t sleep for days on end. He stated that it was one of the worst times of his life and that his wife was his rock who got him through the tough time. |
| 28 | Was briefly a professional boxer. He fought under the name Packy East. |
| 29 | As a young comedian, he won a Charles Chaplin look-alike contest in Cleveland. |
| 30 | According to Hope’s biographer Arthur Marx, son of comedian Groucho Marx, Hope married his vaudeville partner of five years, Grace Louise Troxell, on 25 January 1933, although they divorced soon afterwards. Hope denied that they had actually married. |
| 31 | Hosted the Academy Awards in 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945 (alongside John Cromwell), 1946 (alongside James Stewart), 1953 (alongside Conrad Nagel), 1955 (alongside Thelma Ritter), 1958 (alongside James Stewart, David Niven, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell and “Donald Duck”), 1959 (alongside Jerry Lewis, David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Mort Sahl and Tony Randall), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1975 (alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra) and finally in 1978. |
| 32 | He was one of the richest movie stars, ranking in the top ten highest salaried stars continuously from 1941-53 [except for 1948]. |
| 33 | Awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson on his last day in office, January 20, 1969. |
| 34 | Awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President John F. Kennedy at the White House on September 11, 1963. Only two other entertainers–George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin–were similarly honored. |
| 35 | He is among the select few non-band members who have had the honor of dotting the “i” during The Ohio State University Marching Band’s ‘Script Ohio’ routine. This is considered the greatest honor the band can bestow to any non-band person and is an extremely special (and rare) event. |
| 36 | At 69 years, his marriage to Dolores Hope held the record for the longest Hollywood marriage when he passed away in 2003. It has since been passed by the marriage of Art Linkletter to Lois Foerster. They were married November 25, 1935. |
| 37 | Was a supporter of Valley Forge Military Academy & Junior College in Wayne, PA. He has the “Bob Hope Five-Star Award for Distinguished Service to the United States of America” named in his honor. |
| 38 | Biography in: “Who’s Who in Comedy” by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 219-222. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 |
| 39 | The Bob Hope USO Center is named after him. |
| 40 | In 1997 the U.S. Air Force honored Hope by naming a cargo plane “The Spirit of Bob Hope” after him. |
| 41 | In 1997 Congress named Hope an honorary U.S. veteran, citing his decades of entertaining troops around the world. He is the only person to receive that distinction. |
| 42 | Has a ship named after him: USNS Bob Hope. |
| 43 | Brother Jack Hope sometimes served as producer of Bob’s shows; his memoir “I Owe Russia $1200” is dedicated to Jack’s memory. |
| 44 | His last TV appearance with Lucille Ball was March 28, 1989 on The 61st Annual Academy Awards (1989). They received a standing ovation upon walking out on stage. Hope and Ball introduced a musical number featuring “The Stars of Tomorrow”, which included Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, and Ricki Lake. Lucille Ball passed away 28 days later on April 26, 1989. |
| 45 | In 1999 he became the first to start the tradition of the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Disneyland. Afterwards, he and wife Dolores Hope drove their own golf cart down Main Street, through Frontier Land to Club 33 for dinner. |
| 46 | Wrote several books about his experiences over the years, including “I Owe Russia $1200”, about his Soviet tour in early 1962; “Confessions of a Hooker”, about his lifelong passion for golf; and “Don’t Shoot, It’s Only Me!”, about his many overseas trips to entertain U.S. troops over the years. |
| 47 | Graduated from Fairmount High School in Cleveland, OH. |
| 48 | First show-business job was as a dancer in the Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle vaudeville revue at the Bandbox Theater in Cleveland, OH, in 1924. Arbuckle recommended Hope and his partner Lloyd Durbin to producer Fred Hurley, who hired them for his popular revue, “Hurley’s Jolly Follies.” While on tour with Hurley, Durbin ate a piece of tainted coconut custard pie and died a few days later. Dancer George Byrne replaced him. |
| 49 | Was incorrectly declared dead several times since retiring from the public eye. On the most infamous occasion in 1998, a wire service accidentally posted a pre-written obituary to a Web page. A member of the US House of Representatives saw this bogus news flash and announced Hope’s death during a session at the Capitol. Hope learned he was dead when a reporter called his home asking for a statement. According to family members, Hope took this mistake in good humor. |
| 50 | He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. |
| 51 | Has three theaters named after him–London, CA, and on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. |
| 52 | Was the first honoree of the “‘Dean Martin’ Celebrity Roasts” series on October 30, 1974. The Celebrity Roasts had begun in the last season (1973-74) of The Dean Martin Show (1965) and were so popular that after that show went off the air, the “Celebrity Roasts” continued as specials. |
| 53 | His grandfather lived to 99 years, 11 months, and 25 days. |
| 54 | Spent his 99th birthday–29 May 2002–at home in Toluca Lake, CA. Wife Dolores Hope’s 93rd birthday was just two days before. Los Angeles National Cemetery dedicated veterans’ chapel in his name to salute his lifetime of service entertaining U.S. troops. |
| 55 | Wife Dolores Hope was born 27th May 1909. She and Bob celebrated their birthdays on 28th May every year–splitting the difference between their respective real birthdays. |
| 56 | Appointed an honorary CBE in 1976. |
| 57 | In a mostly ad-libbed skit for a TV show, Hope joked with Jimmy Durante about the size of his own nose. Durante quipped “When it comes to noses, you’re a retailer. I’m a wholesaler!” |
| 58 | He changed his name from Leslie to Bob, because in school they would call the roll as ‘Hope, Leslie’ and classmates shortened it to hopeless. |
| 59 | He was the only entertainer to have complete carte blanche to walk on whenever he felt like it on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). |
| 60 | His golf buddy was Prescott Bush, the father and grandfather of presidents George Bush and George W. Bush. |
| 61 | He entertained 11 different Presidents, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt and ending with Bill Clinton. |
| 62 | Entertained U.S. troops starting 6th May 1941, and became the first to be named an “honorary veteran” by Congress. |
| 63 | Received 58 honorary degrees. |
| 64 | Served as United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) Entertainment Coordinator from 1941-2001. Retired his post at age 98 in favor of Wayne Newton. |
| 65 | Holds two entries in “The Guinness Book of World Records”. One is for having the distinction of being the entertainer with “the longest running contract with a single network–spanning 61 years”. The second is for being the “most honored entertainer”, with over 1500 awards. |
| 66 | In the 1950s he was a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. His guest appearance in I Love Lucy (1951) centered around his attending a Yankees-Indians game at Yankee Stadium. |
| 67 | In 1998 he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. |
| 68 | Has entertained the troops overseas in every war from WWII to the Gulf War |
| 69 | Has four adopted children: Eleanora Avis “Nora”, Anthony, Linda Hope and Kelly Hope. |
| 70 | In 1995 he was presented the National Medal of Arts: presented by President Bill Clinton. |
| 71 | Winner of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985. |
| 72 | In 1959 he was awarded the Emmy Trustees’ Award “for bringing the great gift of laughter to all peoples of all nations; for selflessly entertaining American troops throughout the world over many years; and for making TV finer by these deeds and by the consistently high quality of his TV programs through the years”. |
| 73 | ABC-TV Network News Poll, A&E Biography Viewers Poll, as well as magazine and newspaper ‘century roundups’ have proclaimed Hope as the “Entertainer of the 20th Century.” |
