Bob Hope

The fifth of seven sons, he was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason, while his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, an aspiring concert singer. In 1907, Leslie’s father brought the family to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1920, by virtue of his father’s naturalization, ‘Bob’ — the name by which the world would later know him — and his brothers became United States citizens. At 18, Bob persuaded his girlfriend, Mildred Rosequist, to become his dance partner. Appearing at nearby vaudeville houses, they worked their way to the princely wage of $8 a night and were ready to take their show on tour. Bob then teamed up with his friend, Lloyd Durbin. One year later, Bob teamed with George Byrne for a tour with tab shows. In 1932 Bob appeared on Broadway again in “Ballyhoo.” But Bob’s first major recognition, by critics and the public, came in 1933 for his wise-cracking role as Huckleberry Haines in the highly successful Broadway musical, “Roberta.” Bob’s personal life changed during “Roberta.” One of his co-performers in the musical, George Murphy, introduced him to a young singer, Dolores Reade, then appearing at the Vogue Club on 57th Street. After a brief courtship, the couple married in February 1934 and eventually started a family that included four children: Linda, Anthony, Nora, and Kelly. Later, four grandchildren would also be added to the family. Bob’s success in radio led him to Hollywood and a long-term contract with Paramount. The costars of his movies became the guest stars of his radio shows. Paramount had been planning a movie called “The Road to Mandalay” (later changed to “The Road to Singapore”) for George Burns and Gracie Allen. Because Burns and Allen were not available, Paramount tapped Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie — they were also overbooked. Enter Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour… and film history was made. Bob made his formal debut on NBC television Easter Sunday, 1950. In 1983 Forbes magazine put his worth at more than $200 million. In addition to owning a large percentage of his own motion-picture and television enterprises, he had extensive real-estate holdings, especially in Malibu, Palm Springs and the San Fernando Valley . He also owned an interest in two television stations and in the Cleveland Indians baseball team of the American League.