Suzanne Pleshette, Star Of The Bob Newhart Show, Dies

“Goodnight, Emily.” That’s the way many episodes of The Bob Newhart Show ended: with Newhart, in bed, turning to his TV wife, Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette. It was the best known role in the long career enjoyed by the beloved and bawdy actress, who, after being bid goodnight by friends and family over the past few weeks, died yesterday at her home in Los Angeles following a long bout with lung cancer. She was 70.

” Among her screen credits are “40 Pounds of Trouble,” “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium,” “Support Your Local Gunfighter,” “The Shaggy D.A.,” “The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin,” “The Ugly Dachshund” and “Blackbeard’s Ghost,” said an excellent tribute in the Los Angeles Times.

“Pleshette, however, is best remembered for playing what New York Times critic Frank Rich once described as “the sensible yet woolly wife” on “The Bob Newhart Show,” which ran from 1972 to 1978. Her role as Emily earned her two Emmy nominations.

“Pleshette retired from acting after marrying her second husband, wealthy businessman Tom Gallagher, in 1968. She told TV Guide in 1972 that after she’d been hanging around the house for six months, “my loving husband said, ‘You’re getting to be awfully boring. Go back to work.’ ”

Watch numerous full episodes of The Bob Newhart Show by clicking here, and read the entire L.A. Times obituary here.