HOPE, BOB

born May 29, 1903, Eltham, near London, Eng. original name Leslie Townes Hope British-born American entertainer and actor. Hope was the fifth of seven sons of a stonemason and a former Welsh concert singer; his family immigrated to the United States when Hope was four years old. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, manifesting the first signs of his vocation when he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation contest at the age of 10. His song-and-comedy vaudeville act eventually took him to Broadway, where he appeared in The Sidewalks of New York in 1927 and landed his first substantial role, in the musical Roberta, in 1933. The popularity of his satirical radio monologues won him a part in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938 singing Thanks for the Memory, which was to become his theme song. In 1940 Hope made The Road to Singapore, creating a comic persona of transparent bravado, glib repartee, and ingratiating mediocrity. There were six other Road pictures in this popular series, all costarring Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour: The Road to Zanzibar (1941), . . . Morocco (1942), . . . Utopia (1946), . . . Rio (1947), . . . Bali (1952), and . . . Hong Kong (1962). His other comedy roles included Caught in the Draft (1941), Let's Face It (1943), The Paleface (1948), Fancy Pants (1950), and My Favorite Spy (1951). In 1944 Hope's was the top-rated program on American radio, and in 1950 he made his television debut, appearing thereafter throughout his career in highly rated specials. He was given distinguished service awards from every branch of the armed forces for his more than 40 USO-sponsored Christmas tours to entertain U.S. troops. He was made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire and received a People to People Award from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Congressional Gold Medal from President John F. Kennedy, and the Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon B. Johnson. He received special Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for humanitarian service in 1940, 1944, 1952, 1959, and 1965. He was the author of eight books of light memoirs. In 1998 he was awarded an honorary British knighthood.