Bob Hope

Sir Bob Hope KBE
Hope in 1984
Born	Leslie Townes Hope (1903-05-29)May 29, 1903 Eltham, London,England
Died	July 27, 2003(2003-07-27)(aged 100) Toluca Lake, Los Angeles,California,US
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Nationality	American British
Occupations	Comedian vaudevillian actor singer dancer athlete
Years active	1923-1999
Spouses	Grace Louise Troxell ​ ​ (m.1933;div.1934)​ Dolores Hope ​ (m.1934)​
Children	4
Parents	William Hope Avis (née Townes)

Leslie Townes HopeKBE(May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), better known asBob Hope,was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, and dancer. He was the only person who received five honoraryOscars.

Early life

Bob Hope was born on May 29, 1903, in London, England to aWelshmother and English father. In 1908, the Hopes migrated toCleveland, Ohio.In 1920, at age 17, Hope became a U.S. citizen.

Career

Before he was an actor, Hope became a professionalboxer.In this time he was called "Packey East". Years later, he was popular because of some musicals he played in. He was also part of some television and radio shows. At the same time, Bob Hope became a comedian. Hope visited the United States armed forces between 1941 and 1991 during the conflicts in that time period. These shows made Hope a household name and well liked by most Americans. Hope also entertained elevenU.S. Presidents.

In 1939, Bob Hope marriedDolores DeFina(May 27, 1909 - September 19, 2011). The couple adopted four children: Eleanora, Anthony, Linda, and Kelly.

Awards

Bob Hope was honored with more than 1500 awards. Among them are five special Oscars in 1941, 1945, 1953, 1960, and 1966. Between 1940 and 1978 he hosted the Academy Awards record seventeen times.

And in 1998 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. Upon accepting the appointment, Hope quipped, "I'm speechless. 70 years of ad lib material and I'm speechless."

Death

Bob Hope died ofpneumoniaon July 27, 2003, 2 months after his 100th birthday. He was buried 3 days later, reburied on July 22, 2005 in custom made grave inCalifornia.

Other websites

• An obituary on BBC
• Bob HopeonIMDb