Bob Einstein has passed away after a short battle with cancer. He was 76-years old. The comedian/writer/actor died at his home in Indian Wells, California and the comedy world is mourning his passing. His brother, comedian and actor Albert Brooks confirmed hisdeathon social media this morning with a brief tribute. He had this to say.
“R.I.P. My dear brother Bob Einstein. A great brother, father and husband. A brilliantly funny man. You will be missed forever.”
Bob Einstein began his career in the 1960s as a writer onThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which is where he earned his first Emmy. Einstein also worked onThe Sonny and Cher Comedy Hourin 1972 and 1974 along with Dick Van Dyke’s seriesVan Dyke and Companyin the mid-1970s. The comedian/writer/actor was nominated several more times for his writing work and then won his other Emmy as a producer for the series forVan Dyke and Companyin 1977. In the 1980s, he decided to resurrect a character that he first introduced for an appearance onThe John Byner Comedy Hourin 1972.
Super Dave Osborne was brought back in 1980 for a set of appearances on the television seriesBizarre, which was also hosted by John Byner, in addition to several appearances onLate Night with David Letterman. All of this led to Bob Einstein landing his own variety show in 1987 simply calledSuper Dave. The character did wacky stunts and appeared in several commercials during this time and later got his own animated seriesSuper Dave: Daredevil for Hirein 1992. Super Dave was an exaggerated, but naive stuntman who always seemed to get injured, no matter what.
Bob Einstein resurrectedSuper Daveagain for the 2000 movie, The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave and then again in 2009 for TNA Impact! Wrestling.Super Davehad a big cult following throughout the years, which will continue to live on. Einstein also appeared on Season 3 ofArrested Developmentas the popular Larry Middleman character and had small roles inAnger Managementand played Matt Damon’s dad inOcean’s Thirteenas Linus Caldwell. Einstein appeared onCrank YankersandThe Man Showduring this time.
Since 2004, Bob Einstein has had a recurring role on Larry David’sCurb Your Enthusiasmas the popular Marty Funkhouser. The character has a pretty memorable first meeting with Jerry Seinfeld on the show where he tells the comedian a bizarre and off-color joke, which gets a nervous laugh out of Seinfeld and ultimately his approval as he tells David that he “likes that guy.” He is known as one of David’s oldest closest friends on the show, which mirrors their real-life friendship off screen. It’s unclear if Einstein will appear asMarty Funkhouseron the upcoming Season 10 ofCurb Your Enthusiasm, which started filming in October of 2018. The news of Bob Einstein’s death was first announced byAlbert Brooks' Twitteraccount. Rest In Peace, Bob Einstein.
