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Bob Elliott, of comic duo Bob and Ray, dies at 92

 
Bob Elliott, shown at the Museum of Television and Radio in 1992, also played his own son Chris’ father on Get a Life.
Bob Elliott, shown at the Museum of Television and Radio in 1992, also played his own son Chris’ father on Get a Life.
Published Feb. 4, 2016

PORTLAND, Maine — Bob Elliott, half of the enduring television and radio comedy team Bob and Ray, has died. He was 92.

Elliott, father of actor-comedian Chris Elliott, died Tuesday at his home in Cundy's Harbor, Maine, Rick Gagne, director of the Brackett Funeral Home, said Wednesday.

The cause of death wasn't made public.

For nearly 45 years, until the death of Elliott's comedy partner Ray Goulding, Bob and Ray entertained millions of radio listeners and television viewers. Elliott's youngest son, Chris, also became a comedian, appearing in films and on David Letterman's show. Chris' daughter Abby Elliott was a Saturday Night Live cast member for four seasons.

Bob and Ray practiced a gentle, quirky brand of comedy that relied not on one-liners or boffo jokes but rather a deadpan delivery that relentlessly skewered pomposity and seriousness.

"I guess it's the hilarity of pomposity; that hasn't gone out of fashion," Elliott said. Goulding added: "We magnify the insignificant. You know, flourishes and bands accompanying the opening of a sandwich."

The team won a prestigious Peabody Award in 1956. "They deal primarily in satire, that rare and precious commodity," the judges wrote. "Their aim is deadly, their level is high, and their material is fresh, original, imaginative, and terribly funny."

Following Goulding's death in 1990, Elliott remained active as a solo performer, appearing regularly throughout the '90s on television and occasionally in films. He played Bob Newhart's father on the series Newhart and his own son Chris' father on Get a Life. He also appeared in the films Quick Change and Cabin Boy.

He and his late partner were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.