Bob Hope; Actor, Comedian, Golfer, and Great American

Born in London, England on May 29, 1903, Leslie Townes Hope was the fifth of seven sons, of a stonemason. His mother Avis Townes was a light opera singer. The family came to Ellis Island on the SS Philadelphia in 1908. At the age of 17 in 1920, Hope became an American citizen.

As a young man, Hope did odd jobs along the board walk. In his spare time, he would busk doing dances, songs, impersonations, and comedy. Fatty Arbuckle, a silent screen comedian got him a job in 1925 with the follies. In 1926, Hope along with George Burns and the Hilton sisters formed an act called the Dancemedians.

He failed his first screen test in 1930 and returned to the Follies plus appeared in live shows on Broadway. About this same time he changed his first name to Bob because critics would call him hopelessly. His first name being Leslie at the time.

Hope made his first movie for Educational Pictures in 1934 in New York. The name of the movie was "Going Spanish." Hope was fired after he made the comment, "When they catch John Dillinger, they are going to make him sit through it twice." Shortly after that he was hired by New Yorks, "Vitaphone" studio. In 1938, he signed with Paramount. His first film there was "The Big Broadcast of 1938." During the film Hope sang the song "Thanks for the Memories." The song became his trademark. Hope stayed with Paramount throughout the 50"s.

As a movie star his "Road" movies with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour became classics. Although he starred in many films, he never won an Oscar. He often made jokes about never receiving one. However, he served as host for the awards between the 50's and 80's. He would even call the time of the Oscars at his home as"the time of passover."

He worked with the USO for the first time May 6, 1941. This began a total of 60 tours for the troops. He did them from WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and also the Persian Gulf War. Even when there was no war, Hope never forgot the men over seas. He would always try to put together the best show that he could to entertain the troops.