Bob Einstein was an American actor, comedian, comedy writer, and producer.
Einstein was the son of singer/actress Thelma Leeds and radio comedian Harry "Parkyakarkus" Einstein. His younger brother is actor/writer/director Albert Brooks.
One of Einstein's earliest jobs was writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for which he and the other writers (including Rob Reiner and Steve Martin) earned an Emmy. He also created the character of "Officer Judy" on the show, as well as many others. After CBS cancelled the show in 1969, he continued to make guest appearances on television, and began devoting more time to writing and production.
By the start of the 1970s, Einstein's career as a writer and producer was in full swing, with credits including The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, and Van Dyke and Company (for which he won his second Emmy). Einstein would occasionally appear on these shows as a performer.
Einstein’s success in television continued into the 1980s with Bizarre (a variety/sketch show hosted by comedian John Byner), and Super Dave, which aired for five seasons on Showtime. In both of these series, he appeared as his most well-known character, inept daredevil stuntman Super Dave Osborne. At the same time, Einstein made a lot of well-remembered appearances as Super Dave on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Late Night with David Letterman.
Einstein’s success with the Super Dave character continued into the 1990s and 2000s with the animated series Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire, and two limited live action series: Super Dave’s Vegas Spectacular, and Super Dave’s Spike-Tacular.
Einstein continued to have a busy career as a character actor on television as well, with a list of credits including Arrested Development, Crank Yankers, Anger Management, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, where he made recurring appearances as Larry David’s “best friend,” Marty Funkhouser. He also appeared many times as a special guest on video and audio podcasts hosted by comedians Norm MacDonald and Gilbert Gottfried, as well as Jerry Seinfeld’s web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. At the time of his passing, Einstein was the only comedian who had been asked to return to Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee for a second appearance.
Einstein died January 2, 2019, in Indian Wells, California. He was 76.
