American stand-up comedian, television host, and actor Bob Saget was best known for his role in the sitcom “Full House” and as the narrator of the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” In the U.S., he was also famous as the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Saget’s comedy album “That’s What I’m Talkin’ About” was nominated for a Grammy Award, and his successful career continued until his sudden death in 2022. Learn more about the life of the famous comedian from Philadelphia at philadelphiaski.com.
Early Life and Education
Robert Lane Saget was born in Philadelphia on May 17, 1956. His parents, Benjamin and Rosalyn, were Jewish. His mother worked as a hospital administrator, and his father was a supermarket executive. The family moved with their young son to Norfolk, Virginia, where Robert attended high school and synagogue. The boy loved to break rules and tell jokes but had no idea about his future path at the time.
The Saget family moved several more times before eventually returning to Philadelphia, where Robert graduated from high school. He originally intended to pursue a medical career, but his English teacher encouraged him to try acting instead.
The young man heeded this advice and enrolled in the film school at Temple University. There, he created a black-and-white film titled “Through Adam’s Eyes,” for which he received a Student Academy Award. During his college years, Robert began performing in comedy clubs in New York City. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1978 and decided to pursue graduate studies at the University of Southern California, but he quickly abandoned the idea.
Career: First Steps and True Success
Initially, Robert, who shortened his name to “Bob” for the stage, continued to work in stand-up comedy. He then had a brief stint on the CBS “Morning Program.” His career took a major turn in 1987 when he was cast as Danny Tanner in the series “Full House.” The sitcom was a huge success, landing in the Nielsen Top 30. Two years later, Bob became the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” a role he held for the next eight years, working on both “Full House” and “AFV” concurrently.
In addition, Saget decided to try his hand at directing. In 1993, his sister passed away from scleroderma. Bob used her life story to create the ABC television movie “For Hope.” In 1998, he directed his first feature film, “Dirty Work,” which received generally positive reviews.
Subsequently, audiences saw him in:
- A cameo role in the 1998 comedy “Half Baked.”
- The WB series “Raising Dad” in 2001.
- A recurring role in the television series “Entourage,” beginning in 2005.
- As the host of the NBC game show “1 vs. 100” from 2006 to 2008.
The actor’s own comedy special, “That Ain’t Right,” premiered on HBO in 2007. He also became the voice of the future Ted Mosby in the popular sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” which ran for nine seasons on CBS.
By this time, he was already quite successful and popular in the U.S. media world and continued to develop his career in various directions. Bob wrote, directed, and starred in the film “Farce of the Penguins,” participated in the Broadway musical “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and appeared in the sitcom “Surviving Suburbia” and the series “Strange Days.”
In 2014, he published his book “Dirty Daddy,” in which he described his career development, comedic influences, and life experiences. A tour was organized to support the book, during which Bob Saget visited the Pemberton Music Festival. He also embarked on his first-ever tour of Australia with his stand-up show “Bob Saget Live: The Dirty Daddy Tour,” performing in several major cities.
In 2015 and 2016, the actor starred in the series “Grandfathered.” For the next four years, he reprised his role as Danny Tanner in the sequel series “Fuller House.” In 2017, his stand-up special “Bob Saget: Zero to Sixty” was released.
In 2019, Bob hosted the ABC program “Videos After Dark” and the CMT game show “Nashville Squares.” The following year, he appeared on “The Masked Singer” and even launched his own podcast.
Several episodes of series he was filming during this period were seen by audiences only after the actor and comedian’s sudden death in 2022.
The Comedian and Actor’s Personal Life
Saget was married twice. His first wife, whom he married in 1982, was Sherri Kramer. The couple had three daughters. They divorced in 1997. From 2018 until his death, Bob was married to television host Kelly Rizzo.
The famous actor and comedian served on the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation since 2003. His sister had passed away from the disease. She had long struggled to get a proper diagnosis, and the illness ultimately took her life at the age of 47. Saget not only made a film about it but also participated in public initiatives related to the disease.
Sudden Death and Tributes
Bob Saget’s death came as a complete shock to everyone. It happened on January 9, 2022. He was 65 years old at the time. The actor was found unresponsive in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton near Orlando, Florida. He was on a stand-up tour and had performed an excellent show the previous evening. When he did not check out of the hotel the next day, and his family could not reach him, they became concerned.
Paramedics who were called to the hotel after the body was discovered pronounced him dead but found no signs of foul play or drug use. It was later revealed that the actor had sustained a head injury from a fall in the bathroom, which led to his death. His family did not release any additional documents or provide further explanations about what happened. Bob Saget was buried on January 14 at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, next to the graves of his parents and sister.
The public was informed of his death during a broadcast of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the show Saget hosted throughout the 1990s. The program was interrupted for the announcement. The show’s official YouTube channel posted a video tribute and added a dedication to Saget. Clips from his years as host were shown from January 16 until the end of the season in memory of his contribution to the show’s development.
Saget’s friend, Mike Binder, filmed “Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute” at The Comedy Store. It contains many clips from private archives. The film was released on Netflix on June 10, 2022.
The Scleroderma Research Foundation, with which he had actively collaborated for many years, also mourned his sudden death. Representatives of the foundation shared the news, and benefactors honored his memory with donations and offers of help to the organization. According to the foundation, as of January 13, 2022, it had received donations from over 1,500 benefactors worldwide, totaling more than $90,000. Additionally, a special donation of $1.5 million was made by a board member, who proposed creating a grant to recognize donations made in memory of Bob Saget.
Such was the life and death of the famous comedian and actor from Philadelphia. Although his journey was cut short unexpectedly, he managed to accomplish a great deal in both his creative endeavors and in helping other people.