Movies For late comedy icon Bob Newhart, his role in Elf outranked all the others 'by far' He also told his wife that the film was "going to be another 'Miracle on 34th Street,' where people watch it every year." By Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 18, 2024 09:21PM EDT Much like Buddy's extreme exuberance for anything Christmas, late comedy legend Bob Newhart had nothing but love for his role as Papa Elf in Elf. Newhart, who died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses at the age of 94, even told CNN in November, timed to the holiday classic's 20th anniversary, that "without question" the part "outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played." “My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it,” he said, also telling the outlet that he told his wife that the film was “going to be another Miracle on 34th Street, where people watch it every year.” Bob Newhart as Papa Elf in 'Elf'. New Line/ Everett Elf cast: Where are they now? That's strong praise coming from the star, whose career spanned 60 years and countless projects across standup, television, and film. In Elf, Newhart plays the adoptive father to Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf, who took him in as a baby and raised him as his own in the North Pole, even though Buddy was human and not an elf, like Papa. The 2003 film, which is directed by Jon Favreau, follows Buddy as he travels to New York to meet and attempt a relationship with his biological dad, who — gasp! — is a mainstay on the Naughty List. Newhart wasn't wrong about his appraisal of the film. Upon its release, Elf became a major critical and commercial success, ultimately grossing $220 million worldwide, and eventually spawning a 2010 Broadway musical and a 2014 stop-motion animated television special. The film frequently appears on rankings of the top Christmas movies of all time. Will Ferrell says James Caan told him 'You’re not funny' on Elf set And for Newhart, nothing has come close to Elf since. “In my opinion, there has not been anything like it in the interim,” he told CNN in November. Newhart added, “People wanted to believe in it.… People need that charming, wonderful thing about the Christmas spirit and its way of powering the sleigh." Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Reps for Favreau and Ferrell didn't immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's requests for additional comment Thursday.