Leslie Townes Hope, more popularly known as Bob Hope, was born on May 29, 1903, in Ethlam, London, England, and was the fifth of seven sons to his parents, William Henry Hope and Avis Townes.  In 1908 the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, immigrating to America and passing inspection at Ellis Island on March 30, 1908.  It wasn’t until 1920 that Bog Hope officially became a U.S. citizen at the age of seventeen.

Bob Hope made his first films in New York when Educational Pictures hired him to do a short comedy entitled, Going Spanish in 1934. Hope was fired after production when asked his opinion about the film, of which he replied, “When they catch John Dillinger they’re going to make him sit through it twice.” Nevertheless, he was soon back in front of the cameras working for Vitaphones Studios from 1934 to 1936.

He starred in twenty minute comedies for the New York based studio.

In 1938 Hope signed with Paramount Pictures for the film The Big Broadcast of 1938. This is the film where he sang a duet with Shirley Ross entitled, “Thanks for the Memory.” The song was a major hit and it went on to become his trademark. Over his long career his writers invented many variations of the song for special events such as entertaining troops while performing on tour during various United Service Organizations (USO) events for the US Armed Forces overseas.

Bob Hope went on to become one of the biggest stars in Paramount’s stables, and would remain working for the studio well into the 1950s. With his regular appearances in films and radio, his work made him one of the best known entertainers in North America.

In 1996, Bob Hope was honored by the US Congress which declared him the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.”  Over his career he appeared in or hosted at least 199 USO shows and events.

Hope was also an avid golfer. He was introduced to the game in the 1930s, and eventually played to a four handicap. In 1978, he putted against a two year old golf prodigy named Tiger Woods in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show.  In 1960 The Bob Hope Desert Classic was founded and the tournament made history in 1995.  It was the first time three presidents, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald R. Ford, ever participated in a golf foursome.