Timeline: Key moments in Bob Hope’s life and career

Bob Hope's storied life spanned more than a century, during which he left his mark on vaudeville, Broadway, recordings, concerts, radio, films and TV. He picked up so many awards, he once joked, "I've been given a medal by my country for leaving it, an Oscar in a year when I didn't make any movies, and a B'nai B'rith Award for being a Gentile." Below is a look at his career.

Comedian Bob Hope, circa 1943.

(Paramount Pictures)

Comedian Bob Hope, circa 1943. (Paramount Pictures)

May 29, 1903: Born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England

1907: Immigrates with his family to Cleveland

Bob Hope, right, with early comedic partner George Byrne in a promotional photo for their vaudeville act, circa 1922.

(Hope Enterprises)

Bob Hope, right, with early comedic partner George Byrne in a promotional photo for their vaudeville act, circa 1922. (Hope Enterprises)

1924: Lands his first full-time show business job with the Jolly Follies vaudeville revue

1927: Appears in his first Broadway show, "Sidewalks of New York"

1933: Plays bandleader Huckleberry Haines in the Broadway musical "Roberta"

1934: Stars in his first comedy short film, "Going Spanish"

Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in a scene from “The Big Broadcast of 1938.”

(Handout)

Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in a scene from "The Big Broadcast of 1938." (Handout)

1938:Makes his feature film debut in "The Big Broadcast of 1938," in which he introduces his signature tune, the Oscar-winning "Thanks for the Memory," and debuts on the NBC radio series "The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope," which continues until 1950

Bob Hope, left, and Bing Crosby in a scene from the 1940 Hollywood film “The Road to Singapore.”

(AFP / Getty Images)

Bob Hope, left, and Bing Crosby in a scene from the 1940 Hollywood film "The Road to Singapore." (AFP / Getty Images)

1940: Hope and Bing Crosby team for “Road to Singapore,” the first of seven successful comedy features also starring Dorothy Lamour, and he hosts his first Academy Awards ceremony

1941: Entertains U.S. troops at March Field in Riverside

1947: Serves as host of Los Angeles' first commercial television broadcast over the then Paramount-owned KTLA

A 1947 photo of Bob Hope holding an NBC-emblazoned microphone.

(NBC)

A 1947 photo of Bob Hope holding an NBC-emblazoned microphone. (NBC)

1950: Appears in his first network TV special, NBC's "Star-Spangled Revue," which is telecast live on Easter Sunday

1955: Stars in his first televised holiday tour for the troops, "Hope in Greenland"

1958: "Bob Hope in Moscow" is the first network TV show from behind the Iron Curtain

Bob Hope cracks jokes to an audience of thousands of GI’s massed in an open-air theater in Cu Chi, 20 miles northeast of Saigon during a 1969 Christmas tour of Vietnam. (Associated Press)

(Associated Press)

Bob Hope cracks jokes to an audience of thousands of GIs massed in an open-air theater in Cu Chi, 20 miles northeast of Saigon, during a 1969 Christmas tour of Vietnam. (Associated Press)

1970: "Bob Hope in Vietnam," which chronicles his 1969 Christmas tour, ends up attracting the largest audience for any entertainment show in TV history to date

1972: Headlines his final feature film, "Cancel My Reservation." Hope would later make cameos in 1979's "The Muppet Movie" and 1985's "Spies Like Us"

1978: Hope makes his final appearance as Oscar host

1993: Telecast of the star-studded "Bob Hope: The First 90 Years"

1995: Hope is presented the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton

1996: His final TV special, "Bob Hope: Laughing With the Presidents," airs

Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores, on Jan. 23, 2000.

(David Bauman / The Press-Enterprise)

Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores, on Jan. 23, 2000. (David Bauman / The Press-Enterprise)

July 27, 2003: Hope dies at age 100

More Bob Hope coverage

Career in pictures

With Jane Russell as his sidekick, Hope portrayed a helpless dentist painted as a talented gunslinger by Russell’s undercover agent character. When Russell is captured by a tribe, Hope gets his chance to be a real hero.

(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis)

Highlights from Hope's career, one that spans vaudeville, Broadway, recordings, live concerts, radio, films and TV.

Obituary

From the archives: Bob Hope, the master of the one-liner, dies at 100

Q&A

Both Hope and Crosby (shown in 1946) were avid golfers. By 1978, the pair had earned the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor awarded by the U.S. Golf Assn. for distinguished sportsmanship.

(Julian Robinson)

From the archives: Bob Hope on the war years, Broadway and working with Bing Crosby