Bob Saget, Actor and Comedian Known for ‘Full House,’ Dead at 65
Bob Saget, the actor and comedian best-known for his role as Danny Tanner on the TV series Full House, has died at the age of 65.
According to TMZ, Saget passed away Sunday (Jan. 9) at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, Fla. “The Sheriff's Department and the fire department responded to the hotel around 4 PM ET after hotel security had found Bob in his room,” the tabloid news site reports, adding that they were told Saget was “pronounced dead on the scene, but the circumstances of his death are still unclear.” Variety adds that "detectives did not find any signs of foul play or drug use in the case."
Born in Philadelphia in 1956, Saget attended Temple University's film school, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. He’d pursue a career in comedy, touring around the country until January 1987, when he was hired for CBS’ syndicated news-entertainment show The Morning Program. The show was a failure, but Saget’s next endeavor would earn national attention.
In September 1987, ABC launched Full House, a family sitcom about widowed father Danny Tanner and his adventures raising three daughters in San Francisco, with the aid of his extended family members. Though the series was never popular with critics, it was a hit with viewers all over the world, regularly ranking among the top 20 shows on television. The sitcom would last for 192 episodes and eventually spawn a sequel series, Fuller House, in 2016.
Saget’s other TV credits included a tenure hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos from 1989 to 1997. He also starred on the show-lived sitcom Raising Dad from 2001-2002. Saget contributed his voice to the series How I Met Your Mother, serving as the show’s narrator for its nine season run. The actor’s long list of guest roles included stops on Quantum Leap, Entourage, Louie, Legit and Shameless. In 2020, the comedian appeared on The Masked Singer, competing as the “Squiggly Monster.”
Saget also occasionally stepped behind the camera. His feature film directorial debut was 1998’s Dirty Work starring Norm Macdonald.
A cause of death had not been determined at time of writing. Saget had been in the midst of a stand-up tour prior to passing, and last performed Saturday night (Jan. 8) at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Fla.