By Margaret A. McGurk
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bob Hope began life in America as the son of struggling immigrants.

On Sunday, when he succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 100, he was a revered entertainer, philanthropist and businessman; a friend to presidents and a symbol of patriotism.

PHOTO GALLERY

22 Bob Hope photos

"He's the last really true, if not the best, of all American heroes that we will ever know," said Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, who golfed and entertained with Hope for 25 years.

Hope is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dolores, and four children.

Born May 29, 1903, in England, Leslie Towns Hope arrived in Cleveland at age 4. As a boy, he changed his name to Bob to sound more American, and peddled newspapers to help out his parents and six brothers.

He went into vaudeville at 19 as a dancer and comedian. By the '30s, he was a Broadway star. Hope made his feature film debut in The Big Broadcast of 1938, where he found his theme song, "Thanks for the Memory." He went on to make 60 films, most famously seven Road films with Bing Crosby.

His comedy style combined self-deprecation and topical gibes; waves of younger comics, among them Woody Allen, emulated him.

Through the 1940s and '50s, Hope found success on radio and TV. But his greatest fame grew out of the dark days of World War II as he flew into combat zones to entertain troops. After the war, he kept flying to wherever Americans in uniform were stationed. In 1966, an estimated 65 million people watched his televised Christmas show from Vietnam. His last journey to entertain armed forces was in 1990, during Operation Desert Storm.

Hope invested wisely and amassed a fortune that supported his prodigious charitable activities, including Cincinnati's Hope House juvenile home.

Among his thousands of accolades are an Emmy, five honorary Oscars, a Peabody broadcasting award, an honorary British knighthood and a Medal of Freedom.

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E-mail mmcgurk@enquirer.com