“Full House” Star Bob Saget Dead At 65

One of television and stand-up comedy’s most iconic figures surprisingly passed away over the weekend.

Bob Saget, a stand-up comedian and actor beloved for his role as Danny Tanner on the 1990’s sitcom Full House, died on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Fla. He was 65 years old.

News of Saget’s death was first shared by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Saget had kicked off a nationwide stand-up tour in September 2021 that was set to run through June of this year. According to his most recent post on Twitter, Saget had performed Saturday evening at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Fla.

Bob Saget is that rarest of comedians — one who is beloved by families and the foul-minded alike.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 17th, 1956, Saget originally intended to become a doctor, but his Honors English teacher, Elaine Zimmerman, saw his creative potential and urged him to seek a career in films. After graduating from Temple University’s film school in 1978, would move to California with intentions of attending graduate school at USC, but would quit days after arriving to campus.

His first big break arrived in early 1987 when he was hired to be part of the cast of CBS’ The Morning Program, but daytime TV wasn’t a good fit. He was soon cast as Danny Tanner on ABC’s family-friendly Full House, and it became an enduring hit, leading to Saget hosting ABC’s franchise America’s Funniest Home Videos in 1989. He stayed with both shows into the mid-’90s. Full House wrapped up production in 1995 and he stepped away from Funniest Home Videos in 1997 to pursue a career as a director. His first film was the 1996 TV movie For Hope, which was a tribute to his late sister. In 1998, he released his feature film debut: the Norm MacDonald vehicle Dirty Work, which also featured Artie Lange.

Later that year, Saget made an unforgettable cameo appearance as a cocaine addict in the stoner comedy Half Baked.

Saget retreated from directing in the 2000s, preferring to take a series of bit parts in TV and movies. In 2005, he had a recurring role as a satirical version of himself on HBO’s Entourage. That year, he also landed a voice-over part on How I Met Your Mother, appearing as the narrator for the sitcom. Between 2006 and 2008, he served as the host of the game show 1 Vs. 100, and once it went off the air, he had a 13-episode run on the sitcom Surviving Suburbia in 2009.

Always a comedian at heart, Saget wouldn’t release his first comedy special until 2013 with  That’s What I’m Talkin’ About, which would go on to be Grammy-nominated for Best Comedy Album. In 2014, his book Dirty Daddy was released, in which he writes about his career, comedy influences, and experiences with life and death. He embarked on a small tour in support of the book, including the Pemberton Music Festival, where he introduced Snoop Dogg prior to performing his own set. In the same year, he toured Australia for the first time, with a stand-up show called Bob Saget Live: The Dirty Daddy Tour. In 2016, he was part of Netflix’s revival of Fuller House. Saget released his second comedy album, Zero to Sixty, in 2017.

In 2020, Saget launched a podcast titled Bob Saget’s Here For You with Studio71.He also competed in season four of The Masked Singer as “Squiggly Monster”.

Saget was a board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. His scleroderma efforts benefited such celebrities as Scary Movie star Regina Hall. 

We Own The Laughs would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Bob Saget’s family and close friends as they deal with this untimely tragedy.