Remembering Bob Saget

On Sunday, January 9th, 2022, Robert Lane Saget (Bob Saget) passed away at the age of 65. Bob Saget was best known for his role on late ’80’s hit television show “Full House” in the role of Danny Tanner. It aired from September 22, 1987, to May 23, 1995, broadcasting eight seasons and 192 episodes. While never a critical favorite, the series was consistently in the Nielsen Top 30 from 1988 onward, and continued to gain popularity in syndicated reruns and is also aired internationally. What most people don’t know is where his life began and what sparked his career in acting.

Bob Saget was born May 17th, 1956, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Hospital Administrator Rosalyn Saget and Supermarket executive Benjamin Saget. He had 2 sisters, Gay and Andrea.  Saget attended Larrymore Elementary School, Azalea Middle School, and Lake Taylor High School but graduated from Abington Senior High School. When he finished high school, Saget went to Temple University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs and a master’s degree in Public Administration.

This was where his spark for film and comedy all started.

In college he made a short film called “Through Adams Eyes,” receiving a Student Academy Award for it in 1978. Saget later enrolled in the University of Southern California to further his education but dropped out after a few days because he got bored.

In 1982, 4 years after he graduated from college, Saget married his first wife, Sherri Kramer. Five years later they had their first child Aubrey Saget, followed two years later by Lara Saget .  Finally Jennifer Saget was born in 1992. Saget and Kramer stayed married for 15 years, divorcing in 1997.

1987 is when Saget’s career really took off. After being on the road for a little while trying to make it as a stand-up comedian, he  met Brad Grey who eventually became his manager. Shortly afterward, he joined CBS’s The Morning Program to add some humor to the show, but this proved to be short-lived as the program was canceled only 9 months after airing. However, this did open a new door for Saget.

Shortly after being laid off The Morning Program, he landed the role of Danny Tanner on “Full House” where he became known as one of T.V.’s most famous dads. Using his skills from The Morning Program to host a fake morning show on Full House called “Wake Up San Francisco,” Saget’s character was a host along with his co-star Lori Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky. Bob was also able to use his skills in comedy to brighten up the show with dad jokes and one-liners to make scenes funnier.

On the show, Saget’s character Danny Tanner was the father of 3 girls: D.J. (Donna Jo), played by Candance Cameron Bure, Stephanie, played by Jodie Sweetin, and baby Michelle, played by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. The show was based around a recently widowed single dad trying to figure out how to raise 3 girls on his own. Thankfully for Danny Tanner, help arrived as soon as he needed it when his best friend Joey Gladstone, played by Dave Coulier, and his brother in-law Jessie Katsopolis, played by John Stamos, arrived to live with Danny and help him raise his 3 girls.

“Full House” had lots of ups and downs throughout the years, but the consistent theme of the importance of family helped maintain the show’s popularity with viewers. Unfortunately, it was abruptly cancelled in 1995 although 21 years later Netflix came out with “Fuller House,” where Saget starred once again with all his original co-stars; this time around, he was the grandpa, and his kids were the parents.

In 2018, after “Fuller House” aired, Bob Saget married his 2nd wife Kelley Rizzo. They were only married for a little more than 3 years before his tragic and unexpected passing.

Saget was found dead, lying face up in his luxury hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando Florida after he remained unresponsive for an unusual amount of time. According to U.S. News there were no signs of trauma. Police suspect that Bob’s death was caused by a heart attack or a stroke, as he had had Covid-19 over the holidays and those two things can be a side effect after recovering from Covid.  It will likely be 10-12 weeks before an official ruling as to cause of death is known.