Robert Norman Ross or called as Bob Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy Of Painting, an instructional television program from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the united states, and also aired in Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Ross went from being a public television personality in the 1980s and 1990s to being a internet celebrity in the 21st century, becoming popular with fans on YouTube, Twitch, and many other websites many years after his death.
Early life[]
Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, to Jack and Ollie Ross and raised in Orlando Florida. As a child, Ross entertained himself by caring for injured animals, purportedly including an armadillo, snake, and alligator. One of these animals, a squirrel named peapod, was featured most in a few episodes of his show. Another squirrel, one with epilepsy Bob called "Squirrely Wirrelly Brown" was also shown on the show less frequently. He had a half-brother, Jim, whom he mentioned in passing on his show. Ross dropped out of high school in the 9th grade to work as a carpenter with his father, Jack Ross, when he lost part of his left index finger. This, however did not affect the way he held his palette when he was painting.
Military Career[]
In 1961, 18-year-old Ross enlisted in the united states air force and was put into service as a medical records technician. He eventually rose to the rank of master sergeant and served as the first sergeant of this U.S. air force clinic at elision air force base in Alaska, where he first saw the snow and mountains that later became recurring themes in his artwork. He developed his quick-painting technique to create art for sale during brief daily work breaks. Having held military positions that required him to be, in his own words, "tough" and "mean", the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work, Ross decided that if he ever left the military he would never yell or raise his voice again.