Bob Ross

Background

Robert Norman Ross, famously known as Bob Ross, was born on October 29, 1942. Though born in Dayton Beach, Florida, soon after his birth, his family moved to Orlando where he grew up. His father, Jack Ross, was a carpenter while his mother, Ollie Ross, was a waitress. Ross quit high school in ninth grade to help his family. He joined his father in working as a carpenter. When Ross was 18, he enrolled in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a medical records technician for a while. Later, Ross rose to master sergeant. While in the Air Force, Ross took a painting class at a club and discovered his love for art. He made use of his free time painting.

When Ross watched German painter Bill Alexander teaching a painting technique on a television show, he quickly learned the skill. Ross started painting and selling landscapes. A friend convinced him of his amazing talent, which eventually made Ross quit the Air Force in 1981 to pursue his true passion. Ross went back to Florida where he worked with Alexander, traveling as a painting tutor. Along the road, Ross decided to keep going on his own. From 1983 to 1994, Ross hosted a television show as an art instructor. The show, “The Joy of Painting,” was a success; it aired in the United States, Canada, and countries in Latin America and Europe.

Ross was married three times in his lifetime and had two children in total. The painter married Lynda Brown two months before his death. Ross was diagnosed with lymphoma and died in July 1995.