Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, died Wednesday aged 76.
Propelled to superstardom by his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time", which became an unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. However, that was not all, Stephen Hawking’s legendary career as a theoretical physicist made him a minor celebrity — even in Hollywood.
The best-selling author, found himself in front of the camera several times over his lifetime in sitcoms.
The Big Bang Theory: Hawking may just be among one of the most influential people CBS got on their show. Playing himself, Hawking was the hero of Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon), who would do some extremely inappropriate impressions of his “creepy computer voice.”
The scientist appeared in seven episodes, including the 200th episode to sing “Happy Birthday” to Sheldon over Skype.
The Simpsons: The British physicist lent his voice to four episodes of “The Simpsons.” In one, “They Saved Lisa’s Brain,” he even came to Springfield to tell the residents that their utopia will never succeed.
Futurama: In a season two episode of “Futurama,” Hawking joins the Vice Presidential Action Rangers, led by Al Gore, who aim to protect the space-time continuum. He also appeared as a detached head in the movie "The Beast with a Billion Backs."
Star Trek: The Next Generation:The season six finale of “Next Generation” found Hawking, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton as holograms playing poker with Lt. Commander Data. Hawking, a self-proclaimed “Star Trek” fan, was introduced at a screening for the 1991 documentary film “A Brief History of Time,” based on his book, by Leonard Nimoy.
Stephen Hawking's life was famously made into the movie The Theory Of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne.
