- Bob Ross
- He was born Bob Norman Ross on October 29, 1942.
- He joined the United States Air Force at age 19 and retired after 20 years with the rank of master sergeant.
- While stationed in Alaska, he became inspired by snow-capped mountains and evergreen trees.
- Ross started painting landscapes on gold-panning tins which he sold to gift shops to earn extra money during his time in the military.
- Ross was so soft-spoken because he promised himself he would keep his voice down after leaving the military.
- "The Joy of Painting" ran from 1983 to 1994.
- Ross did the "The Joy of Painting" show for free. His main source of income came from Bob Ross Inc., which sold art supplies, how-to tapes and traveling art classes.
- Ross could record an entire 13-episode season of The "Joy of Painting" in just over two days.
- He was an animal lover and was known to rehabilitate animals and house orphaned animals.
- He wasn't a fan of his famous 'fro but recognizing the marketing value of it, he kept it.
- He died at the age of 52 of lymphoma on July 4, 1995.
- He generally did not sell his artwork and after his death, most of his paintings went to charity or PBS.
Image via biography.com
Sources: mentalfloss.com, csmonitor.com, biography.com