Robert Emmet "Bob" McGrath (born June 13, 1932) is an American singer and actor best known for playing original human character Bob Johnson on the long-running educational television series, Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet. Along with Susan, played by Loretta Long, Bob had been one of the two longest-lasting human characters on the series since the show's debut. A Noggin segment proclaimed the four decades of Bob when promoting Sesame Street on that network.