Bill Cosby
William Henry “Bill” Cosby, Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show I Spy. He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in 1969. He was one of the major characters on the children’s television show The Electric Company for its first two seasons, and created the humorous educational cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby also acted in numerous films. Cosby’s net worth is estimated at over $300 million.
During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in what is considered one of the decade’s defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which lasted eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, and is still seen in syndication. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an upper middle-class African-American family. He also produced the hit sitcom A Different World, which became second to The Cosby Show in ratings.
In the 1990s, Cosby starred in Cosby, which aired from 1996 to 2000, and during the show’s last two seasons, hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things, and appeared in a number of movies. He has also appeared on the stand-up circuit.
His good-natured, fatherly image has made him a popular personality and garnered him the nickname of “America’s Dad”. He has also been a sought-after spokesman and over the years has endorsed numerous products including Jell-O Pudding, Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola (as well as New Coke). In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Bill Cosby on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.
He earned an Ed.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled “An Integration of the Visual Media Via ‘Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids’ Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning”.
Cosby met his wife Camille Hanks while he was performing stand-up in Washington, D.C., in the early 1960s, and she was a student at the University of Maryland. They married on January 25, 1964, and had five children: daughters Erika Ranee (b. 1965), Erinn Chalene (b. 1966), Ensa Camille (b. 1973), and Evin Harrah (b. 1976), and son Ennis William (1969-1997). His son Ennis was shot dead while changing a flat tire on the side of the Interstate 405 in Los Angeles on January 16, 1997.
Bill Cosby is an active alumni supporter of his alma mater, Temple University, and in particular their men’s basketball team, whose games Cosby frequently attends (particularly during the team’s glory days under coach John Chaney, who is a close friend of Cosby).
Cosby is a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2002, when both the Eagles’ starting and backup quarterbacks were injured, Cosby sent a letter to head coach Andy Reid, joking that he was ready to play if needed.
Cosby also attends many public events, such as the 100th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 2, 2007. His love for track has also been shown with his long time sponsorship, and on-track work with the Penn Relays. For many years, Cosby has been known to work the finish line at Franklin Field and congratulate athletes. In 1988, Cosby ran the anchor leg at Penn in a two team race on a 4×400 relay. In a unique twist, Cosby’s team was far ahead and his premature celebration was broken when Olympic medalist Valerie Brisco-Hooks, the other team’s anchor leg, patted him on the “boom-boom” and passed him en route to victory. The event ended up as a scene on The Cosby Show showing Cosby, as Dr. Huxtable, losing an important grudge match race against the team of former college rival Col. Sanford “Tailwind” Turner (USMC).
Cosby enjoys cigars, a hobby he picked up from Groucho Marx, one of his comedy influences.
Cosby maintains homes in Shelburne, Massachusetts and Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.
During the 2009 NFL Draft, he celebrated the draft with former Texas Longhorns’ wide receiver Quan Cosby as a means of support. He even wore a Temple University helmet and jersey.
Bill Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles Playboy Jazz Festival since 1979. An avid musician, he’s best known as a jazz drummer although he can be seen playing bass guitar with Jerry Lewis & Sammy Davis Jr. on Hugh Hefner’s 70’s talk show. His ribald story “The Regular Way” was featured in Playboy’s December 1968 issue.
Bill Cosby Naked Photos
