Bill Cobbs

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William Francisco "Bill" Cobbs (born June 16, 1935) is an African- American film actor.

Bill Cobbs was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where his mother was a cleaning lady and his father was a construction worker. As an amateur actor in the city's Karamu House Theater, he starred in the Ossie Davis play "Purlie Victorious". Cobbs was an Air Force radar technician for eight years; he also worked in office products at IBM and sold cars in Cleveland.

In 1970, at age 35, he left for New York to seek work as an actor. There he turned down a job in the NBC sales department in order to have time for auditions. He supported himself by driving a cab, repairing office equipment, selling toys, and performing odd jobs. His first professional acting role was in "Ride a Black Horse" at the Negro Ensemble Company. From there, he appeared in small theater productions, street theater, regional theater, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater.

His first television credit was in Vegetable Soup (1976), a New York public television educational series, and he made his feature film debut in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three in 1974. In his free time, Cobbs enjoys music, reading, playing his drums, and learning how to play golf. While in Cleveland he will appear in master classes at the Wake Up and Lives Actors Studio.

[edit] Film

In 2006 Cobbs played a supporting role in Night at the Museum as Reginald, a security guard on the verge on retirement. He also played basketball coach and retired basketball player Arthur Chaney in Disney's Air Bud.