Bill Cosby

This article is about the comedian. For the British governor of New York, see William Cosby.

Bill Cosby

Cosby in 2011
Born William Henry Cosby Jr.
July 12, 1937
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation Actor, comedian, author, producer, activist
Years active 1962–present
Spouse(s) Camille Hanks Cosby
Children 5, including Erika Cosby

Comedy career

Medium Stand-up comedy, film, television
Genres Observational comedy, satire, surreal humor, deadpan
Influenced Chris Rock,[1] Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy
Notable works and roles
Website www.billcosby.com

William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and activist.

Cosby's start in stand-up comedy began at the hungry i in San Francisco, followed by landing a starring role in the 1960s show I Spy. During its first two seasons, he was a regular on the children's television series The Electric Company.

Using the Fat Albert character developed during his stand-up routines, Cosby created, produced, and hosted the animated comedy television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, a show centered on a group of young friends growing up in an urban area that ran from 1972 until 1985. Throughout the 1970s, Cosby starred in a number of films, occasionally returning to film later in his career. In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His dissertation discussed the use of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a teaching tool in elementary schools.

Beginning in the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in a television sitcom, The Cosby Show; the show aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America for five years, 1984 through 1989.[2] The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. Cosby produced the Cosby Show spin-off sitcom A Different World, which aired from 1987 to 1993; starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000; and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons, from 1998 to 2000.

Since 2000, Cosby has been repeatedly accused of sexually assaulting women, in several cases after purportedly drugging them. The allegations span from the 1960s to the 2000s. Cosby has never been formally criminally charged.

Early life

Cosby, circa early 1960s

Cosby was born on July 12, 1937[3] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] He is one of four sons of Anna Pearl (née Hite), a maid, and William Henry Cosby Sr., who served as a cook in the U.S. Navy.[4][5] During much of Cosby's early childhood, his father was away in the U.S. armed forces, spending several years fighting in World War II. As a student, he described himself as a class clown. Cosby was the captain of both the baseball team and the track and field team at Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia, as well as the class president.[6] Early on, though, teachers noted his propensity for clowning around rather than studying.[7] At FitzSimons Junior High School, Cosby began acting in plays as well as continuing his devotion to playing sports.[8] He went on to Philadelphia's Central High School, a magnet and university prep school.[8] In addition, Cosby was working before and after school, selling produce, shining shoes, and stocking shelves at a supermarket to help out the family.[8] He transferred to Germantown High School, but failed the tenth grade.[9] Instead of repeating, he got a job as an apprentice at a shoe repair shop, which he liked, but could not see himself doing the rest of his life.[8] Subsequently, he joined the Navy, serving at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.[10] During his four years in the Navy, Cosby served as a Hospital Corpsman working in physical therapy with Navy and Marine Corps personnel injured during the Korean War.[10]

He finished his equivalency diploma via correspondence courses[11] and was awarded a track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's Temple University in 1961.[12] There, he studied physical education while running track and playing fullback on the university's football team.

As Cosby progressed through his undergraduate studies, he continued to hone his talent for humor, joking with fellow enlistees in the service and then with college friends. When he began bartending at a Philadelphia club to earn money, he became more aware of his ability to make people laugh. After using humor on his customers and seeing his tips increase, he then took his talent to the stage.[13]

Stand-up career

Cosby left Temple to pursue a career in comedy, lining up standup jobs at clubs first in Philadelphia and then in New York City, where he appeared at The Gaslight Cafe beginning in 1962.[8] He booked dates in cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.. He received national exposure on NBC's The Tonight Show in the summer of 1963. This led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, who, in 1964, released his debut LP Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!, the first of a series of comedy albums.

While many comics of the time were using the growing freedom of that decade to explore material that was controversial and sometimes risqué, Cosby was making his reputation with humorous recollections of his childhood. Many Americans wondered about the absence of race as a topic in Cosby's stories. As Cosby's success grew he had to defend his choice of material regularly; as he argued, "A white person listens to my act and he laughs and he thinks, 'Yeah, that's the way I see it too.' Okay. He's white. I'm Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that we are alike. Right? So I figure this way I'm doing as much for good race relations as the next guy."[14]

Younger, well-established comics like Jerry Seinfeld have credited Cosby as an innovator both as a practitioner of the genre of standup comedy, but also as a person who paved the way for comics to break into sitcom television. Seinfeld said of Cosby: "He opened a door for all of us, for all of the networks to even consider that this was a way to create a character, was to take someone who can hold an audience just by being up there and telling their story. He created that. He created the whole idea of taking a quote-unquote 'comic' and developing a TV show just from a persona that you see onstage."[15] Comedian Larry Wilmore also saw a connection between Cosby's standup, in the concert film Bill Cosby: Himself, and the later success of the The Cosby Show, saying: "It's clear that the concert is the template for The Cosby Show."[15]

Cosby remains an actively touring stand-up comedian, performing at theaters throughout the United States. He performed his first TV standup special in 30 years, Bill Cosby: Far From Finished, on Comedy Central on November 23, 2013.[16]

Acting career

I Spy

In 1965, Cosby was cast alongside Robert Culp in the I Spy espionage adventure series on NBC. I Spy became the first weekly dramatic television series to feature an African American in a starring role.[17] At first Cosby and NBC executives were concerned that some affiliates might be unwilling to carry the series. At the beginning of the 1965 season, four stations declined the show; they were in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.[18] Viewers were taken with the show's exotic locales and the authentic chemistry between the stars, and it became one of the ratings hits of that television season. I Spy finished among the twenty most-watched shows that year, and Cosby would be honored with three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.[19] When accepting his third Emmy for the show, Cosby told the audience: “Let the message be known to bigots and racists that they don’t count!”[19]

During the run of the series, Cosby continued to do stand-up comedy performances and recorded a half-dozen record albums for Warner Bros. Records. He also began to dabble in singing, recording Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings in 1967, which provided him with a hit single with his recording of Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright).[20] As a single, the song sold over one million copies in the U.S. (achieving "gold" status), and hit number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[20] He would record several more musical albums into the early 1970s, but he continued to record primarily stand-up comedy work.

In June 1968, Billboard reported that Cosby had turned down a five-year, US$3.5 million contract renewal offer and would leave the label in August that year to record for his own record label.[21]

Tetragrammaton Records was a division of the Campbell, Silver, Cosby (CSC) Corporation, the Los Angeles-based production company founded by Cosby, his manager Roy Silver, and filmmaker Bruce Post Campbell. It produced films as well as records, including Cosby's television specials, the Fat Albert cartoon special and series and several motion pictures. CSC hired industry veteran Artie Mogull as President of the label and Tetragrammaton was fairly active during 1968–69 (its most successful signing was British heavy rock band Deep Purple) but it quickly went into the red and ceased trading during 1970.[22]

Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby Show, and the 1970s

Cosby in 1969

Cosby pursued a variety of additional television projects and appeared as a regular guest host on The Tonight Show and as the star of an annual special for NBC. He returned with another series in 1969, The Bill Cosby Show, a situation comedy that ran for two seasons. Cosby played a physical education teacher at a Los Angeles high school. While only a modest critical success, the show was a ratings hit, finishing eleventh in its first season. Cosby was lauded for using African-American performers such as Lillian Randolph, Moms Mabley, and Rex Ingram as characters. According to commentary on the Season 1 DVD's for the show, Cosby was at odds with NBC over his refusal to include a laugh track in the show (he felt that viewers had the ability to find humor for themselves when watching a TV show). He was originally contracted with NBC to do the show for two seasons, and he believes the show was not renewed afterwards for that reason.

After The Bill Cosby Show left the air, Cosby returned to his education. He began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For the PBS series The Electric Company, Cosby recorded several segments teaching reading skills to young children.

In 1972, Cosby received an MA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was also back in prime time with a variety series, The New Bill Cosby Show. However, this time he met with poor ratings, and the show lasted only a season. More successful was a Saturday morning show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, hosted by Cosby and based on his own childhood. That series ran from 1972 to 1979, and as The New Fat Albert Show in 1979 and The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids in 1984. Some schools used the program as a teaching tool, and Cosby himself wrote a dissertation on it, "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", as partial fulfillment of obtaining his 1976 doctorate in education, also from the University of Massachusetts.[8][23] Subsequently, Temple University, where Cosby had begun but never finished his undergraduate studies, would grant him his bachelor's degree on the basis of "life experience."[24]

Also during the 1970s, Cosby and other African-American actors, including Sidney Poitier, joined forces to make some successful comedy films that countered the violent "blaxploitation" films of the era. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975) were generally praised, but much of Cosby's film work has fallen flat. Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), costarring Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel; A Piece of the Action, with Poitier; and California Suite, a compilation of four Neil Simon plays, were all panned. In addition, Cos (1976) an hour-long variety show featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled within the year. It was during this season that ABC decided to take advantage of this phase of Cosby's career by associating with Filmation (producers of Fat Albert) in creating live-action segments starring Cosby for the 1964/1971 animated film Journey Back to Oz, which made its network premiere on Christmas 1976, and aired subsequently in syndication. Cosby was also a regular on children's public television programs starting in the 1970s, hosting the "Picture Pages" segments that lasted into the early 1980s.

The Cosby Show and the 1980s

Cosby's greatest television success came in September 1984 with the debut of The Cosby Show. The program aired weekly on NBC and went on to become the highest ranking sitcom of all time. For Cosby, the new situation comedy was a response to the increasingly violent and vulgar fare the networks usually offered. Cosby is an advocate for humor that is family-oriented. He insisted on and received total creative control of the series, and he was involved in every aspect of the series. The show had parallels to Cosby's actual family life: like the characters Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Cosby and his wife Camille were college educated, financially successful, and had five children. Essentially a throwback to the wholesome family situation comedy, The Cosby Show was unprecedented in its portrayal of an intelligent, affluent, African-American family.

Much of the material from the pilot and first season of The Cosby Show was taken from his video Bill Cosby: Himself, released in 1983. The series was an immediate success, debuting near the top of the ratings and staying there for most of its long run. The Cosby Show is one of only three American programs that have been #1 in the Nielsen ratings for at least five consecutive seasons, along with All in the Family and American Idol. People magazine called the show "revolutionary", and Newsday concurred that it was a "real breakthrough."

In 1987, Cosby attempted to return to film with the spy spoof Leonard Part 6. Although Cosby himself was producer and wrote the story, he realized during production that the film was not going to be what he wanted and publicly denounced it, warning audiences to stay away.[25] Cosby even went so far as to personally collect the Golden Raspberry Awards the film received on Joan Rivers' late-night talk show.

1990s and 2000s

Cosby at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2006
Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Cosby, a production assistant, and Ginna Marston of Partnership for Drug-Free Kids review the script for a 1990 public service spot at Cosby's studio in Astoria, Queens.

After The Cosby Show went off the air in 1992, Cosby embarked on a number of other projects, including a revival of the classic Groucho Marx game show You Bet Your Life (1992–93) along with the TV-movie I Spy Returns (1994) and The Cosby Mysteries (1994). In the mid-1990s, he appeared as a detective in black-and-white film noir-themed commercials for Turner Classic Movies. He made appearances in three more films: Ghost Dad (1990), The Meteor Man (1993), and Jack (1996). In addition, he was interviewed in Spike Lee's 4 Little Girls (1997), a documentary about the 1963 racist bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Also in 1996, he started up a new show for CBS, Cosby, again co-starring Phylicia Rashād, his onscreen wife on The Cosby Show. Cosby co-produced the show for Carsey-Werner Productions. The show was based on the British program One Foot in the Grave. It centered on Cosby as Hilton Lucas, an iconoclastic senior citizen who tries to find a new job after being downsized and, in the meantime, gets on his wife's nerves. Madeline Kahn costarred as Rashād's goofy business partner Pauline. Cosby was hired by CBS to be the official spokesman of the WWJ-TV during an advertising campaign from 1995 to 1998. Cosby hosted a CBS special, Kids Say the Darndest Things on February 6, 1995, which was followed after as a full season show, with Cosby as host, from January 9, 1998 to June 23, 2000.[26]

After four seasons, Cosby was canceled. Its last episode aired April 28, 2000. Kids Say the Darndest Things was terminated the same year, and Cosby continued to work with CBS through a development deal and other projects.

A series for preschoolers, Little Bill, made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999. The network renewed the popular program in November 2000. In 2001, Cosby's agenda included the publication of a new book, as well as delivering the commencement addresses at Morris Brown College, Ohio State University, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[27] Also that year, he signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a live-action feature film centering on the popular Fat Albert character from his 1970s cartoon series. Fat Albert was released in theaters in December 2004. In May 2007 he spoke at the Commencement of High Point University.

In the summer of 2009, Cosby hosted a comedy gala at Montreal's Just for Laughs, which is the largest comedy festival in the world.[28]

2010s

A new NBC show, scheduled for summer or autumn 2015, created by Mike O'Malley and Mike Sikowitz and to have been produced by The Cosby Show's Tom Werner, was set to feature Cosby as Jonathan Franklin, the patriarch of a multi-generational family.[29] On November 19, 2014, NBC scrapped Cosby's new show after accusations that he sexually assaulted women resurfaced.[30] On the same day, TV Land announced in November that it was pulling reruns of The Cosby Show from its schedule and also removed clips of the show from its website.[31]

Two days earlier, on November 17, 2014, Netflix postponed a Cosby stand-up comedy special after accusations surfaced that the comedian had sexually assaulted Janice Dickinson in 1982.[32]

Personal life

Cosby married Camille Olivia Hanks on January 25, 1964.[4] Together, they have had five children, Erika, Erinn, Ensa, Evin, and Ennis.[4] Their only son, Ennis,[4] was murdered on January 16, 1997, while changing a flat tire on the side of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. The Cosbys have three grandchildren.[33]

Cosby is a Protestant.[34] He maintains homes in Shelburne, Massachusetts and Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.[35]

Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles Playboy Jazz Festival since 1979. Known as a jazz drummer, he can also be seen playing bass guitar with Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr. on Hugh Hefner's 1970s talk show. His story, "The Regular Way", was featured in Playboy‍ '​s December 1968 issue.[36] Cosby has become an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America.[37] Cosby became involved with the foundation in 2004. For several years, he has been a featured host for its annual benefit, A Great Night in Harlem, at the Apollo Theater in New York City.[38][39]

Cosby is an alumnus supporter of his alma mater, Temple University, particularly its men's basketball team, whose games Cosby frequently attends. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity; he was initiated in the fraternity's Beta Alpha Alpha graduate chapter in White Plains, New York, in 1988.[40]

Shawn Upshaw paternity lawsuit

In July 1997, Cosby testified that he made private payments to Shawn Upshaw, a woman who had briefly been his lover in Las Vegas during the early 1970s. Upshaw later told Cosby that he was the father of her daughter, Autumn Jackson. Cosby denies being the father and said that he gave Upshaw a total of about $100,000 because he did not want her to publicly reveal the affair.[41] Twenty-two-year-old Autumn Jackson was sentenced to 26 months in jail for trying to extort $40 million from Cosby. In the trial and subsequent appeal, the courts held that Jackson's belief as that she was Cosby's child—even if sincere—was irrelevant to the question of her guilt. The courts stated that the mere fact that she was Cosby's child would not have given entitled her to the $40 million she demanded, and therefore the demand was extortionate whether or not she believed herself to be Cosby's daughter.[42] Although both Jackson and Cosby stated at various times that they were willing to undergo DNA testing to determine Jackson's paternity, the two sides never reached an agreement as to when and how to perform the test. After Jackson's conviction, Cosby provided a blood sample for testing, but Jackson refused to participate until after her sentencing.[43][44] It appears that the test was never completed.

Sexual assault allegations and fallout

As of late January 2015, at least 38 women have accused Cosby of drugging or sexually assaulting them.[45][46][47] The earliest alleged incident occurred in 1965. The most recent incident was alleged to have occurred in 2008.[47][48][49] Cosby has declined to discuss any of the claims.[50]

On January 28, 2000, actress Lachele Covington alleged in a police report filed on February 1, 2000, that Cosby had groped her in his apartment. Covington was 20 years old at the time and had appeared as a waitress on the CBS television show Cosby.[51][52][53]

In January 2004, Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, accused Cosby of drugging and fondling her. In February 2005, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor said in a statement that Cosby would not be charged over the allegations because of "insufficient credible and admissible evidence".[54] Constand filed a civil claim against Cosby in March 2005[55] and 13 women were named as potential witnesses if the case went to court.[56] Cosby settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in November 2006.[55]

Upon hearing that the prosecutor was unlikely to pursue charges in relation to Constand's accusation, in February 2005, California lawyer Tamara Lucier Green came forward with allegations that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her in 1969.[57][58] Cosby's lawyer said that Cosby did not know the accuser and that she had described events that did not happen.[59]

In a July 2005 interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Beth Ferrier alleged that in 1984, Cosby drugged her coffee; she felt woozy, passed out and woke up with her clothes partially removed.[60]

In October 2014, comedian Hannibal Buress did a standup routine that criticized Cosby for 'talking down' to young black men about their mode of dress and lifestyle, while, according to Burress: "[Y]ou raped women, Bill Cosby." A video of the routine went viral after being posted on the website of Philadelphia (magazine). The routine and video resulted in significantly more media coverage of previously-made accusations, and may have contributed to further accusers coming forward with new allegations.[61][62][63]

In November 2014, journalist Joan Tarshis,[64] model Janice Dickinson,[65] actress Louisa Moritz,[66] actor Lou Ferrigno's wife Carla Ferrigno,[66] Florida nurse Therese Serignese,[67] Playboy Playmates Victoria Valentino[68] and Sarita Butterfield,[69] actress Michelle Hurd,[47] and 11 other women[70] alleged that Cosby drugged, sexually assaulted and/or raped them between 1965 and 2004.[71] Cosby's attorney, Martin D. Singer, stated that Dickinson's account differed from prior accounts she gave of the incident and released a statement on Cosby's website that said in part: "Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment."[72] A follow-up statement by Singer dismissed the allegations as unsubstantial, lacking in evidence, and an attempt to vilify Cosby.[73] Lawyers for Cosby and Constand released a joint statement saying "the statement released by Mr. Cosby's attorney over the weekend was not intended to refer in any way to Andrea Constand. As previously reported, differences between Mr. Cosby and Ms. Constand were resolved to the mutual satisfaction of Mr. Cosby and Ms. Constand years ago. Neither Mr. Cosby nor Ms. Constand intends to comment further on the matter."[74]

On December 1, 2014, Cosby resigned from Temple University's board of trustees.[75] On December 3, Judy Huth filed a lawsuit against Cosby in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old.[76] The honorary title and status of Chief Petty Officer given to Cosby by the United States Navy in 2011 was revoked on December 4 as a result of the sexual assault allegations against him. In a press release, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens stated, "allegations of sexual abuse made against the comedian are serious and conflict with the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment."[77][78][79]

On December 11, Vanity Fair ran an article written by model Beverly Johnson, wherein she alleges that Cosby drugged her during an audition in 1986, and that other women she has spoken to since then have claimed Cosby drugged and/or fondled them, as well.[80] On December 12, Cosby spoke to the New York Post but did not speak of the rape and sex abuse allegations. His comments to the Post were that his wife is standing by him and his belief that African-American media in the United States should remain impartial and neutral.[81]

On January 27, 2015, Cindra Ladd, wife of former MGM/UA CEO Alan Ladd, Jr., alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1969.[82]

Socioeconomic and political views

Main article: Pound Cake speech

In May 2004, after receiving an award at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling—a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court that outlawed racial segregation in schools—Cosby made public remarks critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion, and "acting hard" than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement, pleading for African-American families to educate their children on the many different aspects of American culture.[83][84]

In the "Pound Cake" speech, Cosby asked that African-American parents teach their children better morals at a younger age. Cosby told The Washington Times, "Parenting needs to come to the forefront. If you need help and you don't know how to parent, we want to be able to reach out and touch" (DeBose, Brian). Richard Leiby of The Washington Post reported, "Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks Monday night at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision."[85]

Cosby again came under sharp criticism and was again largely unapologetic for his stance when he made similar remarks during a speech in a July 1 meeting commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. During that speech, he admonished apathetic blacks for not assisting or concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or have counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as blacks who "had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement."[86]

In 2005, Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book entitled Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?[87] In the book, Dyson wrote that Cosby was overlooking larger social factors that reinforce poverty and associated crime; factors such as deteriorating schools, stagnating wages, dramatic shifts in the economy, offshoring and downsizing, chronic underemployment, and job and capital flight.[88] Dyson suggested that Cosby's comments "betray classist, elitist viewpoints rooted in generational warfare."[87]

Cornel West defended Cosby and his remarks, saying, "he's speaking out of great compassion and trying to get folk to get on the right track, 'cause we've got some brothers and sisters who are not doing the right things, just like in times in our own lives, we don't do the right thing... He is trying to speak honestly and freely and lovingly, and I think that's a very positive thing."[89]

In a 2008 interview, Cosby mentioned Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Springfield, Massachusetts, among the cities where crime was high and young African-American men were being murdered and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Cosby stood his ground against criticism and affirmed that African-American parents were continuing to fail to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior.[90] Cosby still lectures to black communities (usually at churches) about his frustrations with certain problems prevalent in underprivileged urban communities, such as illegal drugs; teenage pregnancy; Black Entertainment Television; high-school dropouts; anti-intellectualism; gangsta rap; vulgarity; thievery; offensive clothing; vanity; parental alienation; single-parenting; and failing to live up to the ideals of Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and African-Americans who preceded Generation X.

Cosby has also been openly critical of conservative Republican politicians in regards to their views on socioeconomic and racial issues. In a 2013 CNN interview regarding voting rights, Cosby stated "this Republican Party is not the Republican Party of 1863, of Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists and slavery, is not good. I think it's important for us to look at the underlying part of it. What is the value of it? Is it that some people are angry because my people no longer want to work for free?"[91]

Works

Discography

Comedy albums

Music albums

Compilations

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions
US US R&B
1967 "Little Ol' Man (Uptight—Everything's Alright)" 4 18
1970 "Grover Henson Feels Forgotten" 70 —
1976 "I Luv Myself Better Than I Luv Myself" — 59
"Yes, Yes, Yes" 46 11

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1965-1968 I Spy Alexander Scott TV series
1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Patron at nightclub (uncredited)
1969 Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert Bill / Fat Albert / Dumb Donald (voice) TV movie
1969-1971 The Bill Cosby Show Chet Kincaid TV series
1971-1973 The Electric Company Hank TV series
1971 Man and Boy Caleb Revers TV movie
1971 Aesop's Fables Aesop
1972 The New Bill Cosby Show Host TV series
1972-1985 Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids "Fat" Albert Jackson (voice) TV series
1972 To All My Friends on Shore Blue TV movie
1972 Hickey & Boggs Al Hickey
1974 Uptown Saturday Night Wardell Franklin
1974 Journey Back to Oz The Wizard of Oz TV version only
1975 Let's Do It Again Billy Foster
1976 Cos Host TV series
1976 Mother, Jugs & Speed Mother
1977 A Piece of the Action Dave Anderson
1978 Top Secret Aaron Strickland TV movie
1978 California Suite Dr. Willis Panama
1981 The Devil and Max Devlin Barney Satin
1984-1992 The Cosby Show Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable TV series
1987 Leonard Part 6 Leonard Parker
1987 A Different World Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable TV series
1990 Ghost Dad Elliot Hopper
1992-1993 You Bet Your Life Host TV series
1993 The Meteor Man Marvin
1994 The Cosby Mysteries Guy Hanks TV movie
1994-1995 The Cosby Mysteries Guy Hanks TV series
1994 I Spy Returns Alexander Scott TV movie
1996 Jack Lawrence Woodruff
1996-2000 Cosby Hilton Lucas TV series
1998-2000 Kids Say the Darndest Things Host TV series
1999-2004 Little Bill Captain Brainstorm (voice) TV series
2002 Sylvia's Path Voice TV movie
2003 Baadasssss! Himself
2004 Fat Albert Himself
2009-2011 OBKB Himself
2014 Bill Cosby 77 Himself

Books

Awards and honors

Emmys

Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series – Primetime Emmys
1966 I Spy – Alexander Scott
1967 I Spy – Alexander Scott
1968 I Spy – Alexander Scott

Outstanding Variety Or Musical Program – Primetime Emmys
1969 The Bill Cosby Special

Grammys

Best Comedy Performance – Grammy Awards
1965 I Started Out as a Child
1966 Why Is There Air?
1967 Wonderfulness
1968 Revenge
1969 To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With
1970 Sports
1987 Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand

Best Recording for Children – Grammy Awards
1972 Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs
1971 The Electric Company – Cast member

Honorary degrees

Cosby has received honorary degrees from more than a dozen colleges and universities:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (TV). HBO. 1996.
  2. ↑ "Classic TV & Movie Hits - The Cosby Show". Classictvhits.com. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1215) (Time Inc.). Jul 13, 2012. p. 20.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Bill Cosby Biography (1937–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  5. ↑ "A Glimpse at Bill Cosby's Virginia Roots". Genealogymagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Bill Cosby Trivia". TV.com. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Bill Cosby and Me – Behind the Lens". The Washington Post. September 11, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Ghare, Madhavi. "Bill Cosby Biography". Buzzle.com. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  9. ↑ William Morris Agency, retrieved May 31, 2006
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Transition Profile — Bill Cosby". Veterans Careers. Military.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Bill Cosby". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Bill Cosby". Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ Verve Records, retrieved May 31, 2006
  14. ↑ Smith, Ronald L. (1997). Cosby: The Life of a Comedy Legend. Prometheus Books. p. 57. ISBN 1-57392-126-2.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Penn, Nathaniel (May 2013). "The 30th Anniversary of Bill Cosby: Himself —An All-Star Stand-Up Salute".
  16. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (November 22, 2013). "The Art of Burning Rubber vs. Steady Wins the Race". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ Coatesq, Ta-Nehisi (May, 2008). "‘This Is How We Lost to the White Man’: The audacity of Bill Cosby’s black conservatism". TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved 24 April 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ↑ Jackson, Andrew Grant (2015). 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music. St. Martins Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-250-05962-8. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Sanneh, Kelefa (September 15, 2014). "The Eternal Paternal Bill Cosby’s never-ending tour.". NewYorker.com. The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Smith, Emily. The Bill Cosby Handbook - Everything you need to know about Bill Cosby. Emereo Publishing. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Cosby To Exit WB in August To Join Own Record Firm", Billboard, June 1, 1968, p.1
  22. ↑ "TetragrammatonAlbum Discography". Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  23. ↑ The first 22 pages of his dissertation are available at the UMI ProQuest Dissertation Abstracts, publication number AAT 7706369
  24. ↑ Holznagel. "From Dropout to Doctorate: A Bill Cosby Educational Timeline". Who2 Biographies. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Bill Cosby". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  26. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (October 17, 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 736–737. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Bill Cosby to be Rensselaer’s Commencement Speaker
  28. ↑ Georgia Brown (March 16, 2007). "Five top comedy festivals around the world | Travel | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Is there still a place in television for Bill Cosby?". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  30. ↑ "New Bill Cosby TV show scrapped by NBC". BBC News. 19 November 2014.
  31. ↑ "TV Land Pulls The Cosby Show From Its Lineup". TIME Magazine. November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Bill Cosby sitcom scrapped by NBC amid growing sexual-assault allegations". Toronto Star. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  33. ↑ "Bill Cosby Comes Clean". NewsObserver. January 20, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Q&A: Bill Cosby Talks Family, Faith and Tim Tebow". Christian Post.
  35. ↑ "Bill Cosby settles lawsuit in drug, sexual assault case". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 9, 2006.
  36. ↑ Cosby, Bill (December 1968). "The Regular Way". Playboy. p. 115.
  37. ↑ famegame.com. 2009-13-10. URL: http://www.famegame.com/person/Bill_Cosby. Accessed: 2009-13-10. (Archived by famegame.com at http://www.famegame.com/person/Bill_Cosby)
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  40. ↑ "Beta Alpha Alpha Chapter Lines". Beta Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  41. ↑ Goldman, John (July 16, 1997). "Cosby Testifies About Secret Payments". Los Angeles Times.
  42. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin (November 16, 1999). "Judges Reinstate Conviction In Extortion of Bill Cosby". The New York Times.
  43. ↑ "Woman refuses test to see if Bill Cosby is her father". July 26, 1997. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  44. ↑ Gliatto, Tom (August 11, 1997). "The Tears of Autumn". People.com. People Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  45. ↑ O'Connor, Lydia (April 23, 2015). "Three New Alleged Bill Cosby Victims Come Forward". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  46. ↑ Pelisek, Christine (April 23, 2015). "3 More Bill Cosby Accusers Come Forward, Alleging Drugging and Sexual Assaults". People Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 "Bill Cosby's Long List of Accusers". The Daily Beast. November 24, 2014.
  48. ↑ Seemayer, Zach (February 26, 2015). "Bill Cosby's Accusers: A Timeline of Alleged Sexual Assault Claims (Updated)". ET Online. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  49. ↑ Filipa Ioannou, Ben Mathis-Lilley, and Elliot Hannon (November 21, 2014). "A Complete List of the Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby of Sexual Assault". Slate.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  50. ↑ Yahr, Emily (November 15, 2014). "Bill Cosby refuses to address sexual assault allegations on NPR interview, will no longer appear on David Letterman’s show". Washington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  51. ↑ "Actress' Bombshell: ‘Cos' Rubbed Me the Wrong Way". Nypost.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  52. ↑ "cosby1-signed.pdf" (PDF). Https:. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  53. ↑ "Bill Cosby Rape Claims: Lachele Covington, Cosby Show Actress, Accused Cosby of Attempted Abuse". Theepochtimes.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Cosby, Canadian woman settle lawsuit over alleged assault". November 8, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 CNN, Library (July 3, 2014). "Bill Cosby Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  56. ↑ McDonald, Soraya Nadia (October 31, 2014). "Is the world starting to turn against Bill Cosby?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  57. ↑ Fiorillo, Victor (November 17, 2014). "Q&A: New Bill Cosby Accuser Joan Tarshis". Philadelphia. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  58. ↑ Carter, Bill (November 14, 2014). "Cosby Is Off Another Show as Rape Accusations Swirl". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  59. ↑ Leopold, Todd (November 12, 2014). "Rape allegations won't go away for Bill Cosby". CNN. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  60. ↑ "Woman Details Alleged Cosby Sex Assault". Foxnews.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  61. ↑ Matt Giles and Nate Jones (March 3, 2015). "A Timeline of the Abuse Charges Against Bill Cosby [Updated]". Vulture.com. New York Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  62. ↑ McQuade, Dan (October 17, 2014). "Hannibal Buress on Bill Cosby: You're a Rapist". Phillymag.com. Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
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  64. ↑ Hughes, Jason (November 18, 2014). "Bill Cosby Is a ‘Serial Rapist,’ Accuser Joan Tarshis Tells CNN's Don Lemon (Video)". Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  65. ↑ Bueno, Antoinette (November 18, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Janice Dickinson Details Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Accusations: He Raped Me". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
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  67. ↑ "Therese Serignese, Florida Nurse, Says Bill Cosby Drugged And Raped Her In 1976". The Huffington Post. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  68. ↑ "Bill Cosby’s legacy, recast: Accusers speak in detail about sexual-assault allegations". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  69. ↑ "Playboy bunny claims Bill Cosby tried to kiss, fondle her". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
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  75. ↑ Snyder, Susan (1 December 2014). "Cosby steps down from Temple board". Retrieved 3 December 2014.
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  77. ↑ Bill Cosby's honorary chief status revoked amid controversy; Navy Times, 4 Dec 2014
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  83. ↑ Father's Day with Bill Cosby, an American Original http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june172013/bill-cosby-ab.php
  84. ↑ Bill Cosby: Charity Work & Causes - Look to the Stars https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/bill-cosby
  85. ↑ "Publicists With a Cannes-Do Attitude". The Washington Post. May 19, 2004.
  86. ↑ "Fattah Lauds Bill Cosby as "Hometown Hero"". fattah.house.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
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  89. ↑ Cornel West radio clip played on Tavis Smiley edition "Bill Cosby: Airdate May 26, 2004"
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  98. ↑ "Bill Cosby is Marquette University’s spring Commencement speaker". Marquette University Office of Marketing and Communication. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  99. ↑ "VCU 40th Anniversary Events". Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  100. ↑ "Commencement 2007: Celebrating Honors and Achievements". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
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  113. ↑ "Commencement: Speakers Since 1938". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 19, 2009.

General references

  • DeBose, Brian (September 9, 2004). "Cosby urges leaders to aid black families". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  • Leiby, Richard. "Publications with a Cannes-Do Attitude." Washington Post. May 19, 2004: 3.
  • Morano, Marc. "Bill Cosby was hounded by President Nixon." World Entertainment News Network. May 1, 2000. March 2, 2006. www.imdb.com
  • "Segregated Expectations" USA Today. May 15, 2003: 12.
  • Wu, Frank H. "Brown at 50: Keeping Promises." Black Issues in Higher Education. May 20, 2004: 49
  • "Biography — William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr.". Biographies in Naval History. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. June 22, 2006. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.

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