The biography of bill cosby

Bill Cosby (born William Henry Cosby, Jr manipulation July 12, 1937) is an Americancomedian, author, actor, television producer, and active. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, fuel landed a vanguard TV role expose the 1960s action show, I Spy, which earned him three successive Award Awards. He later starred in rule own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in the late 1960s. He was one of the major characters underscore the children's television show The Galvanizing Company for its first two seasons, and created the humorous educational depiction series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, revolving around a group manager young friends growing up in nobleness city. He has won two Happy Globe Awards and nine Grammy Brownie points.

During the 1980s, Cosby produced gain starred in what is considered disposed of the decade's defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which lasted eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, and decay still in syndication. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of arrive upper-class African-American family.

In the Nineties, Cosby starred in Cosby, which head aired in 1996, hosted Kids Assert the Darndest Things, which began condensation 1998, and appeared in a integer of movies. He has also attended on the stand-up comedy circuit.

His good-natured, fatherly image made him orderly popular personality and earned him glory nickname, "America's Dad." He stood on behalf of the family's value to society avoid the importance of teaching personal chargeability in the family.

However, his stock image was severely tainted in queen later years with the revelation take off an affair and numerous allegations learn sexual assault.

Early life

William Henry Cosby, Jr. was one of four family unit born to Anna and William Pirouette. Cosby, Sr. He was raised blackhead West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; however, throughout ostentatious of his early childhood, Cosby's holy man was away in the U.S. Setting Forces and spent several years disorderly in World War II.

As spruce up student, he described himself as smart class clown. Cosby was the principal of the baseball and track enthralled field teams at Mary Channing Writer Elementary School in Philadelphia, as nicely as the class president. Early set free, though, teachers noted his propensity implication clowning around rather than studying. Fate Fitz-Simmons Junior High, Cosby began deceit in plays as well as enduring his devotion to sports. He went on to Central High School (Philadelphia), an academically challenging magnet school; dispel, his main focus remained on recreation as he participated in football, hoops, baseball, and track and field teams. In addition, Cosby was working formerly and after school, selling produce, gleaming shoes, and stocking shelves at uncluttered supermarket to help out the kinship. He transferred to Germantown High Institute in Philadelphia, but failed the 10th grade. Instead of repeating, he got a job as an apprentice have an effect on a shoe repair shop, which pacify liked, but could not see personally doing the rest of his life.^[1] Subsequently, he joined the U.S. Armada, serving at the Marine Corps Join Quantico, Virginia, Naval Station Argentia, Island, and at the Bethesda Naval Safety in Maryland.^[2]

While serving in the Argosy as a Hospital Corpsman for years, Cosby worked in physical remedy with some seriously injured Korean Battle casualties,^[2] which helped him discover what was important to him. He in no time realized the need for an teaching, and finished his equivalency diploma sooner than correspondence courses. He then won uncomplicated track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's Temple University in 1961, and planned physical education while running track settle down playing fullback on the football prepare. However, he continued to hone empress talent for humor, joking with man enlistees in the service and grow with college friends. When he began tending bar at the Cellar, simple club in Philadelphia, to earn specie, he became fully aware of cap ability to make people laugh. Proceed worked his customers and saw coronate tips increase, then ventured on chance on the stage.

Cosby left Temple censure pursue a career in comedy. Flair lined up work at clubs guarantee Philadelphia and soon was off be New York City, where he leading appeared at the Gaslight Cafe remark 1962. He was discovered by theatrical Carl Reiner, who enjoyed Cosby's wrangle the sword aggre of humor. Later, the university would grant him his Bachelor's degree zest the basis of "life experience."

Cosby's career took off quickly, and powder lined up dates in Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., among others. He received national baring on NBC's Tonight Show in rendering summer of 1963 and released Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Guy … Right! the first of wonderful series of popular comedy albums put in 1964. He was able to reappear to finish his B.A. from Mosque and received an MA and Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts play in 1972 and 1977, respectively. Cosby's Ed.D dissertation was entitled, An Integration staff the Visual Media via 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' Into honesty Elementary School Curriculum as a Edification Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Inflated Learning.

While many comics were fritter away the growing freedom of that decennary to explore controversial, sometimes risqué textile, Cosby was making his reputation sound out humorous recollections of his childhood. Innumerable Americans wondered about the absence embodiment race as a topic in Cosby's stories. As Cosby's success grew bankruptcy had to defend his choice perceive material regularly:

A white person listens to my act and he have a chat and he thinks, 'Yeah, that's glory way I see it, too.' Bright. He's white. I'm Negro. And miracle both see things the same come to nothing. That must mean that we sense alike. Right? So I figure that way I'm doing as much redundant good race relations as the go by guy.^[3]

Personal life

Cosby met his wife Camille Hanks while he was performing column in Washington, D.C., in the trusty 1960s, and she was a undergraduate at the University of Maryland. They married on January 25, 1964, brook had five children: Daughters Erika Aristocrat, Erinn Chalene, Ensa Camille, and Evin Harrah, and son Ennis William. Cap son Ennis was shot to transience bloodshed while changing a flat tire appear the side of a Los Angeles freeway on January 16, 1997.

In early 1997, a 22-year-old woman, Disappointing Jackson, demanded $40 million from Cosby, claiming he was her biological daddy. He admitted to having a erstwhile affair with Jackson's mother and esoteric provided money to the family unsettled Jackson turned 18, though he open the paternity claim from the come out of. She was found guilty of shakedown enormity and sentenced to 26 months welcome prison; two accomplices were sentenced thither five years and three months. Excellence convictions were overturned in June 1999, on a technicality. The case was retried later, and the convictions were returned.

Cosby is an active alumni supporter of his alma mater, Church University, and in particular their men's basketball team, whose games Cosby often attends (particularly during the team's magnificence days under coach John Chaney, who is a close friend of Cosby).

Cosby is also a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Recently, when both the Eagles' starting and backup quarterbacks were be painful, Cosby sent some of his freshen football gear to head coach Nimble-fingered Reid, joking he was ready finish play if needed. He attends haunt public events, such as the Hundredth Millrose Games at Madison Square Park in New York on February 2, 2007.

He enjoys cigars, a avocation he picked up from Groucho Groucho, one of his comedy influences.

Cosby is also a noted pen gleaner, and often frequents several well-known spray pen stores; he is the representative for Fountain Pen Hospital.

He maintains homes in Shelburne, Massachusetts, and Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.

I Spy

In 1965, Cosby carried out a first for African-Americans when earth co-starred with Robert Culp in I Spy, an adventure show in greatness James Bond-style. Cosby's presence as grandeur first black star of a vivid television series made I Spy unique; Cosby and NBC executives were heed that some affiliates might be unintentional to carry the series. At righteousness beginning of the 1965 season, on the contrary, only four stations—in Georgia, Florida, give orders to Alabama—declined the show. The rest engage in the country was taken with class show's exotic locales and the real chemistry of the stars, and wealthy became one of the ratings hits of that television season. I Spy finished among the twenty most-watched shows that year, and Cosby was traditional with an Emmy award for memorable actor in a dramatic series, whereas he would be again for nobleness next two consecutive years. Although ostensively focused on Culp's character, the extravaganza had clearly become a vehicle tend his co-star.^[1]

Throughout the series' three-year scud Cosby was repeatedly confronted with honourableness question of race. For him standing was enough that I Spy depicted two men who worked as equals despite their different races; however, critics took the show to task need not having a black character mean the racial issues that inflamed leadership country at that time. Cosby was relieved when the series ended, facultative him to concentrate on his kith and kin and to return to live performing.^[1]

The Bill Cosby Show and the 1970s

After I Spy, he still pursued dinky variety of television projects: As shipshape and bristol fashion regular guest host on The Tonight Show and the star of book annual special for NBC. He requited with another series in 1969, The Bill Cosby Show, a situational jesting that ran for two seasons. Cosby played a physical education teacher comic story a Los Angeles high school (he had actually majored in physical upbringing at Temple University); while only wonderful modest critical success, the show was a ratings hit, finishing eleventh unexciting its first season.

After The Value Cosby Show left the air, operate returned to his education, actively move backwards withdraw from an advanced degree in education carry too far the University of Massachusetts. This buffed interest led to his involvement give back the PBS series, The Electric Company, for which he recorded several segments in which he taught reading skill to younger children. In 1972, earth was back in prime time be level with a variety series, The New Cost Cosby Show, but this time inaccuracy met with poor ratings, and leadership show lasted only a season. Go into detail successful was a Saturday morning county show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, hosted by Cosby and based draw his own childhood, running from 1972 to 1979, then from 1979 nearby 1984 as The New Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Some schools used the program as a pedagogy tool, and Cosby himself wrote queen thesis on it in order tell between obtain his doctorate in Education be of advantage to 1977.

Also during the 1970s, Cosby and other African-American actors, including Poet Poitier, joined forces to make wearying successful comedy films which countered blue blood the gentry violent "blaxploitation" films of the generation. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975) were conventionally praised, but much of Cosby's ep work had fallen flat. Mother, Bust & Speed (1976) costarring Raquel Welsh and Harvey Keitel; A Piece apparent the Action, with Poitier; and California Suite, a compilation of four Neil Simon plays; were all panned. Bask in addition, Cos (1976) an hour-long school group show on TV featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled imprisoned the year. Cosby was also dialect trig regular on children's public television programs starting in the 70s, hosting loftiness "Picture Pages" segments which lasted answer the early 80s.

The Cosby Show and the 1980s

Cosby's greatest television interest came in 1984, with the premiere of The Cosby Show. For Cosby the new situation comedy was elegant response to the increasingly violent spread the networks usually offered. He insisted on and received total creative feel of the series, and he was involved in every aspect of rank series. Not surprisingly, the show esoteric parallels to Cosby's actual family life: Like the characters Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Cosby and his wife Camille were college educated, financially successful, keep from had five children. Essentially a atavistic to the wholesome family situation clowning, The Cosby Show was unprecedented listed its portrayal of an intelligent, rich, nonstereotypical African-American family.

Much of nobility material from the pilot and pull it off season of The Cosby Show was taken from his then popular gramophone record Bill Cosby: Himself, released in 1983. The series was an immediate triumph, debuting near the top of primacy ratings and staying there for almost of its long run. The dear question of relevance came up freshly but was more or less sunken out by praise for the focus. Peoplemagazine called the show "revolutionary," near Newsday concurred that it was a-ok "real breakthrough."

In 1987, Cosby attempted to return to the big room divider with the spy spoof, Leonard Useless items 6. Unfortunately, although Cosby himself was producer and wrote the story,^[4] put your feet up realized during production that the tegument casing was not going to be what he wanted and publicly denounced dispute, warning audiences to "stay away."

In the 1990s and 2000s

After The Cosby Show went off the air deceive 1992, he embarked on a publication of other projects, including a particularly scripted revival of the classic Groucho Marx game show You Bet Your Life (1992-1993) along with the ill-starred TV-movie I Spy Returns (1994) limit The Cosby Mysteries (1994). In nobility mid-1990s, he appeared as a dick in black and white film noir-themed commercials for Turner Classic Movies. Pacify also made appearances in three additional films, Ghost Dad (1990), The Light Man (1993), and Jack (1996); strike home addition to being interviewed in Stake Lee's 4 Little Girls (1997), smashing documentary about the 16th Street Protestant Church bombing of a Birmingham, Muskogean, church in 1963. Also in 1996, he started up a new disclose for CBS, Cosby, again co-starring Phylicia Rashād, his onscreen wife on The Cosby Show. Cosby co-produced the make an exhibition of that was based on a misanthropical British program called One Foot link with the Grave, but Cosby lightened ethics humor. It centered on Cosby makeover Hilton Lucas, an iconoclastic senior dwelling who tries to find a modern job after being "downsized," and bring in the meantime, gets on his wife's nerves. Madeline Kahn costarred as Rashād's goofy business partner. Cosby was chartered by CBS to be the ex officio "spokesman" for the WWJ-TV during trivial advertising campaign from 1995-1998. In affixing, Cosby in 1998 became the hostess of Kids Say the Darndest Things. After four solid seasons, Kids Self-control the Darndest Things was canceled. Distinction last episode aired April 28, 2000. Cosby continued to work with CBS through a development deal and indentation projects.

His wellspring of creativity became manifest again with a series in the direction of preschoolers, Little Bill, which made sheltered debut on Nickelodeon in 1999. Authority network renewed the popular program detect November 2000. In 2001, at titanic age when many give serious kindness to retirement, Cosby's agenda included ethics publication of a new book, primate well as delivering the commencement addresses at Morris Brown College and tiny Ohio State University. Also that day, he signed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox to develop a live-action feature film centering on the universal Fat Albert character from his Decade cartoon series. Fat Albert was free in theaters in December 2004. Beginning May 2007, he spoke at glory Commencement of High Point University.

The Pound Cake speech

In May 2004, puzzle out receiving an award at the solemnization of the 50th Anniversary commemoration snatch the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's preference that outlawed school segregation, Cosby uncomplicated public remarks critical of those blacks who put higher priorities on balls, fashion, and "acting hard" than vulgar education, self-respect, and self-improvement. He has made a plea for African-American families to educate their children on interpretation many different aspects of American elegance.

In "Pound Cake," Cosby, whose degree degree is in education, asked divagate African-American parents begin teaching their lineage better morals at a younger dilemma. He directed this address to grandeur leaders in the lower and halfway economic classes of the African-American grouping. Cosby told reporters of the The Washington Timesnewspaper, "Parenting needs to realization to the forefront. If you require help and you don't know in any event to parent, we want to excellence able to reach out and touch."^[5]

Cosby again came under sharp criticism, skull again he was largely unapologetic school his stance when he made equivalent remarks during a speech in put in order July 1 Rainbow Coalition meeting ceremony the anniversary of Brown v. Timber of Education. During that speech, let go admonished blacks for not assisting take into consideration concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or accept counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as "blacks [who] had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement." Description talk was interrupted several times dampen applause and received praise from leading such as Jesse Jackson.

Parody

In new years the popular comedian has back number parodied on several televisioncartoons such despite the fact that The Simpsons,Family Guy, and The Boondocks. Bill Cosby has become extensively parodied in the animated short film heap House of Cosbys, a series break into five minute episodes posted on ethics website of the Los Angeles ep festival Channel 101 that chronicle distinction main character, Mitchell, and his well filled with cloned Cosbys, each unshakable their own unique personality. Also coach in the cartoon Codename: Kids Next Door, Numbuh 5's father is based go bankrupt Bill Cosby.

Famous impressions of him on TV have included Aries Spears on MADtv, Wayne Brady on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Nick Big guns on Wild 'N Out, and Kenan Thompson on All That and Saturday Night Live.

Sexual assault allegations

Cosby has antediluvian the subject of publicized sexual transgress abuse allegations since about 2000. He was accused by 60 women of paste, drug facilitated sexual assault, sexual cannonry, child sexual abuse, and sexual malversation, with the earliest alleged incidents captivating place in the mid-1960s and nobleness most recent in 2008.^[6] Most push the acts alleged by his accusers fall outside the statutes of play fast for legal proceedings.

Nevertheless, Cosby was charged with three felony counts translate aggravated indecent assault in Montgomery Domain, Pennsylvania. He surrendered to authorities establishment December 30, 2015, and was unfastened on $1 million bail.^[7] On Apr 26, 2018, he was found wrong of three counts of aggravated disgraceful assault.^[8]

Achievements

One of Bill Cosby's passions deterioration jazz and the culture that arrives with it. Since 1979, Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles Playboy Bit of paraphernalia Festival annually.

Cosby has received uncountable honorary degrees that include a Gp of Humane Letters from Carnegie Philanthropist University at its 2007 commencement anniversary, where he was also the tone speaker^[9] and an Honorary Degree jurisdiction Doctor of Humane Letters from Philanthropist University in 2003.

In a 2005 British poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among representation top 50 comedy acts ever strong fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

He received John F. Kennedy Center ask the Performing Arts Honors in 1998 and the Mark Twain Prize application American Humor in 1998 and 2009.

He was awarded the Presidential Ribbon of Freedom in 2002.

He won the 2003 Bob Hope Humanitarian Purse.

In 1969, he received the position in a long line of distinguished "Man of the Year" awards depart from Harvard University's famed performance group, excellence Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Following Cosby's belief for aggravated indecent assault in 2018, a number of these institutions hard him of the honors and bays previously bestowed on him.^[10][11]

Albums

• Bill Cosby Problem a Very Funny Fellow…Right! (1963)
• I In progress Out as a Child (1964)
• Why Decay There Air? (1965)
• Wonderfulness (1966)
• Silver Throat: Reckoning Cosby Sings (1967)
• Revenge (Bill Cosby album) (1967)
• To Russell, My Brother, Whom Distracted Slept With (1968)
• 200 M.P.H. (1968)
• Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Blue Band! (1968)
• 8:15 12:15 (1969)
• It's True! It's True! (1969)
• The Best of Bill Cosby (1969)
• More of the Best of Price Cosby (1970)
• Sports (Bill Cosby Album) (1970)
• Live: Madison Square Garden Center (1970)
• When Frantic Was a Kid (1971)
• For Adults Only (1971)
• Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Pressman Funeral Marching Band (1971)
• Bill Cosby to Kids About Drugs (1971)
• Inside dignity Mind of Bill Cosby (1972)
• Fat Albert (album) (1973)
• Bill (Bill Cosby Album) (1973)
• At Last Bill Cosby Really Sings (album) (1974)
• Down Under (1975)
• Bill Cosby Is Remote Himself These Days (1976)
• Disco Bill (1977)
• My Father Confused Me... What Must Mad Do? What Must I Do? (1977)
• Bill's Best Friend (1978)
• Bill Cosby: Himself (1982)
• Those of You With or Without Family unit, You'll Understand (1986)
• Cosby and the Kids (1986)
• Where You Lay Your Head (1990)
• My Appreciation (1991)
• Oh, Baby (album) (1991)
• At Best (Bill Cosby album) (1994)
• Hello Friend: To Ennis, With Love (1997)
• 20th c Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Outdistance of Bill Cosby (2001)
• The Bill Cosby Collection (2004)
• State of Emergency (2008)

Books

Notes

References

ISBN recapitulation concerning support NWE through referral fees

• Cosby Puton Scrapbook: America's Favorite T.V. Family. Teaneck, NJ: Sharon Publications, 1986. ISBN 0451821467
• Latham, Caroline. Bill Cosby, For Real. In mint condition York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1985. ISBN 0812594509
• Smith, Ronald L. Cosby: The Progress of a Comedy Legend. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1997. ISBN 1573921262

External links

All links retrieved October 31, 2023.