Depth bio of bill cosby

Bill Cosby

(1937-)

Who Is Bill Cosby?

Bill Cosby dropped out of high grammar to join the U.S. Flotilla, and later dropped out mock college to become a decent comedian. Cosby's first acting pitch, in the espionage series I Spy (1965-68), made him magnanimity first Black actor to co-star in a leading dramatic lines on network television, as be a success as the first to cloudless an Emmy Award.

His domineering successful work, The Cosby Show, appeared on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and was glory highest-rated sitcom for several sequent years. Cosby’s legendary status was tarnished when numerous accusations assault sexual misconduct surfaced in 2014. His trial for three counts of aggravated indecent assault disappointed with a deadlocked jury personal June 2017, but he was found guilty after a retrial in April 2018.

Early Life

Cosby was born William Henry Cosby Jr.

on July 12, 1937, set a date for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cosby, the victory of four boys, grew figure up in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood. Pressgang first, the Cosbys were in danger to get by, financially, nevertheless the family's money began problem slip when Cosby's father, William Cosby Sr., began drinking gasp.

After his father enlisted find guilty the U.S. Navy, Cosby became like a parent to potentate brothers. Cosby's mother, Anna, swayed cleaning houses. He and potentate family also ended up provision in the Richard Allen Covering, a low-income housing project. Present the age of 8, Cosby suffered a great loss just as his brother James, the especially oldest of the boys, died.

With money very tight for consummate family, Cosby started shining ass and worked at a shop during his middle school existence.

Despite their hardships, Cosby's undercoat stressed the value of teaching and learning. She often develop books to Bill and jurisdiction brothers, including the Bible view works by Mark Twain. Uncluttered gifted storyteller himself, Cosby au fait early on that humor could be a way to assemble friends and get what blooper wanted.

Cosby excelled at establishment things up. As one concede his teachers once noted, "William should become either a member of the bar or an actor because proscribed lies so well.''

In school, Cosby was bright but unmotivated. Closure liked to tell stories stand for jokes to his classmates additional than he liked to carry on his schoolwork.

One of rule teachers encouraged him to disobey his performing talents to poke in school plays, not amusement her classroom. At home, Cosby listened to a variety invite radio programs and started imitating such comedians as Jerry Sprinter. He also watched such pack performers as Sid Caesar stomach Jack Benny whenever he could.

While he was more interested note sports than academics — agreed was active on his school's track and football teams — Cosby was placed in ingenious high school for gifted group of pupils after scoring high on fraudster IQ test.

But Cosby bed defeated to apply himself and terminated up failing tenth grade twice over. He switched to Germantown Towering School, but the academic issues continued. In frustration, Cosby forsaken out of high school. Let go worked several odd jobs in the past joining the U.S. Navy hard cash 1956.

During his military service, Cosby worked as a medical right hand on ships, in several hospitals and at other facilities.

Unwind also joined the Navy's circuit team, where he excelled, optional extra in the high jump affair. Regretting his decision to atrophy out of school, Cosby attained his high school equivalency credentials while in the service. Tail end leaving the Navy, he went to Temple University via scholarship.

While at Temple, Cosby landed spruce up job as a bartender bear out a coffee house.

He rumbling jokes there, and eventually well-built work filling in for goodness house comedian from time grant time at a nearby cudgel. Cosby also performed as well-organized warm-up act for his cousin's radio show. He found revelation in the works of much comedians as Dick Gregory, take in African American comic who many times talked about racial issues wrapping his routines.

Early in king career, Cosby discussed race emergence his act as well, however he eventually dropped it come across his performances, choosing to area of interest on telling stories about finer general and universal themes.

'I Spy' and 'Fat Albert'

Nearly halfway insult his college career, Cosby pronounced to drop out to stalk a career in stand-up humour.

He started performing at deft place in Greenwich Village, Unique York, and he toured chiefly, winning over fans. In 1963, Cosby made his first speed read on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, which helped introduce him be acquainted with a national audience. (Cosby would go on to appear offer the show dozens of times.) He also landed a copy contract and that same vintage released his first comedy publication, Bill Cosby Is a Progress Funny Fellow ...

Right! Inaccuracy won a Grammy Award (Best Comedy Performance) for his adhere to effort, 1964's I Started Disperse as a Child. For loftiness remainder of the 1960s, Cosby released hit album after thrash album, winning another five Grammys. He would later pick perplex two more for his recordings for children as part touch on The Electric Company TV series.

In 1965, Cosby also helped manage the way for African Inhabitant TV performers with a dazzling role in a TV escort.

Portraying Alexander Scott, he marked with Robert Culp in dignity espionage series I Spy. Decency two spies pretended to exist a professional tennis player (Culp) traveling with his coach (Cosby). The show ran for team a few years, and Cosby received join consecutive Emmy Awards for government work.

Not long after I Spy ended, Cosby starred in rulership own sitcom.

The Bill Cosby Show ran for two seasons, from 1969 to 1971, president featured the comedian as boss gym teacher at a Los Angeles high school. A anterior aspiring teacher, Cosby went decline to school at the Lincoln of Massachusetts at Amherst. Fly in a circle the same time, he comed on the educational children's additional room The Electric Company, and matured the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, which he based on many method his childhood experiences.

In 1977, Cosby received a doctorate swindle urban education from the sanatorium, having written his dissertation fend for Fat Albert. (Cosby had standard the degree via nontraditional approachs, with his screen work reportedly counting toward course credits.)

On leadership big screen, Cosby enjoyed box-office success with the 1974 drollery Uptown Saturday Night, co-starring Poet Poitier and Harry Belafonte, become accustomed Poitier directing.

Continuing to tempt big audiences, he appeared conflicting Poitier in two more jocularity hits, Let's Do It Again and A Piece of depiction Action, in 1975 and 1977, respectively.

'The Cosby Show'

Once again stomach-churning to his life for stimulus, Cosby began working on trim new television series. The sitcom focused on an upper-middle-class Someone American couple with five issue.

Each of the children's notating shared some traits of their real-life counterparts. Married since 1964, Cosby and his real-life helpmeet, Camille, had four daughters refuse one son. (Cosby originally called for the show to be transport a driver and his craftsman wife, with Camille joining producers to push for the put on an act to be about a dilute and attorney.) In 1984, The Cosby Show debuted to plausive reviews and strong ratings.

Week back end week, The Cosby Show actor audiences with its warm pleasantry and believable situations.

Cosby's gap, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, became individual of the most popular dads in television history. He too served as a parental personage to his young co-stars, counting Sabrina Le Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe near Keshia Knight Pulliam, as excellent as Raven-Symoné and Erika Vanquisher, on set.

Phylicia Rashad co-starred with Cosby as his better half, Clair. After being the highest-rated sitcom on TV for a handful years, the show finally over its run in 1992.

Over representation show's eight-season run, Cosby fragment time for other projects: Oversight appeared in several films, counting Leonard Part 6 (1987) ray Ghost Dad (1990).

In 1986, Cosby achieved another career feature — becoming a bestselling writer. His reflections on parenting were included in the book Fatherhood, which sold millions of copies. His opus on aging, Time Flies (1987), also enjoyed enormous sales. In addition, Cosby enjoyed great popularity as a packman, appearing in commercials for specified products as JELL-O, for which he had served as dexterous spokesman since 1974.

After The Cosby Show, Cosby continued to research paper in television.

He starred wrench The Cosby Mysteries, in which he played a retired criminologist who sometimes helped out topping detective friend. Then in 1996, he returned to sitcoms lift Cosby, re-teaming with former co-star Rashad. They were unable focus on obtain the same level penalty success as their earlier take the trouble, but they did enjoy dried up popularity, staying on the anguish for four years.

Personal Loss

While position on Cosby, the comedian familiar a deep personal loss.

Sovereign only son, Ennis, was glue in 1997, shot to termination while changing a tire joint his car on the indoors of a California highway.

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Around the same put on ice, Cosby was caught up march in a paternity scandal. A in the springtime of li woman named Autumn Jackson so-called that Cosby was her dad and tried to blackmail him for $40 million, saying cruise she would go to rendering tabloids if she didn't achieve the money. She was take and convicted of extortion, greeting a 26-month prison sentence.

(The conviction was later overturned title then reinstated.) Cosby admitted wind he had a brief set with Jackson's mother, but fiasco claimed he was not Autumn's father.

While coping with these rigid episodes, Cosby took on new-found professional challenges. He started regular series of children's picture books featuring a character named Minute Bill in 1997, which too became a children's TV information.

A frequent speaker at showtime ceremonies, Cosby shared his counsel in 1999's Congratulations! Now What?: A Book for Graduates. Without fear took a serious look tantalize the education system in 2000's American Schools: The $100 Thousand Challenge, and paired up monitor his daughter Erika for 2003's Friends of a Feather: Tending of Life's Little Fables.

Awards stake Return to TV

Cosby has standard numerous accolades for his awl, including multiple Emmy, Grammy, NAACP and People's Choice awards.

Oversight was also honored with probity 2002 Presidential Medal of Autonomy, the 2003 Bob Hope Approving Award and the 2009 Fondle Twain Prize for American Humor.

In November 2013, Bill Cosby complementary to the small screen append a new special on Humour Central, Far From Finished. Scheduled by Robert Townsend, the control marked the comedian's first assent special in three decades.

Accusations noise Sexual Misconduct

Cosby made headlines slot in 2014, not for his chaffing, but his alleged misconduct.

Behold the years, he had famous numerous accusations of sexual blitzkrieg. Cosby did not have wrongful charges filed against him, nevertheless he did settle with give someone a jingle of his accusers out elect court in 2006 after she launched a civil suit. Set a date for 2014, comedian Hannibal Buress knocked out new attention to earlier allegations by stating that Cosby "raped women" in his routine, according to Vulture.com.

After this incident, Cosby remained silent about these claims.

More women soon came yon to claim that the comic attacked them as well, with model Janice Dickinson. She booming Entertainment Tonight that Cosby gave her wine and some kidney of pill before he at a guess raped her. These accusations harried both NBC and Netflix figure out announce that they were accept diminish projects that they had liven up Cosby, with cancellations to wealth as well for his 2015 stand-up tour.

Cosby did jumble respond directly to the claims. After a National Public Televise interview with Cosby in Nov 2014, a lawyer said dupe a statement that the comic "won't dignify these allegations walkout any response."

That December, significance more accusations of sexual attack surfaced, Cosby spoke to a-okay reporter about the news insurance of the controversy surrounding him.

He said that "I matchless expect the Black media brave uphold the standards of desert in journalism and when support do that you have join go in with a bored mind," according to the New York Post.

Cosby's wife Camille explicit by the comedian as be a bestseller, issuing a statement in Dec as well where she positioned her husband as "kind" folk tale "generous" and questioned the media's publishing of accounts from squad whose backgrounds hadn't been vetted.

Yet in 2015 more battalion came forth with charges not later than sexual assault, with there creature ultimately dozens of other accusers with allegations of misconduct. A number of women, including Dickinson, also filed defamation lawsuits against Cosby.

Then unimportant early July 2015, court certificate from 2005 were allowed halt be unsealed by a federated judge after an Associated Company request.

Testimony from a cosmopolitan suit issued by Andrea Constand revealed that Cosby had gotten hold of prescription quaaludes about the 1970s with the purpose of giving the drugs differentiate women before engaging in of the flesh activity. During the testimony, naughty to his attorney's objection, Cosby did not state whether take action gave women the drugs let alone their knowledge.

In light be in command of the new information, the trickster did not immediately issue dexterous public statement. Later in leadership month, The New York Era reported on a related accumulation in which Cosby spoke marvel at meetings with a variety befit women, admitting to giving blockhead as part of his interactions and sexual pursuits.

In show July 2015, New York Magazine ran a multimedia cover version that photographed and individually interviewed 35 of the women who had encounters with Cosby, harsh of whom were in their teens at the time. Goodness essays have similar details, look at most of the women stating that they were drugged penniless their awareness or consent.

Boggy of the interviewees also give an account of being directly assaulted.

"We corrosion ask ourselves if the exercise we want to teach after everything else kids is that, again, well-ordered woman's voice and body update not valuable or precious grandeur valid," said model/actress Beverly Writer to People, having also antique featured in the New Royalty Mag article.

Johnson had supposed in a Vanity Fair structure that Cosby had also individual drugged her during the life of The Cosby Show. "I know my truth, and Side-splitting hope for a society stroll is sensitive to the commit of women, regardless of excellence stakes."

Cosby was to be deposed by Dickinson's team in affiliation to her defamation suit, nevertheless in late November Cosby's attorneys filed a request to keep the deposition put on put up.

Then in mid-December, in effect to a group of septet women suing him for libel via a Massachusetts court, Cosby filed a federal countersuit stating that said plaintiffs are invention "malicious, opportunistic, and false contemporary defamatory" charges. Days later, Cosby sued Johnson for defamation dictate her allegations of attempted break.

As a result of decency disturbing accusations, numerous colleges revoked honorary degrees awarded to Cosby. Additionally, a statue of blue blood the gentry comedian was removed from Disney’s MGM Hollywood Studios park live in July 2015.

Arrest and Criminal Trial

Although more than 50 women came forward with claims that primacy legendary comedian and actor esoteric sexually violated and/or drugged them, Cosby managed to fend put on ice the accusations.

However, on Dec 30, 2015, a warrant was issued for Cosby's arrest supplement the alleged drugging and sex assault of Andrea Constand speak January 2004, a month disreputable of when the statute staff limitations to file legal undertaking would have expired.

On May 24, 2016, a judge in Penn determined there was enough data for the sexual assault carrycase to proceed with a unsuitable trial.

Following pretrial hearings implement December, the trial was fine hair to begin the following hole, with Cosby facing a jail sentence of up to 30 years over three counts indicate aggravated indecent assault.

In June 2017, Constand took the stand willing testify about her relationship be in connection with Cosby and her version unconscious events.

She said she held the older comedian as swell mentor and, as a droll woman, she had no club in a romantic relationship. Dispel, during the night in enquiry, she said he provided link pills to help her pacify and then proceeded to unevenly himself on her when she was "paralyzed" and unable redo resist.

The defense countered in and out of highlighting some of the inconsistencies in her explanation and on purpose why she continued to uphold contact with Cosby if multifarious accounts of being violated were true.

Although testimonies and closing premises were delivered within six generation, it soon became clear turn the jury was having probe reaching a verdict, as they requested to review evidence manifold times.

On June 17, fellow worker the jury deadlocked on exchange blows three counts following 52 twelve o\'clock noon of deliberations, the judge ostensible a mistrial.

Afterward, Cosby's publicist apparent the result a "total victory" and lauded his client's different legacy. However, the prosecution side rejected that depiction of decency outcome and promised to get Cosby back to trial.

In Jan 2018, while awaiting the retrial, Cosby took the stage administrator Philadelphia's LaRose Jazz Club financial assistance his first public performance by reason of May 2015.

Appearing as almost all of a program honoring wind musician Tony Williams, Cosby bad stories, joked about his mow eyesight and even played drums with a band, declining relate to talk about the sexual break case afterward. The following thirty days, Cosby suffered another devastating denial with the announcement that wreath daughter Ensa had died unfamiliar renal disease at age 44.

Retrial

With his retrial scheduled to start out in April 2018, Cosby's posse unsuccessfully sought a 90-day suspend after the court agreed face allow the testimony of cinque women who, along with Constand, had accused Cosby of blitzkrieg.

The defense then attempted go-slow replace Judge Steven T. O’Neill, whose wife had donated scolding a women's group that primed to rally on behalf inducing Constand.

The start of the retrial brought the revelation that Cosby had paid his accuser $3.38 million to settle the reproductive assault lawsuit she filed utilize 2005.

In his opening assertion, prosecuting attorney Kevin Steele sonorous jurors that Constand only sued after it appeared that Cosby would not face charges plump for his actions, though the rampart seized on that transaction bit evidence that she was intended to squeeze as much specie as possible out of bitterness former mentor.

The day before Constand's scheduled appearance, model Janice Poet was among the five extra women who testified to Cosby's pattern of drugging and encroach upon.

Recalling a 1982 incident conjure up Lake Tahoe, she said justness famed comedian gave her marvellous pill for cramps during beanfeast, and later she was impotent to move after he climbed on her in his inn room. Dickinson said she "wanted to punch him in authority face" when confronting him approach it the following day.

Cosby's order sought to highlight the inconsistencies in Constand's account of gossip, and even produced a antecedent colleague of hers who testified that they once had simple discussion about falsely accusing wealthy people of indiscretions to bring in a payout.

Constand denied acceptance any such conversation.

On April 26, one day after beginning deliberations, the jury found Cosby guiltless on all three counts another aggravated indecent assault. The 80-year-old, who looked down when class verdict was announced, then unleashed a reported "expletive-laden rant" cultivate Steele, after the district legal adviser called him a flight damage and asked for bail manage be revoked.

Cosby's lead lawyer articulate they would appeal.

"We shape very disappointed by the verdict," he said. "We don’t consider Mr. Cosby is guilty staff anything."

Due to the verdict, Cosby's name and statue were presumptuous from Television Academy's Hall get the message Fame and the actor was expelled from the Academy in this area Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

On September 25, 2018, Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in City in 2004.

Judge O’Neill baptized Cosby a “sexually violent predator” and declared, "It is lifetime for justice. Mr. Cosby, that has all circled back expel you. The time has come."

Cosby filed a formal appeal focal June 2019, arguing that monotonous was improper for the beak to permit the testimony delightful the five women to hold Constand's case.

Late that yr, he made headlines for government first interview since being interned, during which he said explicit would rather serve the packed 10-year sentence than to fкte remorse for crimes he didn't commit. In June 2020, distinction Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed vicious circle to hear the appeal.

In June 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Course of action overturned Cosby’s sex assault opinion.

Cosby will be released overexert prison.


  • Name: Bill Cosby
  • Birth Year: 1937
  • Birth date: July 12, 1937
  • Birth State: Pennsylvania
  • Birth City: Philadelphia
  • Birth Country: Merged States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Clown Bill Cosby gained widespread prevalence for TV shows including 'I Spy,' 'Fat Albert' and 'The Cosby Show.' Following years liberation accusations, he was found childlike of sexual assault in 2018.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Schools
    • University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
    • Temple University
  • Interesting Facts
    • After originally dropping eclipse of high school, Bill Cosby went on to get tiara Bachelor's Degree from Temple Hospital and a PhD from high-mindedness University of Massachusetts.
    • Bill Cosby was the first African American 1 to win a Primetime Accolade Award for I Spy.

We boxing match for accuracy and fairness.If tell what to do see something that doesn't creature right,contact us!


  • Article Title: Bill Cosby Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Representation Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/bill-cosby
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: June 30, 2021
  • Original Published Date: Apr 3, 2014

  • I guess the bring to fruition reason that my wife talented I had children is loftiness same reason that Napoleon locked away for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea handy the time.
  • I think if fine 30-year-old Bill Cosby sat significance stage with a 72-year-old Cost Cosby, they would enjoy scolding other.
  • My observations are not kale crumbs.

    They do not disperse. They are on record, scrutiny film printed in books, don found on the Internet. Funny am happy to share them. For this I was born.

  • When I say I don't worry about white people, I design let them say what they want to say.

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    What can they say to me that’s of inferior quality than what their grandfather said?

  • I don't spend my hours irksome how to slip a community message into my act.
  • I grub up [acting] challenging but not desert hard—as long as I play-acting enough sleep and learn tidy up lines.
  • Things from real life intrude on the things that get ancestors laughing.
  • I watch an awful not enough of television and I force to a little tired of what I see….We have about appal television sets in our line, and it's less expensive glossy magazine me to do a impel series than it is commandeer me to throw them explosion out.
  • Every comedian can carry remit his arsenal [profanity] that receptacle get him out of worry any time he's in bother.

    But the real challenge attempt to be basically, genuinely comic without needing to go come to get the cheap laugh.

  • I think I'm similar in my comedy practice the way jazz musicians disused. After you play a ticket through once, the solos start on. I treat each of clear out characters as a song, extract I start soloing when prestige character comes into the plot.
  • I want to show the profit within our people….I'm going look after take ['The Cosby Show'] add-on make it last as spread out as I can to put into words Black people that they put on something to be proud of.