Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer and convicted sex offender. He got his start as a nightclub stand-up comic before landing a starring role in the action show I Spy (1965-1968). After various film and television roles, Cosby's greatest success came when he produced and starred in The Cosby Show (1984-1992), a popular sitcom that highlighted the experiences and growth of an upper-middle-class African-American family. Due to this role, he was widely dubbed "America's Dad." After the show ended, he produced and starred in multiple other shows and films. He was a sought-after spokesman from the 1960s until the early 2000s, endorsing a number of products including Jell-O, Kodak film, Ford, Texas Instruments, and Coca-Cola. Cosby has received several awards including 5 Primetime Emmy Awards, 2 Daytime Emmy Awards, 9 Grammy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to television (2002), and several honorary degrees from colleges and universities. Many of his awards have been rescinded due to numerous sexual assault allegations, including the 1998 Kennedy Center Honor, the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and all but 10 of 72 honorary degrees. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled him as a member of the Actors Branch in May 2018. Approximately 60 women have accused Cosby of various forms of sexual assault in alleged incidents spanning from 1965 to 2008. These allegations became highly publicized in 2014, leading to several civil suits and criminal investigations for cases that had not yet reached the statute of limitations. Many networks, including NBC, removed reruns of The Cosby Show from their schedules. In April of 2018, Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June 2021 due to violation of a prior prosecutorial agreement that Cosby's previous civil suit testimony—in which he admitted to giving drugs to women he wanted to have sex with—would not be used in the criminal trial. He was released from prison later that month after serving almost three years of the sentence and maintains his innocence in all accusations. As of August 2021, there is still one known active civil suit against Cosby.
Known For
Credits
- 2022 · The Case Against Cosby as Self (archive footage)
- 2022 · Bill Cosby: Walking Free as Self (archive footage)
- 2022 · We Need to Talk About Cosby as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · When Ruby Wax Met... as Self (archive footage)
- 2019 · I Am Richard Pryor as Self - Actor and Comedian (archive footage)
- 2018 · Basketball: A Love Story as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · Bill Cosby: An American Scandal as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Nelson Mandela Redrawn as Self
- 2014 · Keep On Keepin’ On as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as
- 2013 · Bill Cosby: Far From Finished as Himself
- 2013 · Moms Mabley as Self
- 2013 · After Newtown: Guns in America as Self
- 2012 · B.B. King: The Life of Riley as Self
- 2012 · Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ as Self
- 2012 · Goose as
- 2009 · The Jay Leno Show as Self
- 2009 · Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy as Self
- 2008 · Miles Davis: Kind of Blue as Himself
- 2008 · Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed as Self
- 2007 · Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven as Self
- 2007 · Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits as Self
- 2006 · Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life as Self
- 2006 · The Shame of a City as Himself
- 2006 · The Pact as Himself
- 2005 · Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class as Self (archive footage)
- 2005 · Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2005 · The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World as Self
- 2004 · Fat Albert as Self
- 2004 · Los Angeles Plays Itself as Al Hickey in Hickey & Boggs (archive footage)
- 2004 · The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made as Leonard Parker (archive footage)
- 2004 · Baadasssss! as himself
- 2004 · Lightning in a Bottle as Self
- 2004 · TV in Black: The First Fifty Years as Self (archive footage)
- 2003 · Jack Paar: Smart Television as Self
- 2002 · Comedian as Self
- 2002 · The Cosby Show: A Look Back as Self / Dr. Cliff Huxtable (archive footage)
- 2002 · NBC 75th Anniversary Special as Self
- 2000 · The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story as
- 1998 · Becker as Hilton Lucas (uncredited)
- 1998 · Kids Say the Darndest Things as Host
- 1997 · 4 Little Girls as Self - Educator
- 1996 · Cosby as
- 1996 · Jack as Lawrence Woodruff
- 1996 · The Rosie O'Donnell Show as Self
- 1996 · Ruby Wax Meets as
- 1994 · Touched by an Angel as Phil
- 1994 · I Spy Returns as Alexander Scott
- 1994 · The Cosby Mysteries as
- 1994 · The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney as Narrator
- 1993 · The Meteor Man as Marvin
- 1993 · Zone interdite as Self
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1991 · The One, the Only... Groucho as Self
- 1990 · Ghost Dad as Elliot Hopper
- 1990 · Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration! as
- 1990 · The Earth Day Special as Dr. Cliff Huxtable
- 1990 · Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration as Self
- 1989 · Sesame Street: 20 Years ... and Still Counting! as Himself - Host
- 1987 · Leonard Part 6 as Leonard
- 1987 · A Different World as Heathcliff Huxtable
- 1987 · Bill Cosby: 49 as Himself
- 1986 · Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis as Self
- 1986 · TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines as Self
- 1986 · In Remembrance of Martin as Self
- 1986 · Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special as Self
- 1984 · The Cosby Show as Heathcliff Huxtable
- 1983 · Reading Rainbow as Himself - Narrator (voice)
- 1983 · Bill Cosby: Himself as Himself
- 1982 · The Fat Albert Easter Special as Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
- 1982 · Late Night with David Letterman as Self
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1981 · The Devil and Max Devlin as Barney Satin
- 1979 · Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party as Self (uncredited)
- 1979 · A Walking Tour of Sesame Street as Self (Twins) (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1978 · The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
- 1978 · California Suite as Dr. Willis Panama
- 1978 · Top Secret as Aaron Strickland
- 1977 · The Fat Albert Christmas Special as Fat Albert / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
- 1977 · The Fat Albert Halloween Special as Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
- 1977 · A Piece of the Action as Dave Anderson
- 1976 · Cos as
- 1976 · Mother, Jugs & Speed as Mother
- 1975 · Doug Henning's World of Magic as Self
- 1975 · Let's Do It Again as Billy Foster
- 1975 · Cher as Self
- 1974 · Uptown Saturday Night as Wardell Franklin
- 1974 · The Chocolate Princess as Narrator
- 1973 · The Weird Harold Special as
- 1973 · The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- 1972 · Hickey & Boggs as Al Hickey
- 1972 · The New Bill Cosby Show as Self - Host
- 1972 · Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as Fat Albert Robertson
- 1972 · Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as Mushmouth
- 1972 · Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as Bill Cosby
- 1972 · The Midnight Special as Self
- 1972 · The Midnight Special as Self / Host
- 1972 · To All My Friends on Shore as Blue
- 1971 · Aesop's Fables as Aesop
- 1971 · The Electric Company as The Milk Man
- 1971 · Goin' Back to Indiana as Scoop Newsworthy
- 1971 · Man and Boy as Caleb Revers
- 1971 · Diana! as Self
- 1971 · Great Performances as Self
- 1971 · Bill Cosby on Prejudice as
- 1970 · The Flip Wilson Show as Self
- 1970 · The Don Knotts Show as Self
- 1970 · King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis as Self (archive footage)
- 1969 · Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
- 1969 · The Bill Cosby Show as Chet Kincaid
- 1968 · Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed as Self - Host / Narrator
- 1968 · Of Black America as
- 1968 · The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- 1965 · The Dean Martin Show as
- 1965 · I Spy as Alexander Scott
- 1964 · The Hollywood Palace as Self - Comedian
- 1963 · Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre as
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self - Guest Host
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self - Co-Host
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- 1959 · The David Susskind Show as Self
- 1950 · The Bob Hope Show as Self
- 1949 · The Emmy Awards as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Comedian
- 1947 · Meet the Press as