| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Veteran entertainer Bill Cosby assumes the role of Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable on The Cosby Show series. | ||||
| Vital Information | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Nationality | American | |||
| Ethnicity | African-American | |||
| Born: | July 12, 1937 (currently 78 years old) | |||
| Place of birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Family/Career Information | ||||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Author, Actor, Comedian | |||
| Spouse(s): | Camille Hanks Cosby (m. 1968) | |||
| Related to: | Ensa Cosby, Ennis Cosby, Ennis Cosby, Erinn Chalene Cosby, Evin Harrah Cosby, Erika Ranee Cosby | |||
| Website/URL: | http://www.billcosby.com/ | |||
| Character/series information | ||||
| Appeared on /involved with: |
The Cosby Show | |||
| Episodes appeared in/ involved with: |
Entire Series | |||
| Character played | Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, M.D. | |||
Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D. (born July 12, 1937) played the part of Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable on The Cosby Show. A veteran stand-up comedian, and actor, Bill has also worn multiple hats as an author, television producer, educator, musician and activist.
Career
A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s CBS-TV action-spy/crime drama series, I Spy. After the cancellation of I Spy in 1968, Bill then starred in his own sitcom, NBC-TV's short-lived The Bill Cosby Show for three seasons, 1969-71. He was also one of the major characters on the PBS-TV children's television series The Electric Company for its first two seasons, and created the educational cartoon comedy series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby has also acted in a number of films.
During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in one of the decade's defining sitcoms, NBC-TV's The Cosby Show, which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. It was the number one show in America for five straight years (1985–89).[1] The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. He also produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which became second to The Cosby Show in ratings. He starred in the CBS-TV sitcom Cosby, where he was reunited with former Cosby Show co-star Phylicia Rashād from 1996 to 2000 and hosted CBS-TV's Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons.
In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included him in his book, the 100 Greatest African Americans.[2]
In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "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".
Grammys
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album – 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:
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, December 5, 2008.[3]
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Carnegie Mellon University, May 20, 2007; he was also the keynote speaker for the commencement ceremony.[4]
- Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, May 8, 2004.[5] Cosby was also the host of the school's 60th Anniversary Concert in January 2006.[6]
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Baylor University, September 4, 2003, at the "Spirit Rally" for the Baylor and Central Texas communities.[7]
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University, May 26, 2003.[8]
- Honorary Degree in 2003 presented by President William Harjo LoneFight from the Sisseton Wahpeton College on the Lake Traverse Reservation for his contributions to minority education.
- Honorary Doctorate from West Chester University of Pennsylvania during the 2003 graduation ceremony.
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Haverford College, May 2002.[9]
- Honorary Degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Cincinnati in 2001.
- Honorary Doctorate from Amherst College, May 1999. (Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa)
- Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California, May 8, 1998.[10]
- Cosby served as the Commencement speaker [11] and received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut, 18 May 1996.[12]
- Honorary LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, 1990.[13] He also served as the commencement speaker in May 1997.[14]
References
- ↑ Classic TV & Movie Hits - The Cosby Show. Classictvhits.com. Retrieved on October 26, 2012.
- ↑ Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-963-8.
- ↑ VCU 40th Anniversary Events. Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Commencement 2007: Celebrating Honors and Achievements. Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ "Retiring College President Lee Eliot Berk and Bill Cosby Honored at Berklee College of Music's 2004 Commencement" (Press release). Berklee College of Music. 8 May 2004. http://www.berklee.edu/commencement/2004/default.html. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Three Score: The Berklee 60th Anniversary Concert. Berklee College of Music (28 January 2006). Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Bill Cosby Lifts Baylor, Waco Spirits At "Pep Rally". Baylor University (5 September 2003). Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Honorary Degrees Yale Bulletin and Calendar (6 June 2003). Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Honorary Degree Recipients. Haverford College (7 July 2009). Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ A Joyous Day of Academic Celebration - USC's 115th Commencement, May 8, 1998. USC News (8 May 1998). Retrieved on 27 March 2012.
- ↑ Commencement: Honorary Degrees. University of Connecticut (18 May 1996). Retrieved on 12 August 2011.
- ↑ Commencement: Honorary Degrees. University of Connecticut (18 May 1996). Retrieved on 12 August 2011.
- ↑ Commencement: Honorary Degrees. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
- ↑ Commencement: Speakers Since 1938. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved on 19 September 2009.
External links
- Official Bill Cosby Site
Bill Cosby at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)- Bill Cosby at the Internet Broadway Database
- Bill Cosby article at Wikipedia
