Table of Biography
Bill Cosby is an American comedian, actor, and producer. Bill Cosby played a major role in uplifting a positive portrayal of Blacks on television and was known as “America’s Dad”. But he was convicted of several sex offenses in 2018.
Early Life and Childhood
Bill Cosby whose birth name is William Henry Cosby Jr. was born on 12th July 1937 and is currently 84 years old. His zodiac sign is Cancer. Likewise, Cosby was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
He holds American citizenship. Similarly, talking about his religion and ethnicity, Bill belongs to the African-American ethnic group and follows Christianity.
About his family members and siblings, Bill was born to William Henry Cosby, Sr, who served as a mess steward in the U.S. Navy, and Anna Pearl Cosby. Likewise, he has three brothers namely, Russell, Robert, and James.
Caption: Bill Cosby with his mother. Source: Facebook
Education
Furthermore, talking about his educational background, he did his schooling at Mary Channing Wister Public School and was the class president as well as captain of baseball and track and field teams.
Bill went to FitzSimons Junior High School. there he acted in plays and also competed in sports. Later, he went to Central High School, however, transferred to Germantown High School. But he failed the tenth grade.
Later, in 1956, Bill enlisted in the Navy and served as a hospital corpsman at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland, and at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland.
Likewise, in 1961, he earned his high school equivalency diploma through correspondence courses. Bill joined Temple University.
He dropped out to pursue a comedy career. However, he managed to earn a bachelor’s degree from Temple University in 1971.
Later in 1973, he graduated with a Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. Cosby completed his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1976.
Sexual Assault Cases
However, in his five decades of career, there were many allegations against him. Sunni Welles alleged at a news conference in March 2015 that she was raped twice by Cosby by drugging her drink in the mid-1960s.
In January 2000 actress Lachele Covington filed a police report against Bill saying he sexually abused her. However, he was not charged.
Andrea Constand who is a former Temple University employee alleges in 2004 that Cosby tricked her into taking drugs before he sexually assaulted her at his home.
Likewise, in February 2005, Lawyer Tamara Green said she was drugged and groped by Bill when she was 19 years old. Moreover, Bill has been accused by sixty women of drug-facilitated sexual assault, rape, child sexual abuse, and other sexual misconduct.
During 2014-15 NBC canceled the returns of The Cosby Show amid the allegations of sexual assault. In April 2018, Bill was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
On 25 September 2018, Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in state prison and a $25,000 fine plus court costs of both trials.
After a short period in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, Bill was moved to the state prison, SCI Phoenix in Skippack Township, Pennsylvania. Later in January 2019, he was moved from administrative segregation into the general population.
Career and Professional Life
Bill Cosby started his career in stand-up. Likewise, in 1961, he appeared in The Gaslight Café in New York. Bill appeared as a comedian on talk shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Paar Program, and The Dean Martin Show.
Later in 1963, Bill received national exposure on NBC’s The Tonight Show. It led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records.
In 1964 they released Bill’s debut LP, Bill Cosby is Very Funny Fellow… Right! In 1965, Bill got cast in the television series I Spy, on NBC. Moreover, it was the first weekly dramatic series to feature an African-American in a starring role.
This series honored Bill with Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for three consecutive years. Cosby returned with another series, The Bill Cosby Show. The show ran from 1969 until 1971 on NBC.
Likewise, in 1972, he produced, created, and hosted an animated television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Here, Bill lent his voice to the characters including Fat Albert and himself. The show ran until 1985.
Likewise, Bill starred in a television sitcom The Cosby Show, co-created by him. The show was rated the no.1 television show in America. The show aired on Thursday nights on NBC, from 20th September 1984 until 30th April 1992.
He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for this show. Likewise, Bill was known as America’s Dad.
After this show went off the air, Cosby took up other projects, including a revival of Groucho Marx’s game show You Bet Your Life, I Spy Returns, and The Cosby Mysteries. Undoubtedly, Cosby played a big role in uplifting the image of black people in the country.
More about his career
Moreover, Cosby made appearances in movies including Ghost Dad, The Meteor Man, and Jack, and in black–and–white film noir-themed commercials for Turner Classic Movies. Later in 1996, Bill started a show for CBS, Cosby.
Phylicia Rashad who had previously worked together in The Cosby Show also co-starred in it. Cosby created an animated children’s television series Little Bill which was based on his Little Bill book series (illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood).
The show debuted on 28th November 1999. Likewise, Bill signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a film focusing on the popular Fat Albert character from his 1970s animated series.
Fat Albert was released in December 2004. Moreover, in 2009, he hosted a comedy gala at Montreal’s Just for Laughs.
Net Worth 2023
Regarding their net worth and earnings, Bill is a comedian, actor, and producer. He had earned an impressive amount of earnings from his career. Likewise, Cosby has an estimated net worth of around $400 million.
Relationship Status
Regarding his relationship status, Bill Cosby is straight and in a marital relationship with Camille Cosby. Bill first met Camille in Washington in the early 1960s. Likewise, the couple tied the knot on 25th January 1964.
They had five children together, namely Erika (born in 1965), Erinn (born in 1966), Ennis (born in 1969), Ensa (born in 1973), and Evin (born in 1976).
On 16th January 1997, their son Ennis was shot in the head while changing a flat tire of his car. The couple again lost their daughter Ensa on 23rd February 2018 due to renal disease, while awaiting a kidney transplant.
Caption: Bill Cosby with his wife Camille Cosby. Source: NBC News
Bill Cosby – Social Media 2022
Reflecting upon his social media presence, Bill Cosby is active on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Likewise, his Facebook account is @BillCosby and has 537K followers. His Twitter account is @BillCosby and has over 3.2M followers.
Similarly, Bill Cosby has a self-titled YouTube channel BillCosby, and has 16.6K subscribers.
Bill Cosby – Body Measurement 2022
Bill Cosby is 6 feet (72 inches) tall and weighs 84 kg (185lbs). However, there is no information about his vital stats. Bill wears a shoe size of 11(US). Furthermore, talking about his physical appearance, he has a pair of dark brown eyes and grey hair.