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Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Judy Cornwell to Howard Da Silva
Bill Cosby Biography (1937-)
Full name, William Henry Cosby, Jr.; born July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, PA;son of William (a cook in the U.S. Navy) and Anna (a maid) Cosby; married Camille Hanks, January 25, 1964; children: Erika Ranee, Erinn Chalene, Ensa Camille, Evin Harrah, Ennis William (deceased). Addresses: Agent: Lenny Herschon, William Morris Agency, 151 S. El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2775.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Comedian, actor, producer, director, composer, writer
- Birth Details
- July 12, 1937
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Famous Works
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CREDITS
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Television Appearances
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Series
- Himself, That Was the Week That Was, 1964
- Alexander Scott, I Spy, NBC, 1965-68
- Chet Kincaid, The Bill Cosby Show, NBC, 1969-71
- Milkman, Ken Kane, the ice cream man, and Hank, The Electric Company, PBS, 1971-
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The New Bill Cosby Show, CBS, 1972-73
- Voice of himself, Fat Albert, Bill, Mushmouth, Mudfoot, and Brown Hornet,Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (animated), CBS, 1972-79
- Host, COS, ABC, 1976
- Host and voices, The New Fat Albert Show (animated), CBS, 1979-82
- Host, "Picture Pages," Captain Kangaroo's Wake Up, CBS, 1981-82
- Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, The Cosby Show, NBC, 1984-92
- Host, PicturePages (also known as Bill Cosby's PicturePages), 1984-
- Host, You Bet Your Life, 1992-93
- Guy Hanks, The Cosby Mysteries, 1994-95
- Hilton Lucas, Cosby, 1996-2000
- Host, Kids Say the Darndest Things, CBS, 1998-2000
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Movies
- Blue, To All My Friends on Shore, 1971
- Aaron Strickland, Top Secret, 1978
- Alexander Scott, I Spy Returns, 1994
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Specials
- Narrator, Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed, 1968
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The First Bill Cosby Special, 1968
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The Bill Cosby Special or ?, 1971
- Himself, The Great Standups (also known as The Great Standups:Sixty Years of Laughter), 1984
- Himself, Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years, 1990
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The Unknown Marx Brothers, 1993
- Himself, Jack Paar "As I Was Saying ... ," 1997
- Honoree, The Kennedy Center Honors, CBS, 1998
- Also appeared in The Second Bill Cosby Special.
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Pilots
- Guy Hanks, The Cosby Mysteries (also known as Guy Hanks I),1994
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Episodic
- Himself, The Andy Williams Show, 1964
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The Tonight Show, NBC, 1965
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People, CBS, 1978
- Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, "Rudy and the Snow Queen," A Different World, NBC, 1987
- Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, "If Chosen, I May Not Run," A Different World, NBC, 1987
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The Arsenio Hall Show, 1990
- (Uncredited) Hilton, "Be Nice," Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 1999
- Himself, Ruby Wax Meets, 1997
- Phil, angel of reconciliation, "Inherit the Wind," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1997
- Himself, The Roseanne Show, 1998
- Himself, "Sammy Davis, Jr.: Mr. Entertainment," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1999
- Phil, angel of reconciliation, "Family Business," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1999
- (Uncredited) Hilton Lucas, "Drive They Said," Becker, CBS, 1999
- Hilton Lucas, "Where's Poppa," The King of Queens, CBS, 1999
- Also appeared in Sesame Street;
The Flip Wilson Show;
Children's Theatre, NBC; The Wil Shriner Show; and as guest host, The Tonight Show, NBC.
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Television Work
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Series
- Creator, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (animated), CBS, 1972-79
- Producer and story consultant, The Cosby Show, 1984-92
- Executive producer, A Different World, 1987-93
- Executive producer, Here and Now, 1992-93
- Consultant, Where I Live, c. 1994-95
- (As Dr. William H. Cosby) Executive producer, Cosby, CBS, 1996-2000
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Movies
- Executive producer, To All My Friends on Shore, 1971
- Executive producer, I Spy Returns, 1994
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Specials
- Producer, The Fat Albert Christmas Special, 1977
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Film Appearances
- The Wizard of Oz (TV version), Journey Back to Oz, 1971
- (Film debut) Man and Boy (also known as Ride a Dark Horse),Levitt-Pickman, 1972
- Al Hickey, Hickey and Boggs, United Artists, 1972
- Wardell Franklin, Uptown Saturday Night, Warner Bros., 1974
- Billy Foster, Let's Do It Again, Warner Bros., 1975
- Mother, Mother, Jugs and Speed, 1976
- Dave Anderson, A Piece of the Action, Warner Bros., 1977
- Dr. Willis Panama, California Suite (also known as Neil Simon's California Suite), Columbia, 1978
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Aesop's Fables (animated), 1978
- Barney Satin, The Devil and Max Devlin, Buena Vista, 1981
- Himself, Bill Cosby Himself (also known as Bill Cosby: Himself), HBO Pictures, 1982
- Leonard Parker, Leonard Part 6, 1987
- Elliot, Ghost Dad, 1990
- Marvin, The Meteor Man, 1993
- Lawrence Woodruff, Jack, Buena Vista Pictures, 1996
- Himself (educator), 4 Little Girls, 1997
- (Uncredited; archive footage) Himself, Playmate Pajama Party, UniDistribution, 1999
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Film Work
- Executive producer, Man and Boy (also known as Ride a Dark Horse), 1972
- Director and (as Dr. William H. Cosby, Jr.) executive producer, Bill Cosby Himself (also known as Bill Cosby: Himself), HBO Pictures, 1982
- Producer, Leonard Part 6, 1987
- Executive producer, Men of Honor, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2000
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Stage Appearances
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An Evening with Bill Cosby, Radio City Music Hall, New York, 1986
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Radio Appearances
- Appeared on The Bill Cosby Radio Program.
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RECORDINGS
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Comedy Albums
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Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow ... Right!, 1964
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I Started Out as a Child, 1965
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Why Is There Air?, 1966
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Wonderfulness, 1967
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Revenge, 1967
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To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With, 1969
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Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days, Rat Own, Rat Own, Rat Own, 1976
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My Father Confused Me ... What Must I Do? What Must I Do?, 1977
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Disco Bill, 1977
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Bill's Best Friend, 1978
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Reunion, 1982
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Bill Cosby ... Himself, 1983
- Also recorded It's True, It's True;
200 MPH;
8:15, 12:15; Bill Cosby Himself;
Hungry;
Those of You with or without Children, You'll Understand;
For Adults Only; and Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby.
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Music Albums
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Where You Lay Your Head, 1990
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My Appreciation, 1991
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Hello Friend: To Ennis with Love, 1998
- Also recorded Silverthroat and Hooray for the Salvation Army Band.
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Other Albums
- Recorded Bill Cosby Talks to Kids about Drugs.
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Videos
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Bill Cosby: 49, 1987
- Himself (archive footage), Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues,1988
- Recorded children's preschool cassette on home video by Disney.
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WRITINGS
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Film Writing
- Script, Bill Cosby Himself (also known as Bill Cosby: Himself), HBO Pictures, 1982
- Story only, Leonard Part 6, 1987
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Television Writing
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Movies
- Story only, To All My Friends on Shore, 1971
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Television Specials
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The First Bill Cosby Special, 1968
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The Bill Cosby Special or ?, 1971
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Televison Theme Songs
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Series
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The Bill Cosby Show, NBC, 1969-71
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The Cosby Show, NBC, 1984-92
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A Different World, NBC, 1987-93
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The Cosby Mysteries, 1994-95
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Cosby, CBS, 1996-2000
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Television Scores
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Series
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The Cosby Mysteries, 1994-95
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Movies
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To All My Friends on Shore, 1971
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Pilots
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The Cosby Mysteries (also known as Guy Hanks I), 1994
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Nonfiction
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The Wit and Wisdom of Fat Albert, Windmill Books, 1973
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Bill Cosby's Personal Guide to Power Tennis, or Don't Lower the Lob, Raise the Net, Random House, 1975
- Contributor, You Are Somebody Special (juvenile), 1978
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Fatherhood, Doubleday, 1986
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Time Flies, Doubleday, 1987
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Love and Marriage, Doubleday, 1989
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Childhood, Putnam, 1991
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Kids Say the Darndest Things, Bantam, 1998
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Congratulations! Now What? A Book for Graduates, Hyperion, 1999
- Also wrote Fat Albert's Survival Kid and Changes: Becomingthe Best You Can Be.
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Fiction Series
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Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers
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The Best Way to Play, Cartwheel Books, 1997
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The Meanest Thing to Say, Cartwheel Books, 1997
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Treasure Hunt, Cartwheel Books, 1997
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The Best Way to Play, Cartwheel Books, 1997
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Shipwreck Saturday, Cartwheel Books, 1998
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One Dark and Scary Night, Cartwheel Books, 1998
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Super-Fine Valentine, Cartwheel Books, 1998
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The Big Fib, Cartwheel Books, 1999
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Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors!, Cartwheel Books, 1999
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The Day I Was Rich, Scholastic Trade, 1999
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The Day I Saw My Father Cry, Cartwheel Books, 2000
Further Reference
OTHER SOURCES
Books:
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Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 26, Gale Group, 2000.
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Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale Group, 1998.
- Johnson, Robert E., Bill Cosby: In Words and Pictures, Johnson Publishing, 1987.
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Notable Black American Men, Gale Research, 1998.
- Ruth, Marianne, Bill Cosby, Melrose Square, 1992.
- Schuman, Michael A., Bill Cosby: Actor and Comedian, Enslow Publishers, 1995.
- Smith, R. L., Cosby, St. Martin's Press, 1986.
- Woods, H., Bill Cosby: Making America Laugh and Learn, Dillon, 1983.
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