Bill Cobbs, a versatile actor with a five-decade career, passed away at the age of 90.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Cobbs began acting later in life after serving in the U.S. Air Force and various jobs.
First professional role was with Negro Ensemble Company in 'Ride a Black Horse'.
Made big screen debut in 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'.
Notable roles include Whitney Houston's manager in 'The Bodyguard', Tin Man builder in 'Oz the Great and Powerful', recurring character on The Gregory Hines Show, and main cast member on The Others.
Won Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for children's series Dino Dana.
Bill Cobbs, a versatile and accomplished actor known for his roles in films such as 'The Bodyguard,' 'Night at the Museum,' and television shows including 'The Sopranos' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' has passed away at the age of 90.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Cobbs began his acting career later in life after serving in the U.S. Air Force as a radar technician for eight years and working various jobs such as car salesman and cab driver before moving to New York City to pursue his dream at the age of 36.
His first professional acting role was with the Negro Ensemble Company in 'Ride a Black Horse.' Cobbs made his big screen debut in 1974 with a small part in 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.' He went on to appear in numerous films and television shows throughout his five-decade career, amassing nearly 200 credits.
Some of Cobbs' most notable roles include playing Whitney Houston's manager in 'The Bodyguard,' the builder of the Tin Man in 'Oz the Great and Powerful,' a recurring character on The Gregory Hines Show, and a main cast member on The Others as well as Michael Richards' eight-episode sitcom, The Michael Richards Show.
Cobbs also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for his role on the children's series Dino Dana in 2020.
He is survived by his loved ones. Cobbs passed away peacefully at his home in Riverside, California.
Bill Cobbs had a career spanning over five decades with nearly 200 film and TV credits.
His acting career began in the mid-1970s on Broadway productions including ‘Black Picture Show’ and ‘The First Breeze of Summer’.
He also appeared in films such as ‘The Hitter’, 'Trading Places' and the Oscar-winning ‘The Color of Money’.
In 1987, Cobbs landed the role of The Dutchman in the ABC sitcom ‘The Slap Maxwell Story’ and played Webb Johnson in one episode of legal drama series L.A. Law.
He had a big break in the 1990s with roles alongside Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in ‘The Bodyguard’, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock in ‘Demolition Man’, Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler and Steve Zahn in ‘That Thing You Do!’ and a fictional jazz pianist in the beloved family-friendly movie ‘Air Bud’.
He was also a series regular on the first season of The Gregory Hines Show.
Cobbs went on to appear in iconic TV shows of the aughts including Six Feet Under, The West Wing, The Drew Carey Show, NYPD Blue and JAG.
In 2006, he played Reginald in Night at the Museum and reprised the character in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
Cobbs won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for his appearance on TVOKids children’s series Dino Dana.
His final acting credit came in 2023, when he appeared on the TV mini-series Incandescent Love.
Bill Cobbs made his acting debut in the film ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’ with only one line.
He started his acting career with the Negro Ensemble Company in ‘Ride a Black Horse.’
Cobbs had roles in films such as ‘Demolition Man’, but not mentioned in other articles.
He played Whitney Houston’s manager in ‘The Bodyguard’ and the builder of the Tin Man in ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’, but these facts are common across all articles.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award for the series ‘Dino Dana’ in 2020, but this fact is also mentioned in other articles.
Accuracy
] Bill Cobbs was born in Cleveland[
He made his acting debut in the film 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' with only one line.
Cobbs left for New York at 36 years old and turned down a job at NBC to focus on auditions.
He started his acting career with the Negro Ensemble Company in 'Ride a Black Horse'.
Cobbs had roles in films such as 'Demolition Man', 'The Hudsucker Proxy', and 'Ghosts of Mississippi'.
He played Whitney Houston’s manager in 'The Bodyguard' and the builder of the Tin Man in 'Oz the Great and Powerful'.
He had a role as a lawyer in Jennifer Lopez’s film 'Enough'.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award for the series 'Dino Dana' in 2020.
On TV, Cobbs had roles on shows such as 'The Drew Carey Show', 'Sesame Street', and 'Good Times'.
Cobbs continued to make movies until the end of his life with several roles yet to be released.
Bill Cobbs made his feature film debut in 1974 with a small part in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
,His acting career began with Cleveland’s African American Performing Arts Center and Karamu House Theatre and New York City’s Negro Ensemble Company.
,He had roles on TV shows Good Times and in films Greased Lightning and The Hitter in the mid-to-late 1970s.
,In the early 1980s, he had small roles in Trading Places and Silkwood, with a more prominent performance as Walter in John Sayles’ groundbreaking indie hit Brother From Another Planet.
,He was a recurring character throughout both seasons of the acclaimed TV series I’ll Fly Away, and returned for the 1993 TV reunion movie.
,He was a main cast member on the 1997-99 series The Gregory Hines Show, and in 2000 was a regular on The Others as well as the eight-episode The Michael Richards Show sitcom.
,In 2020 he guest starred in the two-part series finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for his role on kids show Dino Dana.
,Cobbs passed away peacefully at his home in California.
His survivors’ information is not immediately available.
Accuracy
] Bill Cobbs passed away at the age of 90 on June 25, 2023.[
He is known for his memorable performances in Night At The Museum, Brother From Another Planet, Oz The Great And Powerful, The Sopranos and numerous others.
His acting career began with Cleveland’s African American Performing Arts Center and Karamu House Theatre and New York City’s Negro Ensemble Company.
Cobbs made his feature film debut in 1974 with a small part in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
He had roles on TV shows Good Times and in films Greased Lightning and The Hitter in the mid-to-late 1970s.
In the early 1980s, he had small roles in Trading Places and Silkwood, with a more prominent performance as Walter in John Sayles’ groundbreaking indie hit Brother From Another Planet.
Cobbs had roles throughout the 1980s in films and TV series including The Cotton Club, The Color Of Money, The Equalizer, Sesame Street, Kate & Allie, Spencer For Hire and L.A. Law.
In 1987, he became a series regular on The Slap Maxwell Story.
The 1990s saw Cobbs maintain a busy schedule with one-off TV appearances and film roles including The Hudsucker Proxy, That Thing You Do! and Air Bud.
He was featured in the hit Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner film The Bodyguard in 1992 and played Medgar Evers’ older brother Charles Evers in Rob Reiner’s Ghosts of Mississippi.
Cobbs was a recurring character throughout both seasons of the acclaimed TV series I’ll Fly Away, and returned for the 1993 TV reunion movie.
He was a main cast member on the 1997-99 series The Gregory Hines Show, and in 2000 was a regular on The Others as well as the eight-episode The Michael Richards Show sitcom.
Other TV credits include The Sopranos, JAG, The Drew Carey Show, One Tree Hill, Star Trek: Enterprise, Yes, Dear, Go On (recurring), The West Wing and many others.
In 2020 he guest starred in the two-part series finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for his role on kids show Dino Dana.
Cobbs passed away peacefully at his home in California.
