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Bill Cosby
Actor, Writer, Producer, Director
Born July 12, 1937 (85 years)
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 Many of his awards have been rescinded due to numerous sexual assault allegations, including the 1998 Kennedy Center Honor, the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and all but 10 of 72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.
Filmography
| 2022 | We Need to Talk About Cosby (TV Series) · as Self (archive footage) |
| 2021 | The One and Only Dick Gregory · as Self |
| 2020 | Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story · as Self |
| 2019 | Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project · as Self |
| 2019 | What's My Name: Muhammad Ali · as Self |
| 2019 | I Am Richard Pryor · as Self - Actor and Comedian (archive footage) |
| 2018 | Seeing Allred · as Self |
| 2017 | Exposed with Deborah Norville (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | Mr. Robot (TV Series) · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 2015 | Cosby: The Women Speak · as Self |
| 2014 | Keep on Keepin' On · as Self |
| 2014 | Nelson Mandela Redrawn · as Self |
| 2014 | Gameplay · as Self |
| 2014 | Unsung Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley · as Self |
| 2013 | After Newtown: Guns in America · as Self |
| 2013 | Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic · as Self |
| 2013 | Bill Cosby: Far from Finished · as Himself |
| 2013 | The Arsenio Hall Show (2013) (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2012 | B.B. King: The Life of Riley · as Self |
| 2009 | |
| 2009 | The Jay Leno Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2009 | 15 Unforgettable Hollywood Tragedies · as Self |
| 2008 | Unsung (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | The Doctors (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | Pioneers of Television (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project · as Self |
| 2007 | Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven · as Himself |
| 2007 | 38th NAACP Image Awards · as Self |
| 2006 | The Pact · as Himself |
| 2005 | Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class · as Himself (archive footage) |
| 2005 | 500 Years Later · as Self |
| 2005 | |
| 2005 | The Colbert Report (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2004 | Fat Albert · as Self |
| 2003 | A Century of Black Cinema · as Self |
| 2003 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2002 | Dr. Phil (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | Comedian · as Himself |
| 2002 | The Cosby Show: A Look Back · as Self / Dr. Cliff Huxtable (archive footage) |
| 2002 | Playboy: Inside the Playboy Mansion · as Self |
| 2001 | Little Bill: Big Little Bill · as Self |
| 2000 | The BET 20th Anniversary Celebration · as Self |
| 2000 | 2000 Essence Awards · as Self - Co-Host |
| 1999 | 1999 Essence Awards · as Self |
| 1998 | The 40th Annual Grammy Awards · as Self |
| 1997 | 4 Little Girls · as Self - Educator |
| 1997 | Behind The Music (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1997 | The Roseanne Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The Daily Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | |
| 1996 | The 10th Annual Soul Train Music Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1995 | 25th Anniversary Essence Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1993 | Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1993 | Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America · as Self |
| 1993 | 1993 Essence Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1992 | Malcolm X · as Self - End Credits (uncredited) |
| 1992 | The Big Breakfast (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | 1992 Essence Awards · as Self |
| 1991 | |
| 1991 | Ray Charles: 50 Years in Music · as Self |
| 1990 | Intimate Portrait (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1989 | Sesame Street: 20 Years & Still Counting! 1969-1989 · as Himself - Host |
| 1988 | LIVE with Kelly and Ryan (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1987 | Showtime at the Apollo (TV Series) · as Self - Guest Host |
| 1987 | Biography (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1986 | In Remembrance of Martin · as Self |
| 1986 | Elayne Boosler: Party of One · as Self |
| 1986 | The Oprah Winfrey Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1985 | American Masters (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1983 | Bill Cosby: Himself · as Himself |
| 1983 | Reading Rainbow (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1981 | Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1980 | Nightline (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1976 | Live from Lincoln Center (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1975 | Good Morning America (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1974 | Tattletales (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1971 | Great Performances (TV Series) · as self |
| 1969 | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis · as Self (archive footage) |
| 1969 | Sesame Street (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1968 | The Dick Cavett Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1963 | You Don't Say (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Series) · as Self - Guest Host |
| 1962 | The Match Game (TV Series) · as Self - Team Captain |
| 1962 | Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1961 | The Mike Douglas Show (TV Series) · as Self - Comedian |
| 1952 | Today (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1952 | American Bandstand (TV Series) · as Self - Phone Interview |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) · as Self - Comedian |