Bill Cosby

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

135

Gender

Male

Birthday

1937-07-12 (88 years old)

Place of Birth

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Bill Cosby

Biography

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 Many of his awards have been rescinded due to numerous sexual assault allegations, including the 1998 Kennedy Center Honor, the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and all but 10 of 72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.

Known For

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Meet the Press

    Meet the Press

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • The Bob Hope Show

    The Bob Hope Show

  • Late Night with David Letterman

    Late Night with David Letterman

  • The Cosby Show

    The Cosby Show

  • Touched by an Angel

    Touched by an Angel

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

    Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

  • Reading Rainbow

    Reading Rainbow

  • A Different World

    A Different World

  • The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • Basketball: A Love Story

    Basketball: A Love Story

  • The Flip Wilson Show

    The Flip Wilson Show

  • Zone interdite

    Zone interdite

  • The Jay Leno Show

    The Jay Leno Show

  • The Electric Company

    The Electric Company

  • The Midnight Special

    The Midnight Special

  • The Midnight Special

    The Midnight Special

  • Entertainment Tonight

    Entertainment Tonight

  • The Dean Martin Show

    The Dean Martin Show

  • The Kennedy Center Honors

    The Kennedy Center Honors

  • The Hollywood Palace

    The Hollywood Palace

  • I Spy

    I Spy

  • The Meteor Man

    The Meteor Man

  • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

    Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

  • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

    Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

  • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

    Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

  • Cosby

    Cosby

  • The Don Knotts Show

    The Don Knotts Show

  • The Bill Cosby Show

    The Bill Cosby Show

  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show

    The Rosie O'Donnell Show

  • B.B. King: The Life of Riley

    B.B. King: The Life of Riley

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration

    Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration

  • Superstars and their Moms

    Superstars and their Moms

  • Cher

    Cher

  • Fat Albert

    Fat Albert

  • Mother, Jugs & Speed

    Mother, Jugs & Speed

  • The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits

    The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits

  • Hickey & Boggs

    Hickey & Boggs

  • The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World

    The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World

  • Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

    Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

  • Nelson Mandela Redrawn

    Nelson Mandela Redrawn

  • I Spy Returns

    I Spy Returns

  • King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

    King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

  • The David Susskind Show

    The David Susskind Show

  • Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

    Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

  • Comedian

    Comedian

  • A Different World

    A Different World

  • The Fat Albert Easter Special

    The Fat Albert Easter Special

  • The Emmy Awards

    The Emmy Awards

  • Ruby Wax Meets

    Ruby Wax Meets

  • Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration!

    Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration!

  • Jack

    Jack

  • Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special

    Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special

  • A Walking Tour of Sesame Street

    A Walking Tour of Sesame Street

  • Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley

    Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley

  • Bill Cosby: Himself

    Bill Cosby: Himself

  • Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon

    Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon

  • Baadasssss!

    Baadasssss!

  • The Cosby Mysteries

    The Cosby Mysteries

  • Goose

    Goose

  • Diana!

    Diana!

  • When Ruby Wax Met...

    When Ruby Wax Met...

  • Leonard Part 6

    Leonard Part 6

  • Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s

    Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s

  • Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis

    Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis

  • TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

    TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

  • Let's Do It Again

    Let's Do It Again

  • I Am Richard Pryor

    I Am Richard Pryor

  • Kids Say the Darndest Things

    Kids Say the Darndest Things

  • Los Angeles Plays Itself

    Los Angeles Plays Itself

  • Lightning in a Bottle

    Lightning in a Bottle

  • Keep On Keepin’ On

    Keep On Keepin’ On

  • We Need to Talk About Cosby

    We Need to Talk About Cosby

  • TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines

    TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines

  • In Remembrance of Martin

    In Remembrance of Martin

  • Ghost Dad

    Ghost Dad

  • Cos

    Cos

  • Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’

    Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’

  • NBC 75th Anniversary Special

    NBC 75th Anniversary Special

  • The New Bill Cosby Show

    The New Bill Cosby Show

  • The Chocolate Princess

    The Chocolate Princess

  • Of Black America

    Of Black America

  • The Earth Day Special

    The Earth Day Special

  • The Shame of a City

    The Shame of a City

  • The Devil and Max Devlin

    The Devil and Max Devlin

  • Doug Henning's World of Magic

    Doug Henning's World of Magic

  • Top Secret

    Top Secret

  • The One, the Only... Groucho

    The One, the Only... Groucho

  • Murder at N.B.C.

    Murder at N.B.C.

  • A Piece of the Action

    A Piece of the Action

  • Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed

    Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed

  • Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party

    Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party

  • Bill Cosby: Walking Free

    Bill Cosby: Walking Free

  • California Suite

    California Suite

  • Man and Boy

    Man and Boy

  • The Case Against Cosby

    The Case Against Cosby

  • After Newtown: Guns in America

    After Newtown: Guns in America

  • Uptown Saturday Night

    Uptown Saturday Night

  • 4 Little Girls

    4 Little Girls

  • Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class

    Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class

  • The Pact

    The Pact

  • To All My Friends on Shore

    To All My Friends on Shore

  • The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story

    The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story

  • Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life

    Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life

  • Bill Cosby: Far From Finished

    Bill Cosby: Far From Finished

  • Cola Wars

    Cola Wars

  • Aesop's Fables

    Aesop's Fables

  • The Cosby Show: A Look Back

    The Cosby Show: A Look Back

  • Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven

    Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven

  • The Fat Albert Halloween Special

    The Fat Albert Halloween Special

  • Goin' Back to Indiana

    Goin' Back to Indiana

  • Lipstick & Dynamite

    Lipstick & Dynamite

  • Jack Paar: Smart Television

    Jack Paar: Smart Television

  • The Weird Harold Special

    The Weird Harold Special

  • Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy

    Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy

  • Bill Cosby: 49

    Bill Cosby: 49

  • The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney

    The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney

  • Jack Paar: 'As I Was Saying...'

    Jack Paar: 'As I Was Saying...'

  • The Fat Albert Christmas Special

    The Fat Albert Christmas Special

  • Bill Cosby on Prejudice

    Bill Cosby on Prejudice

  • Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed

    Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed

  • Bill Cosby: An American Scandal

    Bill Cosby: An American Scandal

  • Bicycles are Beautiful

    Bicycles are Beautiful

  • Sesame Street: 20 Years ... and Still Counting!

    Sesame Street: 20 Years ... and Still Counting!