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{{about|the comedian|the British governor of New York|William Cosby}}

{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Bill Cosby
|image = Bill Cosby (2010).jpg
|imagesize =
|caption = Cosby speaking at ], New York City, 2010
|pseudonym =
|birth_name = William Henry Cosby, Jr.
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1937|7|12}}
|birth_place = ], ], United States
|occupation = Actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist
|years_active = 1962–present
|spouse = Camille Hanks (1964–present)
|children = Erika, Erinn, Ensa, Evin, ]
|notable_works = '']''<br/>'']''<br/> '']''<br/> '']''
|website = {{url|http://www.billcosby.com/}}
}}
'''William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr.,''' (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, '']''. He later starred in his own ], '']''. He was one of the major characters on the ] series '']'' for its first two seasons, and created the educational cartoon comedy series '']'', about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby has also acted in a number of films.

During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in one of the decade's defining sitcoms, '']'', which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. It was the number one show in America for five straight years (1985–89).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classictvhits.com/trivia.php?showid=176 |title=Classic TV & Movie Hits - The Cosby Show |publisher=Classictvhits.com |date= |accessdate=October 26, 2012}}</ref> The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent ] family. He also produced the ] sitcom '']'', which became second to ''The Cosby Show'' in ratings. He starred in the sitcom '']'' from 1996 to 2000 and hosted '']'' for two seasons.

In 2002, scholar ] included him in his book, the '']''.<ref>Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. ], New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-963-8.</ref>

In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the ]. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning".<!--linked at its mention within the main article below-->

==Early life==
]
Cosby was born and raised in ], Pennsylvania. He is one of four sons born to Anna Pearl (née Hite), a maid, and William Henry Cosby, Sr., who served as a sailor in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/57/Bill-Cosby.html |title=Bill Cosby Biography (1937–) |publisher=Filmreference.com |date= |accessdate=2009-09-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.genealogymagazine.com/billcosby.html |title=A Glimpse at Bill Cosby's Virginia Roots |publisher=Genealogymagazine.com |date= |accessdate=2009-09-18| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20091026024735/http://www.genealogymagazine.com/billcosby.html| archivedate= 26 October 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> During much of his early childhood, Cosby's father was away in the ] and spent several years fighting in ]. As a student, he described himself as a ]. Cosby was the captain of both the baseball team and the ] team at ] in Philadelphia, as well as the class president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/bill-cosby/person/4026/trivia.html |title=Bill Cosby Trivia |accessdate=2008-05-04 |work=TV.com }}</ref> Early on, though, teachers noted his propensity for clowning around rather than studying.<ref>{{Cite news| title=Bill Cosby and Me – Behind the Lens | date=2007-09-11 | url =http://blog.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-lens/2006/12/bill_cosby_and_me.html | accessdate = 2008-05-04 | language = | work=The Washington Post}}</ref> At Fitz Simmons Junior High, Cosby began acting in plays as well as continuing his devotion to playing sports.<ref name="autogenerated1">Ghare, Madhavi. {{Cite news| title=Bill Cosby Biography | publisher=Buzzle.com | url =http://www.buzzle.com/articles/bill-cosby-biography.html | accessdate = 2008-05-04 | language = }}</ref> He went on to ], an academically challenging ], but his full schedule of playing football, basketball, baseball, and running track made it hard for him.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> In addition, Cosby was working before and after school, selling produce, shining shoes, and stocking shelves at a supermarket to help out the family.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> He transferred to ], but failed the ].<ref name="William Morris Agency">, retrieved May 31, 2006</ref> Instead of repeating, he got a job as an apprentice at a shoe repair shop, which he liked, but could not see himself doing the rest of his life.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Subsequently, he joined the Navy, serving at the ], Virginia, ], Newfoundland and at the ] in Maryland.<ref name="Military.com">
{{cite web|accessdate=2007-05-31
|url=http://www.military.com/Careers/Content1?file=trans_bill_cosby.htm&area=Content
|title=Transition Profile — Bill Cosby
|work=Veterans Careers
|publisher=Military.com| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070610122829/http://www.military.com/Careers/Content1?file=trans_bill_cosby.htm&area=Content| archivedate= 10 June 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>

While serving in the Navy as a ] for four years, Cosby worked in physical therapy with some seriously injured ],<ref name="Military.com"/> which helped him discover what was important to him. Then he immediately realized the need for an education, and finished his equivalency diploma via ].<ref name="Kennedy Center">, retrieved May 31, 2006</ref> He then won a track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's ] in 1961–62,<ref name="ESPER">, retrieved May 31, 2006</ref> and studied physical education while running track and playing fullback on the ] team. Cosby also joined the school's chapter of the ] fraternity.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

As Cosby progressed through his undergraduate studies, he continued to hone his talent for humor, joking with fellow enlistees in the service and then with college friends. When he began bar tending at the Cellar, a club in ], to earn money, he became fully aware of his ability to make people laugh. He worked his customers and saw his tips increase, then ventured onto the stage.<ref name="Verve Records">, retrieved May 31, 2006 {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

==Stand-up career==
Cosby left Temple to pursue a career in comedy, though he would return to collegiate studies in the 1970s. He lined up gigs at clubs in Philadelphia and soon was off to ], where he appeared at ] starting in 1962.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> He lined up dates in ], ], ], and ], and elsewhere. He received national exposure on ]'s '']'' in the summer of 1963 which led to a recording contract with ], who released his debut LP '']'', the first of a series of popular comedy albums, in 1964.

While many comics were using the growing freedom of that decade to explore controversial, sometimes risqué, material, Cosby was making his reputation with humorous recollections of his childhood. Many Americans wondered about the absence of race as a topic in Cosby's stories. As Cosby's success grew he had to defend his choice of material regularly; as he argued, "A white person listens to my act and he laughs and he thinks, 'Yeah, that's the way I see it too.' Okay. He's white. I'm Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that ''we are alike. Right?'' So I figure this way I'm doing as much for good race relations as the next guy."<ref>{{Cite book| last = Smith | first = Ronald L. | title = Cosby: The Life of a Comedy Legend | publisher = ] | year = 1997 | page = 57 | isbn = 1-57392-126-2}}</ref>

Cosby remains an actively touring stand-up comedian, performing at theaters throughout the country.

==Acting career==
===''I Spy''===
In 1965, when he was cast alongside ] in the '']'' ] adventure series, Cosby became the first African-American co-star in a ], and ] became the first to present a series so cast. At first Cosby and NBC executives were concerned that some affiliates might be unwilling to carry the series. At the beginning of the 1965 season four stations declined the show; they were in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Viewers were taken with the show's exotic locales and the authentic chemistry between the stars, and it became one of the ratings hits of that television season. ''I Spy'' finished among the twenty most-watched shows that year, and Cosby would be honored with three consecutive ]s for ].

During the run of the series, Cosby continued to do ] performances, and recorded a half-dozen record albums for Warners. He also began to dabble in singing, recording '']'' in 1967, which provided him with a hit single with his recording of "Li'l Ole Man".{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} He would record several more musical albums into the early 1970s, but he continued to record primarily stand-up comedy work.

In June 1968 '']'' reported that Cosby had turned down a five-year, US$3.5 million contract renewal offer and would leave the label in August that year to record for his own record label.<ref>"Cosby To Exit WB in August To Join Own Record Firm", Billboard, 1 June 1968, p.1</ref>

] was a division of the Campbell, Silver, Cosby (CSC) Corporation, the Los Angeles based production company founded by Cosby, his manager Roy Silver, and filmmaker Bruce Post Campbell. It produced films as well as records, including Cosby's television specials, the ] cartoon special and series and several motion pictures. CSC hired industry veteran ] as President of the label and Tetragrammaton was fairly active during 1968–69 (its most successful signing was British heavy rock band ]) but it quickly went into the red and ceased trading during 1970.<ref></ref>

===''Fat Albert'', ''The Bill Cosby Show'', and the 1970s===
]
Cosby pursued a variety of additional television projects and appeared as a regular guest host on '']'' and as the star of an annual special for NBC. He returned with another series in 1969, '']'', a situation comedy that ran for two seasons. Cosby played a physical education teacher at a Los Angeles high school. While only a modest critical success, the show was a ratings hit, finishing eleventh in its first season. Cosby was lauded for using some previously unknown African-American performers such as ], ], and ] as characters. According to commentary on the Season 1 DVD's for the show, Cosby was at odds with ] over his refusal to include a ] in the show (he felt that viewers had the ability to find humor for themselves when watching a TV show). He was originally contracted with ] to do the show for two seasons, and he believes the show was not renewed afterwards for that reason.

After ''The Bill Cosby Show'' left the air, Cosby returned to his education. He began graduate work at the ], qualifying under a special program that allowed for the admission of students who had not completed their bachelor's degrees, but who had had a significant impact on society and/or their communities through their careers.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} This professional interest led to his involvement in the ] series '']'', for which he recorded several segments teaching reading skills to young children.

In 1972, Cosby received an ] from the ] and was also back in prime time with a variety series, '']''. However, this time he met with poor ratings, and the show lasted only a season. More successful was a Saturday morning show, '']'', hosted by Cosby and based on his own childhood. That series ran from 1972 to 1979, and as ''The New Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' from 1979 to 1984.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Some schools used the program as a teaching tool,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} and Cosby himself wrote a dissertation on it, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning", as partial fulfillment of obtaining his 1976 doctorate in education, also from the University of Massachusetts.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>The first 22 pages of his dissertation are available at the </ref> Subsequently, Temple University, where Cosby had begun but never finished his undergraduate studies, would grant him his ] on the basis of "life experience."{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

Also during the 1970s, Cosby and other African-American actors, including ], joined forces to make some successful ]s that countered the violent "]" films of the era. '']'' (1974) and '']'' (1975) were generally praised, but much of Cosby's film work has fallen flat. '']'' (1976) costarring ] and ]; '']'', with Poitier; and '']'', a compilation of four ] plays, were all panned. In addition, '']'' (1976) an hour-long variety show featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled within the year. Cosby was also a regular on children's ] programs starting in the 1970s, hosting the "]" segments that lasted into the early 1980s.

===''The Cosby Show'' and the 1980s===
Cosby's greatest television success came in September 1984 with the debut of '']''. The program aired weekly on NBC and went on to become the highest ranking sitcom of all time. For Cosby, the new situation comedy was a response to the increasingly violent and vulgar fare the networks usually offered.{{cn|date=August 2012}} Cosby is an advocate for humor that is family-oriented. He insisted on and received total creative control of the series, and he was involved in every aspect of the series. The show had parallels to Cosby's actual family life: like the characters Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Cosby and his wife Camille were college educated, financially successful, and had five children. Essentially a throwback to the wholesome family situation comedy, ''The Cosby Show'' was unprecedented in its portrayal of an intelligent, affluent, African-American family.

Much of the material from the ] and first season of ''The Cosby Show'' was taken from his video '']'', released in 1983. The series was an immediate success, debuting near the top of the ratings and staying there for most of its long run. ''The Cosby Show'' is one of only three American programs that have been #1 in the ] for at least five consecutive seasons, along with '']'' and ''].'' '']'' magazine called the show "revolutionary,"{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} and '']'' concurred that it was a "real breakthrough."{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

In 1987, Cosby attempted to return to film with the spy spoof '']''. Although Cosby himself was producer and wrote the story, he realized during production that the film was not going to be what he wanted and publicly denounced it, warning audiences to stay away.<ref name=yahoobio>{{cite web|publisher= Yahoo! Movies|title=Bill Cosby |url=http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800036559/bio|accessdate=14 July 2010}}</ref>

{{see also|Bill Cosby in advertising}}

===In the 1990s and 2000s===
] in Atlanta, October 3, 2006]]
]]]
After ''The Cosby Show'' went off the air in 1992, Cosby embarked on a number of other projects, including a ] of the classic ] game show '']'' (1992–93) along with the ] '']'' (1994) and '']'' (1994). In the mid-1990s, he appeared as a detective in ] ]-themed commercials for ]. He also made appearances in three more films, '']'' (1990), '']'' (1993); and '']'' (1996); in addition to being interviewed in ]'s '']'' (1997), a documentary about the ] of a ], church in 1963.
e
Also in 1996, he started up a new show for CBS, '']'', again co-starring ], his onscreen wife on ''The Cosby Show''. Cosby co-produced the show for ]. The show was based on the British program '']''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} It centered on Cosby as Hilton Lucas, an iconoclastic senior citizen who tries to find a new job after being "downsized", and in the meantime, gets on his wife's nerves. ] costarred as Rashād's goofy business partner. Cosby was hired by CBS to be the official "spokesman" for the ] during an advertising campaign from 1995 to 1998. In addition, Cosby in 1998 became the host of '']''. After four seasons, ''Cosby'' was canceled. The last episode aired April 28, 2000. ''Kids Say the Darndest Things'' was also canceled the same year. Cosby continued to work with CBS through a development deal and other projects.

]'s campaign to de-glamorize drugs, during the 1990s and beyond, writing the script and appearing in a ] to discourage the use of illegal drugs by young people. Photo: going over the script with Partnership executive ] (right) and a production assistant at Cosby's studio in ] in the 1990s. Photo by Bobby Sheehan.]]
A series for preschoolers, '']'', made its debut on ] in 1999. The network renewed the popular program in November 2000. In 2001, Cosby's agenda included the publication of a new book, as well as delivering the commencement addresses at ], Ohio State University, and at ].<ref name="rpi_grad"></ref> Also that year, he signed a deal with ] to develop a ] feature film centering on the popular ] character from his 1970s cartoon series. '']'' was released in theaters in December 2004. In May 2007 he spoke at the Commencement of ].

In the summer of 2009, Cosby hosted a comedy gala at Montreal's ] comedy festival, the world's largest.

==Socioeconomic views==
{{Main|Pound Cake speech}}
In May 2004 after receiving an award at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the '']'' ruling, the ]'s decision that outlawed school ], Cosby made public remarks critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion, and "acting hard" than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement, pleading for African-American families to educate their children on the many different aspects of ].

In the "Pound Cake" speech, Cosby, who holds a doctorate in education, asked that African-American parents teach their children better morals at a younger age. Cosby told the ''Washington Times'', "Parenting needs to come to the forefront. If you need help and you don't know how to parent, we want to be able to reach out and touch" (DeBose, Brian).{{Page needed|date=September 2010}} Richard Leiby of '']'' reported, "Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks Monday night at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ''Brown v. Board of Education'' decision."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37869-2004May18.html|work=The Washington Post|title=Publicists With a Cannes-Do Attitude|date=2004-05-19}}</ref>

Cosby again came under sharp criticism and was again largely unapologetic for his stance when he made similar remarks during a speech in a July 1 meeting commemorating the anniversary of ''Brown v. Board of Education''. During that speech, he admonished apathetic blacks for not assisting or concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or have counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as blacks who “had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the ]." <ref>{{cite web|title=Fattah Lauds Bill Cosby as "Hometown Hero"|url=http://fattah.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&sectiontree=32,34&itemid=510|publisher=fattah.house.gov|accessdate=6 December 2011}}</ref> The speech was featured in the documentary '']'', which set the speech to cartoon visuals.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

] sociology professor ] wrote a book in 2005 entitled ''Is Bill Cosby Right or Is the Black Middle Class Out of Touch?''<ref name="Dyson">{{cite map|publisher= National Public Radio|title=Is Bill Cosby Right or Is the Black Middle Class Out of Touch?|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4628960|accessdate=2009-07-23}}</ref> In the book, Dyson wrote that Cosby was overlooking larger social factors that reinforce poverty and associated crime; factors such as deteriorating schools, stagnating wages, dramatic shifts in the economy, offshoring and downsizing, chronic underemployment, and job and ].<ref name="Dyson column">{{cite map|publisher=The Washington Post|title=The Injustice Bill Cosby Won't See|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072001631.html|first=Michael Eric|last=Dyson|accessdate=2009-07-28}}</ref> Dyson suggested Cosby's comments "betray classist, elitist viewpoints rooted in generational warfare."<ref name="Dyson"/>

] defended Cosby and his remarks, saying, "he's speaking out of great compassion and trying to get folk to get on the right track, 'cause we've got some brothers and sisters who are not doing the right things, just like in times in our own lives, we don't do the right thing... He is trying to speak honestly and freely and lovingly, and I think that's a very positive thing."<ref> played on '']'' edition "Bill Cosby: Airdate May 26, 2004"</ref>

In a 2008 interview, Cosby mentioned ], ]; ], ]; ], ]; ], ]; ], ]; and ], ], among the cities where crime was high and young African-American men were being murdered and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Cosby stood his ground against criticism and affirmed that African-American parents were continuing to fail to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diamondsuite.net/index.php/?p=420|title=The Breaking Point » Bill Cosby: Race man, pariah, hero|publisher=Diamondsuite.net|accessdate=2009-09-18}}</ref> Cosby still lectures to black communities (usually at churches) about his frustrations with certain problems prevalent in underprivileged urban communities, such as in illegal drugs; teenage pregnancy; ]; high-school dropouts; ]; ]; vulgarity; thievery; offensive clothing; vanity; ]; single-parenting; and failing to live up to the ideals of ], ], and African-Americans who preceded ].

==Humanitarian causes==
Cosby has become an active member of The ].<ref name="Cosby and the JFA ">famegame.com. 2009-13-10. URL: http://www.famegame.com/person/Bill_Cosby. Accessed: 2009-13-10. (Archived by famegame.com at http://www.famegame.com/person/Bill_Cosby)</ref> Cosby became involved with the foundation in 2004. For several years, he has been a featured host for its annual benefit, ], at the ] in New York City.<ref name="Cosby at the Apollo ">bmi.com. 2009-13-10. URL: http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233021. Accessed: 2009-13-10. (Archived by bmi.com at http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233021)</ref><ref name="Cosby Hosts ">nytimes.com. 2009-13-10. URL: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5DB1031F934A25756C0A9619C8B63. Accessed: 2009-13-10. (Archived by nytimes.com at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5DB1031F934A25756C0A9619C8B63)</ref>

==Personal life==
Cosby met his future wife, Camille Olivia Hanks, while he was performing stand-up in Washington, D.C., in the early 1960s, and she was a student at the ]. They married on January 25, 1964, and had five children: daughters Erika Ranee (b. 1965), Erinn Chalene (b. 1966), Ensa Camille (b. 1973), and Evin Harrah (b. 1976), and son ] (1969–1997). Their son Ennis was shot dead while changing a flat tire on the side of ] in ] on January 16, 1997. Cosby maintains homes in ], and ].<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news | url=http://articles.latimes.com/2006/nov/09/news/wk-cosby9 | title=Bill Cosby settles lawsuit in drug, sexual assault case | date=November 9, 2006 | work=LA Times | agency=Associated Press | accessdate=20 January 2006}}</ref>

Bill Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles ] since 1979. An avid musician, he's best known as a jazz drummer although he can be seen playing bass guitar with ] and ] on Hugh Hefner's 1970s talk show. His story "The Regular Way" was featured in Playboy's December 1968 issue.<ref>Cosby, Bill. "The Regular Way", page 115, ''Playboy'', December 1968</ref>

Bill Cosby is an active alumnus supporter of his ], ], and in particular ], whose games Cosby frequently attends.

Cosby is a devoted fan of the ]. In ], when the Eagles' ] and ] quarterbacks were both injured, Cosby sent a letter to head coach ], joking that he was ready to play if needed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

Cosby also attends many public events, such as the 100th ] at ] in New York on February 2, 2007. His love for track and field athletics has also been shown with his long time sponsorship, and on-track work with the ]. For many years, Cosby has been known to work the finish line at ] and congratulate athletes.

During the ], he celebrated the draft with former ] ] ] as a means of support, though the two are not related.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Suzanne|last=Halliburton|title=For Quan and comedian, draft will be the Cosby show|date=2009-04-23|publisher=|url=http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/04/23/0423cosby.html|work=]|accessdate=2009-11-20}}</ref>

==Lawsuits==

In July 1997, Cosby testified that he made secret payments to Shawn Upshaw, a woman who had briefly been his lover in Las Vegas during the early 1970s. Upshaw later told Cosby that her daughter, Autumn Jackson, was his daughter, too, but he denied it. Cosby said he gave Upshaw a total of about $100,000 because he did not want her to publicly reveal the affair.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goldman |first=John |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title=Cosby Testifies About Secret Payments |date=July 16, 1997}}</ref> Twenty-two-year-old Autumn Jackson was sentenced to 26 months in jail for trying to extort $40&nbsp;million from Cosby.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/16/nyregion/judges-reinstate-conviction-in-extortion-of-bill-cosby.html?ref=autumnjackson |last=Weiser |first=Benjamin |title=Judges Reinstate Conviction In Extortion of Bill Cosby |date=November 16, 1999 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

In August 2006, Cosby settled a lawsuit against him by a Canadian woman who claimed he had attacked her in his Philadelphia home in 2004.<ref name="LA Times" /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1162980324863 | title=Bill Cosby Strikes Confidential Settlement in Sex-Assault Lawsuit |work=Law.Com |author=Shannon P. Duffy | date=November 9, 2006 | accessdate=20 January 2006}}</ref> The woman claimed she had been sexually assaulted after being given pills when she had complained of feeling stressed. Cosby categorically denied the assertions.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20059561,00.html | title=Bill Cosby Under Fire | author=Alex Tresniowski | date=December 18, 2006 | work=People|accessdate=20 January 2006}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
*1969: Received his third "Man of the Year" award from ]'s performance group, the ]
*1998: Received the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3713&source_type=A |title=BIOGRAPHY OF BILL COSBY |accessdate=2007-02-23 |publisher=]| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070216143109/http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3713&source_type=A| archivedate= 16 February 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
*2002: The ] for his contributions to ]
*2003: The ]
*2005: In a British poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders
*2009: Presented with the 12th annual ]
*2011: Made an honorary ] (]) in the ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Mass |first=Chief |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=58671 |title=MCPON Designates Bill Cosby Honorary Chief |publisher=Navy.mil |date= |accessdate=2012-03-29}}</ref>

===Emmys===
{{Awards
| award = Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series
| year = ]
| title = ]
| role = Alexander Scott
| name = ]s
| year2 = ]
| title2 = I Spy
| role2 = Alexander Scott
| year3 = ]
| title3 = I Spy
| role3 = Alexander Scott
}}<br/>
{{Awards
| award = Outstanding Variety Or Musical Program
| year = ]
| title = The Bill Cosby Special
| name = Primetime Emmys
}}

===Grammys===
{{Awards
| award = ]
| year = ]
| title = ]
| name = ]s
| year2 = ]
| title2 = ]
| year3 = ]
| title3 = ]
| year4 = ]
| title4 = ]
| year5 = ]
| title5 = ]
| year6 = ]
| title6 = ]
| year7 = ]
| title7 = ]
}}<br/>
{{Awards
| award = ]
| year = ]
| title = ]
| name = Grammy Awards
| year2 = ]
| title2 = ]
| role2 = Cast member
}}

===Honorary degrees===
Cosby has received honorary degrees from more than a dozen colleges and universities:

* Honorary ] degree from ], December 5, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title= VCU 40th Anniversary Events|url= http://www.40th.vcu.edu/events/billcosby.html|date=|publisher=Virginia Commonwealth University|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>
* Honorary ] degree from ], May 20, 2007; he was also the ] for the ].<ref>{{cite web|title= Commencement 2007: Celebrating Honors and Achievements|url= http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/beyond/2007/spring/commencement-2007.shtml|date=|publisher=Carnegie Mellon University|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>
* Honorary ] degree from ], May 8, 2004.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Retiring College President Lee Eliot Berk and Bill Cosby Honored at Berklee College of Music's 2004 Commencement|publisher=Berklee College of Music|date=8 May 2004|url=http://www.berklee.edu/commencement/2004/default.html|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref> Cosby was also the host of the school's 60th Anniversary Concert in January 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title= Three Score: The Berklee 60th Anniversary Concert|url= http://www.berklee.edu/events/2006/01/60th.html|date=28 January 2006|publisher= Berklee College of Music|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>
* Honorary ] degree from ], September 4, 2003, at the "Spirit Rally" for the Baylor and Central Texas communities.<ref>{{cite web|title= Bill Cosby Lifts Baylor, Waco Spirits At "Pep Rally"|url= http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=5467|date= 5 September 2003|publisher= Baylor University|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>
* Honorary ] degree from ], May 26, 2003.<ref>{{Cite journal|date= 6 June 2003|title=Honorary Degrees|journal=Yale Bulletin and Calendar|volume= 31|issue= 31|url= http://www.yale.edu/opa/arc-ybc/v31.n31/story103.html|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>
* Honorary Degree in 2003 presented by President ] from the ] on the Lake Traverse Reservation for his contributions to minority education.
* Honorary Doctorate from ] during the 2003 graduation ceremony.
* Honorary ] degree from ], May 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title= Honorary Degree Recipients|url= http://www.haverford.edu/commencement/files/honorarydegrees.pdf|date= 7 July 2009|publisher= Haverford College|accessdate=19 September 2009| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20091008122800/http://www.haverford.edu/commencement/files/honorarydegrees.pdf| archivedate= 8 October 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
* Honorary Degrees from ]<ref name="rpi_grad" /> and the ] in 2001.
* Honorary Doctorate from ], May 1999. (Doctor of Humane Letters, ''honoris causa'')
* Honorary ] degree from the ], May 8, 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Joyous Day of Academic Celebration - USC's 115th Commencement, May 8, 1998 |url=http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/3677.html|date=8 May 1998|publisher=USC News|accessdate=27 March 2012}}</ref>
* Cosby served as the ] <ref>{{cite web|title= Commencement: Honorary Degrees|url= http://commencement.uconn.edu/history/speakers/1990s.html|date=18 May 1996 |publisher= University of Connecticut|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref> and received an Honorary ] from the ], 18 May 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title= Commencement: Honorary Degrees|url= http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1092&context=upub_commence|date=18 May 1996 |publisher= University of Connecticut|accessdate=12 August 2011}}</ref>
* Honorary ] from the ], 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title= Commencement: Honorary Degrees|url= http://www.upenn.edu/commencement/hist/hondegalph.html#C|date= |publisher= University of Pennsylvania|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref> He also served as the ] in May 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title= Commencement: Speakers Since 1938|url=http://www.upenn.edu/commencement/hist/speakers38.html|publisher=University of Pennsylvania|accessdate=19 September 2009}}</ref>

==Works==
===Discography===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

====Comedy albums====
*'']'' (1963)
*'']'' (1964)
*'']'' (1965)
*'']'' (1966)
*'']'' (1967)
*'']'' (1968)
*'']'' (1968)
*'']'' (1969)
*'']'' (1969)
*'']'' (1969)
*'']'' (1970)
*'']'' (1971)
*'']'' (1971)
*'']'' (1971)
*'']'' (1972)
*'']'' (1973)
*'']'' (1977)
*'']'' (1978)
*'']'' (1982)
*'']'' (1986)
*''OH, Baby'' (1991)

{{col-2}}

====Music albums====
*'']'' (1967)
*'']'' (1968)
*'']'' (1971)
*'']'' - As master of ceremonies (Columbia, 1972)
*'']'' (1972)
*'']'' (1974)
*'']'' (1976)
*'']'' (1977)
*''Where You Lay Your Head'' (1990)
*''My Appreciation'' (1991)
*''Hello Friend: To Ennis, With Love'' (1997)
*''Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby – The Original Jam Sessions 1969'' (2004)
*''Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby – The New Mixes Vol. 1'' (2004)
*'']'' (2009)
*''Keep Standing'' (2010)

====Compilations====
*'']'' (1969)
*'']'' (1970)
*'']'' (1973)
*'']'' (1975)
*''Cosby and the Kids'' (1986)
*''At His Best'' (1994)
*''20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Cosby'' (2001)
*''The Bill Cosby Collection'' (2004)
{{col-end}}

====Singles====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Single
!colspan="2"|Chart Positions
|-
!width="50"|<small>]</small>
!width="50"|<small>]</small>
|-
|1967
|"]"
|4
|18
|-
|1970
|"Grover Henson Feels Forgotten"
|70
|—
|-
|rowspan=2|1976
|"I Luv Myself Better Than I Luv Myself"
|—
|59
|-
|"Yes, Yes, Yes"
|46
|11
|}

===Books===
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title = ] |year = 1986 | publisher = Doubleday | location = New York| isbn = 978-0-385-23410-8 | oclc= 15686687}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title = Time Flies | year = 1987 | publisher = Doubleday | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-385-24040-6 | oclc= 16081611}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title =Love and Marriage | year = 1989 | publisher = Doubleday | location = New York| isbn = 978-0-385-24664-4 | oclc= 18984758}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title = Childhood | year = 1991 | publisher = Putnam | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-399-13647-4 | oclc=23650310}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title =Kids Say the Darndest Things| year = 1998 | publisher = Bantam Books | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-553-11043-2 |oclc= 39498709}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title =Congratulations! Now What?: A Book for Graduates| year = 1999 | publisher = Hyperion | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-7868-6572-7 | oclc= 40979923}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Allen | first1 = Dwight William | last2 = Cosby | first2 = Bill | title =American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge| year = 2000| publisher =IPublish.com| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-7595-5000-1 | oclc= 48915448}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | last2 = Booth | first2 = George | title =Cosbyology: Essays and Observations from the Doctor of Comedy| year = 2001 | publisher = Hyperion | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-7868-6810-0 |oclc= 46359836}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title =I Am What I Ate ... and I'm Frightened!!!: And Other Digressions from the Doctor of Comedy| year = 2003 | publisher = HarperEntertainment | location = New York| isbn = 978-0-06-054573-4 |oclc=52387894}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill| last2 = Cosby | first2 = Erika| title =Friends of a Feather: One of Life's Little Fables| year = 2003 | publisher = Harper Entertainment | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-06-009147-7 |oclc=52206847}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | last2 = Poussaint | first2 = Alvin F. | title =Come on, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors| year = 2007| publisher = Thomas Nelson | location = Nashville| isbn = 978-1-59555-092-7 |oclc= 153581209}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Cosby | first1 = Bill | title =I Didn't Ask to Be Born (But I'm Glad I Was)| year = 2011 | publisher = Center Street | location = New York| isbn = 978-0-89296-920-3 |oclc= 707964887}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|African American}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

;General References:
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite news
|author=DeBose, Brian
|title=Cosby urges leaders to aid black families
|work=The Washington Times
|date=September 9, 2004
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5244/is_200409/ai_n19571672 |accessdate=2007-11-04 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071209050529/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5244/is_200409/ai_n19571672 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-12-09}}
*Leiby, Richard. "Publications with a Cannes-Do Attitude." ''Washington Post''. May 19, 2004: 3.
*Morano, Marc. "Bill Cosby was hounded by ]." World Entertainment News Network. May 1, 2000. 2 Mar 2006. www.imdb.com
*"Segregated Expectations" ''USA Today''. May 15, 2003: 12.
*Wu, Frank H. "Brown at 50: Keeping Promises." Black Issues in ]. May 20, 2004: 49
*{{cite web|accessdate=2007-11-04
|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/cosby_bill.htm
|title= Biography — William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr.
|work= Biographies in Naval History
|publisher= Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy
|date=June 22, 2006
| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071026003942/http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/cosby_bill.htm| archivedate= 26 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*
* {{IMDb name|0001070}}
* {{IBDB name|36396}}
* (24&nbsp;minutes)
* from interview after the ]
*
*{{worldcat id|id=lccn-n82-52577}}

{{Bill Cosby}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Bill Cosby
|list =
{{EmmyAward DramaLeadActor 1950-1975}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVComedy 1970-1989}}
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay 1980–2000}}
{{Mark Twain Prize for American Humor}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1990s}}
{{NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award}}
}}

{{Authority control|VIAF=110901829}}
{{Persondata
|NAME= Cosby, Bill
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Cosby, William Henry, Jr.
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist
|DATE OF BIRTH= {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1937|7|12}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH= ], ], U.S.
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosby, Bill}}
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Revision as of 00:42, 13 February 2013

Bill Cosby: Difference between revisions Add topic