Actor Bill Cobbs Dead at 90

Actor Bill Cobbs, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday on June 16, has died according to a statement from his family.

A statement was released by a family member Thomas Cobb on social media acknowledging the actor’s death.

“We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs. On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather, and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones. As a family, we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”

Days after his 90th Birthday, Bill Cobbs died today. A father figure, a griot, an iconic artist, that mentored me by the way he led his life as an actor. He played my father twice: in I’ll Fly Away & The Gregory Hines Show.Each time imparting wisdom with a word of encouragement pic.twitter.com/BZNWxW4HuM

— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) June 26, 2024

According to Variety, Cobbs was a veteran actor who appeared in nearly 200 movies and television shows throughout his nearly 50-year career. He made his feature film debut in 1974 when he had a role in the movie, “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.” He made his television debut the following year in 1975 in “Vegetable Soup.” His IMDb bio stated that before he made his way to TV and movie roles, the Cleveland resident moved to New York to pursue a career in acting in 1970.

Cobbs was a cab driver, an office equipment repairman, and a toys salesman and he performed odd jobs supporting himself before he landed his first acting role. His first professional acting role took place at the Negro Ensemble Company in “Ride a Black Horse.” He appeared in several small theater productions, street theater, regional theater, and at the Eugene O’Neill Theater.

Some of the movies he played in were “Demolition Man,” “The People Under the Stairs,” “Brother From Another Planet,” “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” and “Air Bud.” You may have also seen him in several television series such as, “Good Times,” “My Wife and Kids,” “The Sopranos,” and “Sesame Street.”

In 2020, he also won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana.”