William Henry “Bill” Cosby, Jr. was born on July 12, 1937, and grew up to become one of America’s top comedians. He is also well known as an actor, author, television producer and television star. He is an accomplished musician as well as a highly respected social activist.
Bill Cosby left high school early in 1956 to join the U.S. Navy. Because he didn’t get his high school diploma he passed a high school equivalency exam while he was still enlisted in the Navy. In 1961, after leaving the Navy, he received an athletic scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia.
During his sophomore year in college he left Temple University to become an entertainer at the popular Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, in New York city. Cosby met his wife Camille Hanks during a stand-up comedy performance in Washington DC. The couple married on January 25, 1964, and went on to raise five children.
In the 1960s, a time when many comics were using their spotlight to highlight many controversial issues of the time in their material, Cosby built a reputation for bring forth laughter using events from his childhood rather than the issues and events of the time.
Many Americans both black and white publicly questioned the absence of topics about race and equality in Cosby’s story lines. 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.”
Bill Cosby became the first black actor to garner a starring role on a television network. He played a secret agent on the series I Spy from 1965 to 1968. His role won him three Emmy Awards.
However, he is best known for his role as Dr. Huxtable on the hugely popular television sitcom The Cosby Show, which dominated the ratings from 1984 to 1992. The Cosby Show is considered one of the 1980s most influential television shows.
Before The Cosby Show he was one of the major characters on the children’s television show, The Electric Company during its first two seasons. He also created the funny and educational children cartoon series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. He hosted the show and voiced the characters in the cartoon as well.
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