Bill Cosby
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 Many of his awards have been rescinded due to numerous sexual assault allegations, including the 1998 Kennedy Center Honor, the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and all but 10 of 72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.
Acted in
The Case Against Cosby
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Bill Cosby: Walking Free
2022
as Self (archive footage)
We Need to Talk About Cosby
2022
as Self (archive footage)
I Am Richard Pryor
2019
as Self - Actor and Comedian (archive footage)
Basketball: A Love Story
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Bill Cosby: An American Scandal
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
2014
as Self
Keep On Keepin’ On
2014
as Self
Bill Cosby: Far From Finished
2013
as Himself
Moms Mabley
2013
as Self
After Newtown: Guns in America
2013
as Self
B.B. King: The Life of Riley
2012
as Self
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
2012
as Self
Goose
2012
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2009
as Self
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
2008
as Himself
Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
2008
as Self
Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven
2007
as Self
Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
2007
as Self (archive footage)
The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits
2006
as Self
Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life
2006
as Self
The Shame of a City
2006
as Himself
The Pact
2006
as Himself
Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class
2005
as Self (archive footage)
Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling
2005
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World
2005
as Self
Fat Albert
2004
as Self
Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004
as Al Hickey in Hickey & Boggs (archive footage)
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
2004
as Leonard Parker (archive footage)
Baadasssss!
2004
as himself
Lightning in a Bottle
2004
as Self
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Jack Paar: Smart Television
2003
as Self
Comedian
2002
as Self
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
2002
as Self / Dr. Cliff Huxtable (archive footage)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
2002
as Self
The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000
Becker
1998
as Hilton Lucas (uncredited)
Kids Say the Darndest Things
1998
as Host
4 Little Girls
1997
as Self - Educator
Cosby
1996
Jack
1996
as Lawrence Woodruff
Ruby Wax Meets
1996
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Phil
I Spy Returns
1994
as Alexander Scott
The Cosby Mysteries
1994
The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney
1994
as Narrator
The Meteor Man
1993
as Marvin
The One, the Only... Groucho
1991
as Self
Ghost Dad
1990
as Elliot Hopper
Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration!
1990
The Earth Day Special
1990
as Dr. Cliff Huxtable
Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration
1990
as Self
Sesame Street: 20 Years ... and Still Counting!
1989
as Himself - Host
Leonard Part 6
1987
as Leonard
A Different World
1987
as Heathcliff Huxtable
Bill Cosby: 49
1987
as Himself
Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis
1986
as Self
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
1986
as Self
In Remembrance of Martin
1986
as Self
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
1986
as Self
The Cosby Show
1984
as Heathcliff Huxtable
Reading Rainbow
1983
as Himself - Narrator (voice)
Bill Cosby: Himself
1983
as Himself
The Fat Albert Easter Special
1982
as Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
The Devil and Max Devlin
1981
as Barney Satin
Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party
1979
as Self (uncredited)
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
1979
as Self (Twins) (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978
as Self
California Suite
1978
as Dr. Willis Panama
Top Secret
1978
as Aaron Strickland
The Fat Albert Christmas Special
1977
as Fat Albert / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
The Fat Albert Halloween Special
1977
as Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
A Piece of the Action
1977
as Dave Anderson
Cos
1976
Mother, Jugs & Speed
1976
as Mother
Doug Henning's World of Magic
1975
as Self
Let's Do It Again
1975
as Billy Foster
Cher
1975
as Self
Uptown Saturday Night
1974
as Wardell Franklin
The Chocolate Princess
1974
as Narrator
The Weird Harold Special
1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Hickey & Boggs
1972
as Al Hickey
The New Bill Cosby Show
1972
as Self - Host
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
1972
as Bill Cosby
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
1972
as Fat Albert Robertson
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
1972
as Mushmouth
The Midnight Special
1972
as Self
The Midnight Special
1972
as Self / Host
To All My Friends on Shore
1972
as Blue
Aesop's Fables
1971
as Aesop
The Electric Company
1971
as The Milk Man
Goin' Back to Indiana
1971
as Scoop Newsworthy
Man and Boy
1971
as Caleb Revers
Diana!
1971
as Self
Great Performances
1971
as Self
Bill Cosby on Prejudice
1971
The Flip Wilson Show
1970
as Self
The Don Knotts Show
1970
as Self
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970
as Self (archive footage)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
1969
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
The Bill Cosby Show
1969
as Chet Kincaid
Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed
1968
as Self - Host / Narrator
Of Black America
1968
The Dean Martin Show
1965
I Spy
1965
as Alexander Scott
The Hollywood Palace
1964
as Self - Comedian
The Emmy Awards
1949
as Self