Bill Cosby is an African-American multi-talent and one of the greatest entertainers in the world. The star is not only an actor but also a stand-up comedian, a musician, and a producer. He is best known for television shows like I Spy, Fat Albert, and The Cosby Kids. In a rather unfortunate turn of events, however, Cosby’s legendary status was tarnished towards the end of his career by numerous accusations of sexual misconduct. The story is not too good, is it?
Bill Cosby Bio
The great high-flyer William Henry Cosby Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1937, as one of the four sons of Anna Pearl, a maid, and William Henry Cosby Sr., a knife-servant in the U.S. Navy. In his early years, Cosby attended Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia and was class president and captain of the baseball, track, and field team.
You would think that such responsibilities were only given to serious students, but this was not the case with Cosby, he was known as a dubious student who spent his time clowning rather than learning. He also attended FitzSimons Junior High School, where he was known as the class clown who was fun wherever he went. Soon the young talents began to take part in school performances.
Bill also attended Central High School in Philadelphia, a college preparatory school where he played soccer and basketball and participated in other athletic events. He later transferred to Germantown High School, but unfortunately, he failed in the tenth grade, and instead of repeating, Cosby dropped out of high school altogether and was enlisted in the U.S. Navy instead. During his four years of service in the U.S. Navy, Cosby earned an equivalent of his high school diploma with correspondence courses. Because he was a well-built athlete, Bill was awarded an athletics scholarship to study at Temple University in 1961.
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At university, Cosby continued to use his clowning skills to make people laugh. When he started working as a bartender in a club in Philadelphia, he showed off his talent and made people laugh. His potential earned him extra tips during his time at the club, which prompted Cosby to leave college to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian.
Bill Cosby’s Professional Career
Bill Cosby’s career in stand-up comedy began when he started getting jobs in clubs in Philadelphia. As he gained popularity, he was invited to The Gaslight Cafe in New York City in 1961. However, he also expanded to other parts of America, including Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
Cosby became famous after appearing on the 1963 NBC Tonight Show, which earned him a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. The young man released his first debut album in 1964, entitled Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow…Right!, and in the same year, a second album followed, To Russel, My Brother, Whom I Slept With.
To further prove his applause, Bill Cosby won Grammy awards for the best comedy albums of the year from 1964 to 1969 and made over a million dollars in sales each year. Moreso, his second album “To Russel, My Brother, Whom I Slept With”, which was described as a “stand-up comedy masterpiece”, became number one on Spin Magazine’s list of “40 greatest comedy albums of all time”.
Television Career
The entertainer made his first television debut in 1965 when he starred in the adventure series I Spy Espionage on NBC. He also began other projects such as the 1984 Bill Cosby Show and Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids. When the Cosby Show ended in 1992 after eight years on NBC, Cosby didn’t seem to have reached the limit of his talent with the show. His 1987 film Leonard Part 6, produced in 1987, was considered one of the worst American films in history, and that may have contributed to his decline as an actor.
However, the star was planning a comeback in 1996, when he starred in Robbin Williams’ film Jack and in several films, including Little Bill 1999 and Men of Honor 2000. He is also a writer and has written several bestsellers. Cosby was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1994.
Wife, Son, and Children
The Cosby Show star is a Protestant. He has a wife with whom he had four children – Ennis, Erika, Erinn, Ensa, and Evin The couple also have three grandchildren. Cosby met his wife Camille Olivia Hanks during his comedy career, and the couple married on January 25, 1964. Their only son Ennis was murdered in 1997 while changing a flat tire on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles.
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Is Bill Cosby Dead?
Bill Cosby was involved in so many celebrity deaths In 2012, rumors began to spread that the joker had died when a “R.I.P. Bill Cosby” Facebook page appeared and sent Twitter users into a frenzy.
The fans were worried that the former “Cosby Show” star had died, but they were quickly comforted when tweets appeared stating that the reports of Cosby’s death were just a joke. The Cosby Show star also tweeted to confirm that it was just a rumor, and he’s still very much alive today.
House
With the wealth he made in the entertainment industry, Cosby lived the good. It seemed that at some point he had a desire to acquire the property. He currently owns villas in various locations, including Shelburne, Massachusetts, and Cheltenham Pennsylvania.
He currently resides in Shelburne, Massachusetts.
Bill Cosby Net Worth
As a comedian, actor, musician, and author, the African-American multi-talent Bill Cosby has an estimated net worth of $400 million. He earned his net worth with his comedy albums, music, films, and shows.
Quick Facts about Bill Cosby: Height/Wiki
Birth name: William Henry Cosby Jr.
Date of birth: July 12, 1937
Birth City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Birth sign: Cancer
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: African-American
Profession: Actor, comedian, musician
Education: Temple University
Height: 6′ 1″ (185 cm)
Married: Yes
Spouse: Camille O. Cosby
Children: 4 (Ennis, Erika, Erinn, Ensa, and Evin)
Net Worth: $400 million
