Bill Cobbs
Biography
Bill Cobbs was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where his parents were hard-working people, who instilled in him a sense of self-reliance and humility. As an amateur actor in the city's Karamu House Theater, he starred in the Ossie Davis play "Purlie Victorious". Cobbs was an Air Force radar technician for eight years; he also worked in office products at IBM and sold cars in Cleveland. In 1970, at the age of 36, he left for New York to seek work as an actor. There he turned down a job in the NBC sales department in order to have time for auditions. He supported himself by driving a cab, repairing office equipment, selling toys, and performing odd jobs. His first professional acting role was in "Ride a Black Horse" at the Negro Ensemble Company. From there he appeared in small theater productions, street theater, regional theater and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. His first television credit was in "Vegetable Soup" (1976), a New York public television educational series, and he made his feature film debut in Togkapring (1974) in 1974. In his free time Cobbs enjoys music, reading, and playing his drums.
The Bodyguard
Devaney
The Derby Stallion
Houston Jones
Air Bud
Arthur Chaney
Always Outnumbered
Right Burke
The Morgue
George
Beyond The Law
Swilley
The Ultimate Life
Mr. Theophilus Hamilton
Nightjohn
Old Man
The Final Patient
Dr. Daniel Green
New Life
Mr. Charles
Block Party
Uncle Jim
Saving Paradise
John Thompson
Dino Dana: The Movie
Mr. Hendersen
Beyond The Law
Swilley
Fred
Call Me King
Malachi
New Life
Mr. Charles
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Mr. Randolph
The Gift of a Legacy
Mr. Theodore Hamilton
A House Is Not a Home
Paul
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Reginald
Gabriel
Of Mind and Music
Stompleg
On Angel's Wings
Mr. Dupac
The Last Letter
Pastor
Dear Secret Santa
Ted
The Ultimate Life
Mr. Theophilus Hamilton
Oz the Great and Powerful
Master Tinker
The Undershepherd
Dr. Ezekiel Cannon
The Muppets
Grandfather
The Tenant
Jack Rymer
The Search for Santa Paws
Mr. Stewart
Get Low
Rev. Charlie Jackson
The Morgue
George
Three Days to Vegas
Marvin Jeffries
The Ultimate Gift
Ted Hamilton
Hard Luck
Cobb
Night at the Museum
Reginald
Lou
Thrill
Norm Duprey
The Final Patient
Dr. Daniel Green
The Derby Stallion
Houston Jones
Duck
Norman
Lost
Jeremy's Boss
A Mighty Wind
Blues Musician
Enough
Jim Toller
Sunshine State
Dr. Lloyd
For All Time
Proprietor / Conductor
Random Hearts
Marvin
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Estes
Hope Floats
Nurse
Paulie
Virgil the Janitor
Always Outnumbered
Right Burke
Air Bud
Arthur Chaney
Ghosts Of Mississippi
Charlie Evers
That Thing You Do!
Del Paxton
First Kid
Speet
Nightjohn
Old Man
Ed
Tipton
Out There
Lyman Weeks
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Malt
Fluke
Bert
Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long
Pullman Porter
Caleb
Jeff
The Drew Carey: TV Favorites
Tony (9 episodes, 2002-2004)
The Hudsucker Proxy
Moses
Demolition Man
Zachary Lamb - Aged
Fatal Instinct
Man in park (uncredited)
The Bodyguard
Devaney
Exiled in America
Abraham White
Roadside Prophets
Oscar
The People Under the Stairs
Grandpa Booker
Carolina Skeletons
Elijah Crooks
New Jack City
Old Man
The Hard Way
Raggedy Man
The January Man
Detective Reilly
Bird
Dr. Caulfield
Dominick and Eugene
Jesse Johnson
Suspect
Judge Franklin
Five Corners
Man in Coffee Shop
The Color of Money
Orvis
Compromising Positions
Sgt. Williams
The Cotton Club
Big Joe Ison
The Brother From Another Planet
Walter
Kate & Allie - Season One
Sam Butcher (2 episodes, 1986)
Silkwood
Man in Lunchroom
Trading Places
Bartender
Rage of Angels
Abraham Wilson
The Hitter
Louisiana Slim
A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
Bartender
The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three
Man on Platform
