William H. Cosby Jr. was born on July 12th, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for over thirty years, he has been one of the world's most respected and well-known entertainers and comedians. After tenth grade, Cosby joined the Navy and completed high school through a correspondence course. He later took up an athletics scholarship at Temple University, supporting himself during his studies by tending bar, where his easy-going style and witty joking with the clientèle prompted suggestions that he try stand-up comedy. This he did and was soon to be discovered by the legendary Carl Reiner.

In his early twenties he appeared on many well-known variety programs including "The Ed Sullivan Show" . His big break came in 1965 when he appeared as Alexander Scott in I Spy, winning numerous Emmys for his performance. He later appeared in The Bill Cosby Show, playing a teacher, although originally the show only lasted for two years. He then created a Filmation cartoon based on many of his high school buddies including Weird Harold, Dumb Donald, Mushmouth, and others: the show was, of course, The New Fat Albert Show. The theme was humorous but also focused on Cosby's more educational side.

He studied for many years during his career in the 1960s and 1970s, and he received a doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Cosby also starred in some highly successful movies such as Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, A Piece of the Action, Mother, Jugs & Speed, and California Suite. During his early years he also made some comedy albums that sold very well; his most notable comedy song being "Little Old Man." He was one of the original cast members of The Electric Company, and he was featured in the series Pinwheel during the late 1970s and then appeared in the mediocre The Devil and Max Devlin.

In 1984, 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' stopped production, and The Cosby Show commenced. The show was originally intended to follow a blue-collar family, but finally ended up portraying a white-collar family. It was originally rejected by ABC, accepted by a then-floundering NBC, and was an almost instant success. From 1985 to 1987 the show broke viewing records, with Cosby becoming perhaps the strongest driving force in television during the eighties. Despite this great success, he arguably created his own downfall. The Cosby Show led what was considered by many at that time to be the best night of television: the line-up included Night Court, Hill Street Blues, and Family Ties, which all followed The Cosby Show.

Cosby was dissatisfied with the way minorities were portrayed on television. He produced the TV series A Different World and insisted that this program should follow the Cosby Show, rather than Family Ties. A Different World was set in an historically Black college and concentrated on young people and education. Impact was felt on the show immediately; at its peak, the Cosby Show logged an estimated 70 million viewers. However, after the scheduling reshuffle, the show lost roughly 20% of its massive audience. However, Cosby was still riding high in the early nineties until massive competition from The Simpsons.

The Cosby Show finally ended in 1992, conceding to The Simpsons, with the final production considered to be one of the highest-rated shows of the season and featured a pleading Cosby asking for peace in riot-torn Los Angeles during the height of the Rodney King riots. Cosby never seemed able to top the success of the Cosby Show; his film Leonard Part 6 was considered to be one of the worst American films in history and may have contributed in part to his downfall as a film actor, along with his performance in Ghost Dad. He did attempt a minor comeback in 1996 starring in the Robin Williams film Jack, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola; and in another show, Cosby, (starring Phylicia Rashad, who appeared as his wife in the previous Cosby Show). Since then he has produced films such as Men of Honor, and shows including Little Bill.

Sadly, his son Ennis was murdered in 1997. Throughout the years, Bill Cosby has taken a socially conscious tone, often associated with family values, coupled with a distinctly urban spin on his style. He will go down in entertainment history as one of the most successful and most respected entertainers in the world.
National Enquirer offers $100,000 reward for the capture of the killer of Bill's son, Ennis. [January 1997] Bill's son, Ennis Cosby (27), was shot dead while fixing a flat tire off the San Diego Freeway. [16 January 1997] He and Camille have five children: Erika, Erinn, Ensa, Evin, and Ennis (deceased) In 1976, he earned a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His dissertation was titled "An Integration of the Visual Media Via The New Fat Albert Show into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning." His wife, Camille O. Cosby, is a direct descendant of Nancy Hanks, Abraham Lincoln's mother. At one time expressed a very public interest in purchasing the National Broadcasting Company. Sang on a number of albums in the 70s. In addition to numerous best-selling comedy albums over the years, for which he won several Grammy awards, Cosby had a top-40 hit as a singer in 1969 with "Little Old Man." Insisted that The Cosby Show be filmed in New York; he disliked working in Hollywood. Grand marshal, Tournament of Roses parade [2003] Many elements of The Cosby Show were references to his own family. Phylicia Rashad's (Clair Huxtable's) maiden name was Hanks, like his wife Camille's maiden name. Also, like he has in real life, the Huxtables had four daughters and one son. Was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Son Ennis is buried on Cosby family estate in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. First Black performer to win an Emmy, for I Spy. Biography in "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pp. 120-122. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 Cliff Huxtable, Cosby's character on The Cosby Show, was ranked #1 by TV Guide in its list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time [20 June 2004 issue]. The oldest of 4 children. Inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 1994. Broke Radio City's 53-year-old attendance record for his concert appearance. (1986) Was an Honoree at the Kennedy Center Awards, and attended the ceremony with Bill Clinton, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Is also a best-selling author. As a child, he listened to great comedians such as: Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jimmy Durante and Fred Allen. Fat Albert, Old Weird Harold, and Dumb Donald were based on his series of comedy routines about his school pals, and he tested them on his most appreciative audience: his mother. Was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) for his commitment to advancing higher education and for his longtime love and promotion of jazz. [May 2004] Was once part-owner of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Has been imitated by various comedians, such as Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Dave Coulier, Eddie Griffin, and Kenan Thompson. The character Dr. Hibbert from The Simpsons is based on him. Within 15 seconds after watching Kenan Thompson's Fat Albert audition tape, he said to director Joel Zwick, "Hire him!" When _"Simpsons, The" (1989) started competing with The Cosby Show in 1989, the already declining audience of the Cosby Show decreased even more. Because of this, both shows had a playful attitude toward each other. The Cosby Show made small references to the "the Simpsons, including one episode where Bill wore a Bart Simpson mask, and the Simpsons made small references to the Cosby Show, including the character of Dr. Hibbert, a direct reference to Cosby. Decided to become a stand-up comedian when he was a bartender. Many of the bars customers would comment on how funny he was and tell him to try his act on stage for an audience. He is one of the most successful stand up acts in history, releasing numerous hit records of his shows and still selling out venues to this date. When The Cosby Show was ruling the NBC line-up in the mid-1980s, he insisted that his newly produced show, A Different World, a spin-off of the Cosby Show, follow after his show instead of the hit Family Ties. He wanted this done because he felt there was a lack of shows on TV that promoted African Americans in a positive light. NBC made the move, which led to two things happening: The Cosby Show audience was cut by 20% and never fully recovered, and Family Ties struggled to get the high numbers it once received and was canceled by 1989. Dyslexia ran in the Cosby family. Bill didn't inherit it, but brother Russell did (not finding out until he was an adult). Bill's son Ennis was dyslexic, but overcame it well enough to graduate from college. Brother of Russell Cosby. Wife Camille (nee Hanks) is related to Tom Hanks, and both share lineage with Abraham Lincoln through his mother Nancy Hanks. Like Bob Newhart, has the ability to be funny without resorting to profanity. Recently became a vegetarian. All his children name's start with the letter E for excellence Outstanding athlete at Temple University, in football and track and field. When "The Cosby Show" (1984) was ruling the NBC line-up in the mid-1980s, he insisted that NBC purchase and use Ikegami studio cameras for the production of his show. At the time, NBC was owned by RCA, whose studio cameras they used exclusively. But Cosby felt that Ikegami's product produced a better picture. NBC conceded. Won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album six years in a row, 1965 to 1970. Upon receiving his Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 2003 Emmys, Cosby paid tribute to two people: children's show host Fred Rogers (who died earlier that year) and, poignantly, his late son Ennis.