- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilbert Francisco Cobbs
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- 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 (1975), a New York public television educational series, and he made his feature film debut in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). In his free time, Cobbs enjoys music, reading, and playing his drums. He lives in New York City and Los Angeles, California and continues acting.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- ParentsVera FosterDavid Cleveland Cobbs
- RelativesJames Baskett(Cousin)Thomas Gregory Cobbs(Sibling)
- Often plays characters older than he is in real life
- Deep resonant voice
- For the aged, post-Apocalyptic look of Steel in 1999's "Superman versus The Terminator" comics, Cobbs' likeness was used.
- He was awarded the 1988 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Driving Miss Daisy" in Chicago, Illinois.
- Often confused with actor Bill Cosby.
- In 2020, Bill won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for playing Mr. Hendrickson in Dino Flyer/Dino Prints (2019).
- Lives in New York City and Los Angeles, California.
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