Cast & creator
Bill Cosby
Best known for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American actor, comedian, 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 Many of his awards have been rescinded due to numerous sexual assault allegations, including the 1998 Kennedy Center Honor, the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and all but 10 of 72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 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.
Also known as: The Cos, William Henry Cosby, William Henry Cosby, Jr., William H. Cosby Jr., William H. Cosby
118
film credits
70
television credits
143
1947–2022 · acting roles
6.6
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (188)
Showing 188 of 188 credits
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self - Guest Host
1962
The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host
1961The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
Late Night with David Letterman
Self
1982
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Great Performances
Self
1971
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Touched by an Angel
Phil
1994
Meet the Press
1947
The Cosby Show
Heathcliff Huxtable
1984The Cosby Show
Writer
1984The Cosby Show
Creator
1984Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
A Different World
Heathcliff Huxtable
1987A Different World
Writer
1987A Different World
Creator
1987
Dinah!
Self
1974
The Bob Hope Show
Self
1950
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Becker
Hilton Lucas (uncredited)
1998
The Electric Company
The Milk Man
1971
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited)
1968
Reading Rainbow
Self - Narrator (voice)
1983
The Jay Leno Show
Self - Guest
2009
Basketball: A Love Story
Self (archive footage)
2018
The Flip Wilson Show
Self
1970
The Dean Martin Show
1965
I Spy
Alexander Scott
1965
Zone interdite
Self
1993
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
1978
The Midnight Special
Self
1972
Entertainment Tonight
Self
1981
Cosby
Hilton Lucas
1996Cosby
Producer
1996Cosby
Creator
1996
The Bill Cosby Show
Chet Kincaid
1969The Bill Cosby Show
Director
1969The Bill Cosby Show
Executive Producer
1969The Bill Cosby Show
Creator
1969
The Hollywood Palace
Self - Comedian
1964
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert Robertson
1972Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Mushmouth
1972Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Bill Cosby
1972Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Executive Producer
1972Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Creator
1972
Men of Honor
Executive Producer
2000
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self
1996
The David Susskind Show
Self
1959
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Cher
Self
1975
Little Bill
Executive Producer
1999Little Bill
Creator
1999The Don Knotts Show
Self
1970
Malcolm X
Self (uncredited)
1992Malcolm X
Thanks
1992
The Emmy Awards
Self
1949
Ruby Wax Meets
1996
Jack
Lawrence Woodruff
1996
When Ruby Wax Met...
Self (archive footage)
2021
The Cosby Mysteries
Guy Hanks
1994
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
1969
Fat Albert
Self
2004Fat Albert
Executive Producer
2004Fat Albert
Writer
2004
Here and Now
Producer
1992
Fatherhood
Producer
2004Fatherhood
Creator
2004
Kids Say the Darndest Things
Host
1998
California Suite
Dr. Willis Panama
1978
The Meteor Man
Marvin
1993
Doug Henning's World of Magic
Self
1975
Ghost Dad
Elliot Hopper
1990
Of Black America
1968
We Need to Talk About Cosby
Self (archive footage)
2022Motown Returns to the Apollo
1985
Cola Wars
Self (archive footage)
2019
The Earth Day Special
Cliff Huxtable
1990
Sesame Street: 20 Years & Still Counting! 1969-1989
Self – Host
1989
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Self (archive footage)
1970
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Self
2002
Mother, Jugs & Speed
Mother
1976Cos
1976
The Jackson 5: Goin' Back to Indiana
Scoop Newsworthy
1971
A Piece of the Action
Dave Anderson
1977
The Devil and Max Devlin
Barney Satin
1981
Lightning in a Bottle
Self
2004
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Self
2009
Lipstick & Dynamite
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2005
The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
1985
Playboy: Playmate Pajama Party
1999
4 Little Girls
Self - Educator
1997
The One, the Only... Groucho
Self
1991
Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party
Self (uncredited)
1979An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
1986
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Self
2008
Let's Do It Again
Billy Foster
1975
I Am Richard Pryor
Self - Actor and Comedian (archive footage)
2019Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
Self (archive footage)
2007
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
Self
2012Cigars!: The New Rage!
Thanks
1996The New Bill Cosby Show
Self - Host
1972
Nelson Mandela Redrawn
Self
2014
Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years
Self
1990
The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World
Self
2005
Bill Cosby: Walking Free
Self (archive footage)
2022
The Fat Albert Christmas Special
Fat Albert / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
1977The Fat Albert Christmas Special
Characters
1977The Fat Albert Christmas Special
Executive Producer
1977
Keep on Keepin' On
Self
2014
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
2004
Uptown Saturday Night
Wardell Franklin
1974
Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration!
1990
Jack Paar: Smart Television
Self
2003
The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Self / Dr. Cliff Huxtable (archive footage)
2002The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Writer
2002
The Pact
Self
2006
In Remembrance of Martin
Self
1986
Playboy's Playmate Party
1977
Leonard Part 6
Leonard
1987Leonard Part 6
Story
1987Leonard Part 6
Producer
1987
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
Self
1986
Superstars and their Moms
Self
1987
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
Self
2013
Goose
2012
Hickey & Boggs
Al Hickey
1972
Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven
Self
2007
I Spy Returns
Alexander Scott
1994I Spy Returns
Executive Producer
1994
B.B. King: The Life of Riley
Self
2012
Baadasssss!
Bill Cosby
2004Murder at N.B.C.
1966
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
Self
1986
The Fat Albert Halloween Special
Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
1977
Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration
Self
1990Jack Paar: 'As I Was Saying...'
Self
1997
The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits
Self
2006
Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
Self
2008
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Self (Twins) (archive footage) (uncredited)
1979
Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class
Self (archive footage)
2005
Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon
Self (archive footage)
2017
The Shame of a City
Self
2006
The Fat Albert Easter Special
Fat Albert Robertson / Bill / Mushmouth / Mudfoot Brown (voice)
1982The Fat Albert Easter Special
Executive Producer
1982The Fat Albert Easter Special
Characters
1982
The Picasso Summer
Executive Producer
1969
The Weird Harold Special
1973The Weird Harold Special
Original Story
1973The Weird Harold Special
Music
1973
Man and Boy
Caleb Revers
1971
Bill Cosby: Far From Finished
Self
2013Bill Cosby: Far From Finished
Executive Producer
2013Bill Cosby: Far From Finished
Writer
2013
Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert
Writer
1969
Aesop's Fables
Aesop
1971
To All My Friends on Shore
Blue
1972To All My Friends on Shore
Idea
1972To All My Friends on Shore
Music
1972To All My Friends on Shore
Executive Producer
1972
Diana!
Self
1971
Comedian
Self
2002
Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed
Self - Host / Narrator
1968
After Newtown: Guns in America
Self
2013
The Case Against Cosby
Self (archive footage)
2022Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis
Self
1986
Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life
Self
2006
Bill Cosby: An American Scandal
Self (archive footage)
2017
Bill Cosby: Himself
Self
1983Bill Cosby: Himself
Director
1983Bill Cosby: Himself
Writer
1983Bill Cosby: Himself
Executive Producer
1983
Playmate Pajama Party
self
1999
Top Secret
Aaron Strickland
1978Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
Producer
2001
The Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney
Narrator
1994Bicycles are Beautiful
Self - Host
1974
Bill Cosby on Prejudice
1971Bill Cosby on Prejudice
Director
1971
The Chocolate Princess
Narrator
1974
Creole Giselle
Self - Host
1987
Bill Cosby: 49
Self
1987Bill Cosby: 49
Writer
1987Bill Cosby: 49
Producer
1987