Bill Cobbs, the veteran character actor known for his sage screen presence as an older man, has passed away at the age of 90. He died on Tuesday at his home in the Inland Empire, California, and was surrounded by family and friends, as confirmed by his publicist Chuck I. Jones said. As per a report in news agency PTI, his death was caused due to natural causes.
Work wise, Cobbs was part of films such as 'The Hudsucker Proxy,' 'The Bodyguard' and 'Night at the Museum.' However, his major big-screen appearance was a fleeting role in 1974's 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.' With around 200 film and TV credits, mostly in his 50s, 60s, and 70s, he also featured in television shows including 'The Sopranos,' 'The West Wing,' 'Sesame Street' and 'Good Times.'
Some of his memorable performances were Whitney Houston's manager in 'The Bodyguard' (1992), the mystical clock man of the Coen brothers' 'The Hudsucker Proxy' (1994) and the doctor of John Sayles' 'Sunshine State' (2002). He also played the coach in 'Air Bud' (1997), the security guard in 'Night at the Museum' (2006) and the father on 'The Gregory Hines Show.'
Known to leave a lasting impression on audiences, Cobbs won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series 'Dino Dana' in 2020.
Post his demise, Wendell Pierce, who worked with Cobbs in 'I'll Fly Away' and 'The Gregory Hines Show,' called the veteran actor 'a father figure, a griot, an iconic artist that me by the way he led his life as an actor,' on social media platform X.
Born as Wilbert Francisco Cobbs on June 16, 1934, Cobbs also served eight years in the U.S. Air Force after graduating high school in Cleveland. He first appeared on stage in 1969 in Cleveland theater before moving to New York and joining the Negro Ensemble Company, acting alongside Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
