Accounts of his school years portray a joker and a storyteller who loved to entertain classmates. After school he joined the US Navy, then went to university and worked part-time as a bartender.
Filling in for a club comedian, he laid the path for his future fame. His debut on NBC's Tonight Show in led to a recording contract with Warner Brothers, and the release of a series of award-winning comedy albums. On one of those, 's To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With, he established the themes that would define his work - the father as a loving disciplinarian; siblings who could plot together one minute, then scream blue murder the next; and a confidence in the bonds of family.
The album sleeve noted: "During his time on stage, Cosby never once told a joke. He didn't sing or dance or do tricks. All he did was talk" - but the performer had the 10,strong audience in the palm of his hand throughout.
By the time the album was released, Mr Cosby was already a TV star. In , he had become the first black actor to star in a drama series, when he was cast in the espionage show I Spy. He played Alexander Scott, an undercover agent posing as a tennis instructor, alongside Robert Culp, who played fellow agent Kelly Robinson. Premiering during a time of great upheaval for race relations in the US, it was banned by some stations in the southern states.
But Cosby went on to earn three consecutive best actor Emmys for his role - a record that still stands. Despite his prominence on TV, Mr Cosby made a conscious decision not to directly address race relations in his act - preferring a more subtle challenge to the status quo.
He's white. I'm Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that we are alike. The Cosby Show, which was launched by NBC in and aired for eight seasons, was his biggest success and established him as a household name. Based on his stand-up routines, Mr Cosby's portrayal of an educated, affluent doctor - Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable - and the trials of raising five young children drew parallels with his own life. His TV wife, Claire, was loosely based on his own wife Camille, whom he married in The sitcom was watched by about 30 million viewers each week.
When the show was cancelled in , Mr Cosby embarked on a number of projects including film roles, but was never able to emulate the success of his star vehicle. In , he received rave reviews for his first TV stand-up show in 30 years, which led to a national tour. But his comeback fell apart as several women came forward with allegations of sexual assault going back almost 30 years. The accusations first surfaced in , when Andrea Constand, a staff member at Cosby's former university, said she had been drugged and molested by the star at his home a year earlier.
Prosecutors declined to press charges, citing lack of evidence, but Ms Constand filed a civil case against the comedian. Thirteen women, 12 of whom remained anonymous, agreed to be witnesses, each with a similar account of sexual assault.
Mr Cosby denied the accusations, which his lawyer called "preposterous", and the case was settled out of court in for an undisclosed sum. In subsequent years, some of Ms Constand's fellow witnesses told their stories to the media.
But the accusations were not comprehensively reported until Mr Cosby's planned TV comeback thrust him back into the limelight. More than 50 women accused the star of sexual assault or rape, but due to time limits on cases, only one - Andrea Constand - took the case to criminal court.
Mr Cosby's lawyers consistently denied the charges, asking why the women had not made legal complaints at the time when they said they were assaulted. In Mr Cosby said he had not addressed the allegations in public because "a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos". I can only imagine what all his survivors must be feeling. This convicted rapist is free today because he is a man of privilege. Take care of yourself.
Phylicia Rashad clarifies comments in defense of Bill Cosby. Phylicia Rashad made headlines when she defended her embattled TV husband Bill Cosby and appeared to be dismissive of his accusers in an interview with Roger Friedman of Showbiz published Tuesday. Hot Boy Summer! City boy win summer ! Roland Powell, posting a gif of a bunch of people dancing. Photographer Gordon Parks inspired a new generation of artists.
Here are some of their stories. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options. It was difficult for me to witness a man whom I had grown up admiring fall so far from grace. I felt kind of the same way when the O.
Simpson verdict went down. Cosby is home now. A part of me smiled at the sight of him in that white Central High School T-shirt at the news conference outside his home. A Black man had beaten a system that too often has left African Americans with a knee on their throats. Sisterhood is strong. I know his alleged victims are beside themselves with outrage.
I feel for them, too. Skip to content Share Icon. Facebook Logo. Link Icon. Bill Cosby was freed from prison.
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