Renowned film and TV actor Bill Cobbs, known for his roles in films such as ‘Night At The Museum’, ‘Brother From Another Planet’, ‘Oz The Great And Powerful’, and TV shows like ‘The Sopranos’, passed away at the age of 90, surrounded by his family.
The actor passed away on June 25 due to natural causes at his home in the Inland Empire, California. His family confirmed his death on social media platforms, including Facebook and Deadline.com.
“We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs,” wrote his brother, Thomas G. Cobbs.
He added: “On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather, and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones.”
“As a family, we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”
Bill Cobbs was born in 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio. He kick-started his acting career with stage companies and made his feature film debut in 1974 with a small part in ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’.
On his way to becoming an instantly recognisable character actor, Cobbs had roles throughout the 1980s in various films. In 1987, he became a series regular on ‘The Slap Maxwell Story’, a short-lived but well-regarded sitcom starring Dabney Coleman, who passed away in May.
The 1990s saw Cobbs maintain a busy schedule with one-off TV appearances and film roles. In 1992, he was featured in the hit Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner film ‘The Bodyguard’, and in 1996, he played Medgar Evers’ older brother, Charles Evers, in Rob Reiner’s ‘Ghosts of Mississippi’.
Other TV credits include ‘The Sopranos’, ‘JAG’, ‘The Drew Carey Show’, ‘One Tree Hill’, ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’, ‘Yes, Dear’, ‘Go On’, ‘The West Wing’, ‘NYPD Blue’, ‘Lost’, ‘Army Wives’, ‘The Glades’, ‘The Bay’, and many others.
In 2020, he guest-starred in the two-part series finale of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’. That same year, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for his role on the kids’ show ‘Dino Dana’.