Crate Diggers: Happy Birthday Bill Cosby

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Happy Birthday Bill Cosby

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure” - Bill Cosby
(Bill Cosby)
Bill Cosby was born as William Cosby Jr. on July 12th, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Cosby was a class clown as a kid. Cosby was the captain of both the baseball team and the track and field team as well as the class president. While in high school he played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track, in addition Cosby was working before and after school, selling produce, shining shoes, and stocking shelves at a supermarket to help out his family.
(Cosby in high school)
In 1956 Cosby enlisted in the Navy. In 1961 He finished his equivalency diploma via correspondence courses and was awarded a track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's Temple University. He studied physical education. He also ran track and played on the football team. He also started to do stand up comedy the same year. In 1963 he received national exposure on NBC's “The Tonight Show”.
(Cosby in 1963)
In 1964 he gained a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. He released his 1st album, “Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!”, the same year. Also in 1964 Cosby got married to Camille Olivia Hanks. In 1965 Cosby was cast in the TV show “I Spy”. “I Spy” became the first weekly dramatic television series to feature an African American in a starring role. At the beginning of the 1965 season, 4 stations declined the show. Cosby was honored with three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the TV show.
(Cosby (Left) in “I Spy” (1965-1968))
In 1967 Cosby recorded the album “Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings”. The album went gold. In 1968 Cosby left Warner Bros to start his own record label. In 1969 Cosby aired “The Bill Cosby Show” which lasted for 2 seasons. In 1971 Cosby began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 1972 Cosby received an MA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Also in 1972 Cosby aired the cartoon show “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”.
(Cosby in “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” (1972-1985))
In 1974 Cosby starred in Uptown Saturday Night. In 1975 he starred in Let’s Do it Again.
(Cosby (Right) and Sidney Poitier (Left) in Let’s Do It Again (1975))
In 1976 Cosby starred in Mother, Jugs & Speed. In 1977 he starred in A Piece of the Action. In 1978 he starred in California Suite. In 1979 he aired the show “The New Fat Albert Show”. In 1983 he released the concert film Bill Cosby: Himself.
(Cosby in 1983)
In 1984 he aired “The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”. Also in 1984 he aired “The Cosby Show”. It became the highest ranking sitcom of all time.
(The cast of “The Cosby Show” (1984-1992)
In 1987 Cosby starred in Leonard Part 6. In 1990 he starred in Ghost Dad. In 1993 he starred in Meteor Man. In 1996 he starred in Jack. Also in 1996 he aired the show “Cosby”. In 1997 he starred in the documentary 4 Little Girls. In 1999 he aired the cartoon show “Little Bill”. In 2004 a movie was made based off of the cartoon character “Fat Albert” called Fat Albert.
(Cosby (Left) and Keenan Thompson (Right) in Fat Albert (2004))
In 2013 he performed the TV standup special "Bill Cosby: Far From Finished". In 2014 TV Land and NBC both ended their relationships with Cosby due to 40 year old allegations of sexual assault made against Cosby.
(Cosby in 2014)
In 2015 Cosby was charged with a felony sexual assault. In 2016 a Pennsylvania judge ruled that there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial even though many of the women that were allegedly assaulted by Cosby kept going back to him multiple times after the alleged assault.
(Cosby in 2016)
Today he turns 79 years old and we would all like to say happy birthday Bill Cosby.

Comedy Albums by Bill Cosby
  • “Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!” (1963)
  • “I Started Out as a Child” (1964)
  • “Why Is There Air?” (1965)
  • “Wonderfulness” (1966)
  • “Revenge” (1967)
  • “To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With” (1968)
  • “200 M.P.H.” (1968)
  • “8:15 12:15” (1969)
  • “It's True! It's True!” (1969)
  • “Sports” (1969)
  • “Live: Madison Square Garden Center” (1970)
  • “When I Was a Kid” (1971)
  • “For Adults Only” (1971)
  • “Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs” (1971)
  • “Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby” (1972)
  • “Fat Albert” (1973)
  • “My Father Confused Me... What Must I Do? What Must I Do?” (1977)
  • “Bill's Best Friend” (1978)
  • “Bill Cosby: Himself” (1982)
  • “Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand” (1986)
  • “Oh, Baby!” (1991)

Music Albums by Bill Cosby
  • “Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings” (1967)
  • “Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Army Band!” (1968)
  • “Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band” (1971)
  • “Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert – As master of ceremonies” (1972)
  • “Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band” (1972)
  • “At Last Bill Cosby Really Sings” (1974)
  • “Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days” (1976)
  • “Disco Bill” (1977)
  • “Where You Lay Your Head” (1990)
  • “My Appreciation” (1991)
  • “Hello Friend: To Ennis, With Love” (1997)
  • “Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby – The Original Jam Sessions 1969” (2004)
  • “Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby – The New Mixes Vol. 1” (2004)
  • “State of Emergency” (2009)
  • “Keep Standing” (2010)

Films Starring Bill Cosby
  • Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) as Patron at nightclub
  • Aesop's Fables (1971) as Aesop
  • Hickey & Boggs (1972) as Al Hickey
  • Uptown Saturday Night (1974) as Wardell Franklin
  • Let’s Do It Again (1975) as Billy Foster
  • Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) as Mother
  • A Piece of the Action (1977) as Dave Anderson
  • California Suite (1978) as Dr. Willis Panama
  • The Devil and Max Devlin (1981) as Barney Satin
  • Leonard Part 6 (1987) as Leonard Parker
  • Ghost Dad (1990) as Elliot Hopper
  • The Meteor Man (1993) as Marvin
  • Jack (1996) as Lawrence Woodruff
  • Baadasssss! (2003) as himself
  • Fat Albert (2004) as himself
  • Bill Cosby 77 (2014) as himself

TV Shows Starring Bill Cosby
  • “I Spy” (1965-1968) as Alexander Scott
  • “The Bill Cosby Show” (1969-1971) as Chet Kincaid
  • “The Electric Company” (1971-1973) as Hank
  • “The New Bill Cosby Show” (1972) as host
  • “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” (1972-1985) as "Fat" Albert Jackson
  • “Cos” (1976) as host
  • “Pinwheel” (1977-1990) as himself
  • “The Cosby Show” (1984-1992) as Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable
  • “A Different World” (1987) as Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable
  • “You Bet Your Life” (1992-1993) as host
  • “The Cosby Mysteries” (1994-1995) as Guy Hanks
  • “Cosby” (1996-2000) as Hilton Lucas
  • “Kids Say the Darndest Things” (1998-2000) as host
  • “Little Bill” (1999-2004) as Captain Brainstorm

Videos of Bill Cosby



(P.S. sorry for the late post)

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