Veteran character actor Bill Cobbs died at the age of 90. Cobbs died on Tuesday, June 25, at his home in Inland Empire, California, surrounded by family and friends, his publicist Chuck I. Jones said. Natural causes are suspected to be the reason for his death.
Born in Cleveland, Cobbs appeared in films like 'The Hudsucker Proxy,' 'The Bodyguard,' and 'Night at the Museum.' He made his first big-screen appearance in 1974's 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.' Cobbs had around 200 film and TV credits, mostly garnered in his 50s, 60s, and 70s.
He featured in TV shows such as 'The Sopranos,' 'The West Wing,' 'Sesame Street,' and 'Good Times.' Cobbs played Whitney Houston's manager in 'The Bodyguard' (1992), the mystical clock man in 'The Hudsucker Proxy' (1994), and the doctor in 'Sunshine State' (2002). He was also seen as the coach in 'Air Bud' (1997), the security guard in 'Night at the Museum' (2006), and the father in 'The Gregory Hines Show.'
Cobbs was known for his memorable everyman roles. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for 'Dino Dana' in 2020. Wendell Pierce, who acted with Cobbs in 'I'll Fly Away' and 'The Gregory Hines Show,' remembered him as a father figure and iconic artist.
