Bill Cobbs, a seasoned character actor with nearly 200 film and television credits, has died at age 90.
Cobbs' death was confirmed by his brother, Thomas G. Cobbs, who wrote in Facebook: “We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs. On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. Bill, a beloved partner, older brother, uncle, surrogate father, godfather and friend, recently happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by his beloved loved ones.”
“As a family, we take comfort in knowing that Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for his prayers and encouragement during this time,” the post continued.
TMZ reported the cause of death as pneumonia.
Cobbs' publicist did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times' request for comment.
Bill Cobbs was born June 16, 1934 and grew up in Cleveland. He served in the Air Force for eight years and worked at IBM and as a car salesman before moving to New York at age 36 to pursue acting, according to IMDb. She acted in several small roles on television and theater before making her film debut in the 1974 crime thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.”
Cobbs is known for films such as 1997's “Air Bud” and 1993's “Demolition Man” and starred alongside Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in 1992's “The Bodyguard.” He also played Reginald in the films “Night at the Museum,” forming a trio of antagonistic security guards alongside Mickey Rooney, who died in 2014, and Dick Van Dyke. In “New Jack City” (1991), he played the key role of the Old Man.
In 2020, the experienced actor won a Daytime Emmy Award for his outstanding limited performance on a daytime show for his portrayal of Mr. Hendrickson in the series “Dino Dana.”
Several of Cobbs' teammates offered their condolences.
“Bill Cobbs, Emmy winner, working actor and wonderful human being, transitioned to performing on a higher stage on June 25 after celebrating his 90th birthday on June 16 RIP,” wrote series regular Sheryl Lee Ralph “Abbott Elementary”, on X (formerly Twitter).
Tony Award-winning producer Wendell Pierce called Cobbs “a father figure, a griot, an iconic artist, who guided me in the way he led his life as an actor. He played my father twice: in 'I'll Fly Away' and 'The Gregory Hines Show.' Each time imparting wisdom with a word of encouragement.”
“Nothing counts as much as family. RIP Bill Cobbs,” Pierce wrote in a subsequent X post, attaching a photo of the cast of “The Gregory Hines Show.”
