William "Bill" Cosby, Jr. Ed.D was born in 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a working-class family, and even as a child he showed signs of his talent for humor, becoming the class clown to garner the attention of his teachers and peers. Nevertheless, he was also an active student and athlete, serving as the captain of the track and field team and the baseball team. To help his family financially, he also took various jobs before and after school, which eventually took its toll on his academic studies. Bill left school before graduation, opting instead to serve in the Navy, as had his father.

Bill Cosby’s experiences in the Navy brought him back to a desire for an education, and so he completed his high school courses and earned an athletic scholarship to Temple University. Cosby ultimately majored in physical education and received his undergraduate diploma, but in between he left periodically to hone his comedic skills and pursue a potential career as an entertainer. In 1963, Bill got his big break after an appearance doing stand up on the Tonight Show, which led to a recording contract, and his debut comedy album, Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow… Right! was released the year after. Cosby’s reputation as a comedian grew, and eventually led to an acting role in 1965’s I Spy television series. The show would led to three Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and solidified Bill Cosby’s career path. For the remainder of the decade and into the 1970’s, Cosby served as a regular on The Tonight Show and launched the first Bill Cosby Show, which ran for two seasons early in the decade.

Following the show’s cancellation, Bill Cosby began his graduate work at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His studies here led to his work with The Electric Company, and then the series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, which successfully ran all the way into the early 1980’s. The show was an opportunity to bring Bill Cosby back into the field he loved most – education – while still offering an outlet for his comedic talents. But Cosby’s greatest contribution to television comedy was still yet to launch, in 1984, with The Cosby Show.

The Cosby Show would eventually become the highest-ranking television sitcom of all time. Cosby approached the show in the same manner he did his popular educational programs geared toward young children; he used the show as a vehicle to explore family and social issues in a way that was family-oriented, learning and lesson based, and generally positive. In its portrayal of financially successful, well-educated African American family life, the Cosby Show and Bill Cosby paved the way for similar shows and movies which sought to provide positive role models for African American children. The show ran until 1992, at which time Bill Cosby shifted gears back to film. Between 1992 and 2000, Bill Cosby worked on a number of different projects, including You Bet Your Life (1992), The Meteor Man (1993), I Spy Returns (1994), The Cosby Mysteries (1994), Jack (1996), Little Bill (1999), and 4 Little Girls, the documentary about the 1963 Alabama church bombing (1997.)

In the new millennium, Bill Cosby continues his contribution to entertainment with absolutely no signs of slowing down. He has become a frequent commencement speaker at colleges and universities, published books, and started a national conversation about the controversial subjects of education and culture reform, particularly as they pertain to the African American community. Cosby has become known for his unrestrained criticism of the manner in which our society often parents (or doesn’t), calling for parents (particularly African American parents) to place a greater emphasize on education, self-respect, and manners in the home.

In addition to his work in education, Bill Cosby actively supports a number of charities and organizations, including the Jazz Foundation of America.

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