Last June 16 he turned 90 and nine days later he passed away peacefully at his home in Riverside, California. To announce the passing of Bill Cobbs it was the family with a post on Facebook and the news was then confirmed by his agent Chuck I. Jones to the Deadline website. «We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs – reads the note published by his brother – On Tuesday 25 June Bill died peacefully at his home in California. Beloved partner, big brother, uncle, parent, godfather and friend. Bill had recently and happily celebrated his ninetieth birthday surrounded by his loved ones. As a family we are comforted knowing that Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and closeness during this period.”
Considered one of the most important African-American actors of his generation and with a career spanning over half a century behind him, with more than 200 films and TV series, Wilbert Francisco Cobbsknown as Bill, began acting by chance: in 1969, while working as a car salesman in Cleveland, Ohio (he had previously spent 8 years in the Air Force), a customer asked him to participate in the anti-apartheid musical “Lost in the Stars” and from that moment on he never left the stage again. Moved to New York, where he had joined the Negro Ensemble CompanyCobbs began working in theater and then television, before landing on the big screen.
In the 1980s he took part in films such asCotton Club” And “The color of money”, but it was in 1992 that popularity came with “The Bodyguard”, where he acted alongside Whitney Houston And Kevin Costner while in 2006 he was in the cast of “A night at the museum” with Ben Stiller, where he plays retired warden Reginald. In addition to film, Cobbs has appeared in highly successful TV series such as “The Sopranos”, The West Wing”, “Good Times”, “Sesame Street” and “My Wife and Kids”, while in 2020 he guest-starred in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” and also won a Daytime Emmy Awards for his participation in the Canadian children’s series “Dino Dana”.
