Bill Cosby Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Bill Cosby is a famous comedian, actor, author, and musician. He is also the recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom. He initially did many odd jobs like working as a bartender, sold produce, etc. He decided to give acting and comedy a try after getting many compliments from the bar customers for his comedic timing. Later in his career, he got entangled in various sexual assault allegations.

Born Name

William Henry Cosby Jr.

Nick Name

Bill, The Cos

Sun Sign

Cancer

Born Place

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Residence

He has multi-million residences in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania and Shelburne, Massachusetts.

Nationality

Education

Bill Cosby went to the Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia. He later moved to the FitzSimons Junior High School. He eventually got admission at the Central High School, which is a Philadelphia based college prep school.

He later shifted to the Germantown High School. However, he failed in the 10th grade and instead of repeating it, he decided to drop out. He eventually managed to earn high school equivalency diploma with the help of correspondence courses.

Later, he managed to secure admission to the Temple University in 1961 on a track and field scholarship. He eventually dropped out of college to pursue a career in comedy. But managed to earn bachelor’s degree in 1971 from Temple University.

In 1973, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a master’s degree. In 1976, he completed his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Occupation

Comedian, actor, author, and musician

Family

• Father – William Henry Cosby Sr. (Was employed as mess steward with US Navy)
• Mother – Anna Pearl Cosby
• Siblings – Russell Cosby (Brother), Robert Cosby (Brother), James Cosby (Brother)
• Others – Samuel Russell Cosby (Paternal Grandfather), Gertrude A. Thornhill (Paternal Grandmother), William Sidney Hite (Maternal Grandfather), Martha Alice Rice (Maternal Grandmother)

Manager

Bill Cosby is represented by Los Angeles based The Brokaw Company (Talent Management Company).

Genre

Rhythm, blues, jazz, soul, comedy

Instruments

Vocals, drums, guitar

Label

Warner Bros, Uni Records, Dusty Groove, Columbia Records, Sussex Records

Build

Average

Height

6 ft 1 in or 185 cm

Weight

87 kg or 192 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Bill Cosby has dated –

1. Shawn Upshaw – Bill Cosby had a secret affair with Shawn Upshaw in the early seventies in Las Vegas. This secret affair came to public knowledge after he had testified in July 1997 in Autumn Jackson’s extortion trial. In his testimony, along with acknowledging their relationship, he revealed that he had made private payments to Upshaw, which amounted to a total of $100,000. He had made payments to keep his affair a secret. She had also told him that he was the father of her daughter, Autumn Jackson. However, Bill Cosby flat out denied it. Later, the 22 years old Jackson tried to extort $40 million from Cosby. She was eventually sentenced to 26 months in jail. After the conviction, Cosby provided his blood sample for the paternity testing but she refused to participate in the testing process.
2. Debbie Allen – Cosby is reported to have been in a relationship with choreographer and dancer Debbie Allen in the past. She has been very vocal in her support for Cosby in the rape and sexual allegation scandals. She has slammed some of the accusers for trying to destroy Cosby’s legacy.
3. Camille Olivia Hanks (1964-Present) – Cosby first met Camille Olivia Hanks in the early 60s in Washington D.C. He was doing stand-up comedy shows in the town, while she was studying at the University of Maryland. On January 25, 1964, the couple got married. In 1965, Camille gave birth to their first daughter, Erika. Erika was followed by Erinn in 1966, Ensa in 1973, and Evin in 1976. Their only son Ennis was born in 1969. He was murdered in January 1997 in Los Angeles in a failed robbery attempt. He was shot in the head while changing a flat tire of his car. His daughter Ensa also passed away in February 2018 because of renal disease. She was reportedly waiting for a kidney transplant. Camille was widely criticized by the media and public for sticking with Cosby when he was accused of sexual infringements. The fact that he had accepted of having multiple sexual relations outside of their marriage made Camille a lightning rod for criticism from the feminist groups.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

He has African American ancestry.

Hair Color

Salt and pepper

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Over the years, his right eye has turned to a lighter shade. He became legally blind in 2015.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Bulbous nose
• Partially bald head

Brand Endorsements

Bill Cosby has served as a brand ambassador of Jell-O. As part of the endorsement deal, he appeared in TV commercials for various Jell-O products. He has also been featured in the print ads for the product.

Bill Cosby has appeared in the TV commercials for the following products as well –

• City of Philadelphia
• Texas Instruments
• School to Work
• Coca-Cola
• Kodak Film
• UMass-Boston
• TV Land
• Turner Classic Movies
• Del Monte Corn (Did voiceover for the commercial)

Religion

Bill Cosby was raised in a household in which Baptist and Methodist faith was followed. However, as an adult, he identifies himself as a Protestant.

Best Known For

• Having created and produced popular animated comedy TV series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. He also served as the host of the show.
• Having co-created the popular NBC sitcom, The Cosby Show. He also had a lead role in the show. From 1984 to 1989, the sitcom was rated as the best show in the United States.
• Having created and starred in other popular sitcoms such as The Cosby Mysteries and Cosby.

First Album

In 1963, Bill Cosby released his first studio album, Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow…Right! It was a comedy album that comprised of his live performances at the nightclub The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.

His first music studio album was Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings, which was released in 1967.

First Film

In 1969, Bill made his theatrical film debut in the comedy-drama movie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. However, his appearance in the movie wasn’t credited.

His first credited film appearance came in in 1971 release, Aesop’s Fables.

First TV Show

In 1965, Bill Cosby made his first TV show appearance in the NBC adventure TV series, I Spy. Cosby was cast in the lead role in the series and appeared in 82 episodes until 1968.

Personal Trainer

Bill Cosby’s diet plan is designed in a way to keep his cholesterol down and to suit his advanced age. He has given up eating sausages and bacon and doesn’t touch croissants or fried potatoes. He also refrains from eating barbequed meat and instead eats skinless chicken with no salt.

Bill has also learned to love green juices. He usually goes for healthy green blends with collard greens, ginger, and garlic.

Bill Cosby Favorite Things

• Childhood Comedians – George Burns, Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Fred Allen

Source –

Bill Cosby Facts

1. In his doctoral dissertation in 1976, he detailed how his popular TV show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, could be employed as a teaching tool in the elementary schools.
2. While studying at Mary Channing Wister Public School, he was the captain of track and field team and baseball team. He also served as a class president.
3. In May 2004, he was honored by Berklee College of Music with an Honorary Doctorate of Music for his contribution and promotion of jazz music. The college also noted his commitment to higher education.
4. Previously, he had a part ownership stake in the NBA team, Golden State Warriors.
5. When he decided to become a standup comedian, he was working as a bartender. Many of the bar patrons used to compliment him for his comedic timing and suggested that he should give acting on the stage a try.
6. He initially did a number of standup gigs at the clubs around Philadelphia. He then moved his base and started performing in New York City-based clubs such as The Gaslight Café.
7. While in high school, he did many odd jobs such as shining shoes, selling produce, and stacking shelves in the supermarket before and after school so as to support his family financially.
8. After dropping out of high school, he got a job as an apprentice in the local shoe repair shop. Although he liked his work, he was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to do it for life.
9. In 1956, he joined the US Navy and served for 4 years. During his stint with the navy, he worked as a Hospital Corpsman in the physical therapy with Marine Corps and Navy personnel that were injured in the Korean War.
10. At the start of his career, the popular comedians were using the risqué and controversial material for their comedy but Cosby veered from the trend. In fact, he never talked about race in comedy, arguing that by making white laugh with African Americans, he was benefiting race relations.
11. In 1968, he reportedly turned down a $3.5 million renewal contract from the Warner Bros as he wanted to start his own record label.
12. He eventually established Tetragrammaton Records as the division of the Campbell, Silver, Cosby (CSC) Corporation, which was a Los Angeles based production company that Cosby had co-founded with his manager Roy Silver and filmmaker Bruce Post Campbell.
13. In the 1980s, he was appointed as the advisor to the Los Angeles Student Film Institute. He served in that capacity for a couple of years.
14. The sexual assault allegations against Cosby first started appearing in the mid-60s. Over the years, he has been accused by more than 50 women of either sexual battery, drug-facilitated sexual assault, child sexual abuse, rape, and/or sexual misconduct.
15. After the court records from Andrea Constand’s 2005 civil lawsuit were made public in July 2015, Cosby admitted that he had used sedative Quaaludes on some of the young women he had sex with. He also accepted that the use of the sedatives was illegal in the 70s.
16. In December 2015, an arrest warrant was issued against Cosby after he was charged with sexual assault in Pennsylvania. He reported in the court and was arraigned on three charges.
17. In May 2016, a Pennsylvania judge declared that there was sufficient evidence to hold a trial against Cosby. The trial started in June 2017 but the case was ended about 12 days later in a mistrial as the jury was deadlocked.
18. One of the jurors later revealed that the cause of deadlock was contradictory statements given by Andrea Constand during the trial and failure of the prosecution to provide any real evidence.
19. Since 1985, he has been awarded at least 57 honorary degrees from educational institutes all over the US. These degrees include doctorate degrees from esteemed institutions such as the University of Southern California and Carnegie Mellon University. However, due to numerous sexual assault charges, many universities and colleges have opted to revoke his honorary degrees.
20. In his many public addresses and interviews, he has been strongly critical of African American community’s focus on sports, hip hop, and fashion, over education and society’s literacy.
21. In 2016, his attorneys revealed that Cosby had become legally blind. It was later revealed that he had lost his eyesight at some point in 2015.
22. In 1998, he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors, which is awarded to the performing arts professionals for their contributions to American culture.
23. In 2010, he was honored with the Lone Sailor Award by the United States Navy Memorial.
24. In 1986, he released his first book, Fatherhood, which was the bestselling book in that year and was eventually adopted for an animated TV series. Overall, he has published more than 10 books.
25. He has been a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity since he was initiated into its Beta Alpha Alpha graduate chapter in White Plains in 1988.
26. He has served as the host of the Playboy Jazz Festival, held in Los Angeles, from 1979 to 2012.
27. He is an avid art collector and with his wife, he has collected more than 300 pieces of the African American art. He even displayed his collected art in Conservations, which was exhibited at the National Museum of African Art in 2014.
28. Visit his official website @ billcosby.com.
29. Follow him on , , , , and .