In sad news for the culture, Bill Cobbs, the veteran character actor with a 50-year career spanning nearly 200 film and TV credits, passed away on Tuesday at his Riverside, California home. He was 90 years old, confirmed his representative.
Cobbs’ diverse and extensive career included notable roles such as Alan Tatum in Season 3 of “The West Wing,” and Moses, the clock man in the Coen brothers’ “The Hudsucker Proxy.” He also portrayed manager Devaney in “The Bodyguard” alongside Whitney Houston.
Cobbs began his television career with the 1975 educational series “Vegetable Soup” on New York public television. He went on to appear in numerous acclaimed shows, including “The Sopranos,” “Good Times,” “Sesame Street,” and “My Wife and Kids.” In 2020, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in the series “Dino Dana.”
In “The West Wing,” Cobbs’ character Alan Tatum received a poignant scene where Charlie Young, the presidential aide, informs him of a rediscovered letter he wrote to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at age nine.
Cobbs made his feature film debut in 1974 with “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.” His filmography includes “The Hitter” (1979), “Brother From Another Planet” (1984), “Air Bud” (1997), “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” (1998), “The Muppets” (2011), and playing security guard Reginald in “Night at the Museum” (2006) with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.
Born in Cleveland, Cobbs served as an Air Force radar technician and worked various jobs before moving to New York at 36 to pursue acting. His first professional role was in “Ride a Black Horse” with the Negro Ensemble Company. He also performed in street theater, regional theater, and at the Eugene O’Neill Theater.
Thomas Cobbs, a relative, commemorated Bill Cobbs on Facebook, calling him a “beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather, and friend.” The post read, “As a family, we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”
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