Bill Cobbs, a prolific actor who became a household face through his work in films like „Air Bud,“ „Night at the Museum“ and „The Bodyguard,“ died on Tuesday at 90 years old.
Bill Cobbs, an actor known for his roles in „Night at the Museum“ and „The Bodyguard“ as well as TV roles on „The Drew Carey Show“ and „JAG“, has died, his publicist confirmed. He was 90 years old.
Cobbs was a prolific actor, working across TV and film for 50 years in about 200 parts, starting with the 1974 crime drama „The Taking of Pelham One Two Three“, which starred Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau.
Cobbs only had one line in the film, which he joked about in a 2013 interview with Cleveland.com.
„I came back home to see my mom and dad, and all our friends and neighbors went to see the movie, and everyone was waiting for my appearance — I walk up to a policeman in the subway and say, ‚Hey, man. What’s goin‘ on?'“ he said of his debut part.
But it led to much more.
Cobbs was born in Cleveland and served in the Air Force as a radar technician for eight years as well as selling cars and working for IBM before he was able to make his living as an actor, according to his IMDb biography.
He left for New York at 36 years old to try to make it in the industry, turning down a job at NBC in the sales department to save time for auditions.
He did everything from driving a cab, to repairing office equipment, to selling toys to make ends meet in the Big Apple before getting his first professional acting job with the Negro Ensemble Company in „Ride a Black Horse.“
After „The Taking of Pelham One Two Three“, more TV and film roles followed, including a spot on „Good Times“ in 1976 and a role as a bartender in 1983’s Eddie Murphy-led „Trading Places.
