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Bill Cosby is an American comedian, actor, and producer; the legendary stand-up comedian starred in his home production sitcom ‘The Bill Cosby Show (1984-1992). He later also created the famous comedy series ‘Fat Albert’ and ‘The Cosby Kids’. His series, ‘I Spy’ and later ‘The Cosby Show’ helped in breaking down racial barriers on television. He was a great comedian. He was born as ‘William Henry Cosby Jr.’ on the 12th of July, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America, to William Henry Cosby Sr. and Anna Pearl Cosby along with his three younger brothers, Russel Cosby, James Cosby and Robert Cosby. He married his wife Camille Cosby and had five kids Ennis, Erika, Erinn, Evin, and Ensa. Ennis, their only son, was shot to death while replacing a flat tire on the California Highway.

The Cosby’s family got by financially. However, the need for money grew when Cosby’s father began drinking heavily. After his father joined the U.S. Navy, Cosby became like a parent to his brothers. At the age of 8, Cosby suffered a great loss when his brother James, second oldest, died. In dire times, at the age of 9, Cosby started shining shoes to help out. He later got a job at the supermarket. Despite their hardships, his mother stressed the value of education. In school, he was bright but rather unmotivated. He was more interested in sports than academics. He was active on the track and the football field. He joined a high school for gifted students after scoring high in  an IQ test. But as he failed to apply he ended up falling behind which resulted with him switching to Germantown High School and when Cosby learned that he would have to repeat a grade Cosby dropped out of high school and joined the U.S. Navy. After attending Temple University on a track scholarship given by his excellence on the Navy track team, he received his Bachelor’s degree in 1971. While at the university he landed a bartender’s job at a coffee house where he would tell joke till he eventually ended up filling in as the house comedian from time to time at a nearby club. He even performed on his cousin’s radio show as a warm up act. He, later on, started working in New York Click to look into! >> Read More... and was greatly influenced by Dick Gregory. In his early career, he discussed racial issues but dropped it to focus on telling stories about more general and universal themes.

Halfway through his college career, he decided to drop out and pursue a career in stand-up comedy. He toured extensively getting the love of thousands of fans. He made an appearance on ‘The Tonight’s Show’ which provided him with an international audience. He also landed a recording contract and released his first album ‘Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow… Right’. He received a Grammy Award (Best Comedy Performance) for his next assignment ‘I Started Out As A Child’ in 1964. The rest of the 60’s he released hit albums after hit albums, winning another five Grammys. He later made two more for children.

Next, he worked on the television series ‘I Spy’; Cosby’s first acting assignment. An espionage series ‘I Spy’ (1965-68) made him the first black actor to star in a dramatic role on sitcoms. It is his most successful work; it became the highest rated sitcom for five consecutive years. Not long after it ended, Cosby starred in his own sitcom ‘The Bill Cosby Show’ which ran for two season between 1969-71. As a former aspiring teacher, in 1973 he received his Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also earned his Doctor of Education degree from UMass. His dissertation encompassed the use of Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids as a teaching tool in elementary schools.

He continued to work as an actor. While working on ‘Cosby’ during the period of his son’s death, there was also a paternity scandal. Autumn Jackson a young lady who claimed that Cosby was her father and tried to blackmail him for 40 million dollars. She was arrested and convicted of extortion.

While coping with difficulties he started a series of children’s picture books which later became a children’s TV program. He received many awards such as; Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2003 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2009. He was also a victim of a death hoax. In November 2013, Bill Cosby returned to the small screen with a new special show on Comedy Central, Far From Finished.

The legends status decapitated a numerous accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced in 2014. Most allegations were denied and recently he filed defamation lawsuits against some of the accusers. In late 2015, he was charged with sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania.

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