Cobbs was born in Cleveland, Ohio to a domestic worker mother and a father who worked in construction. He was a part of the Negro Ensemble Company. Cobbs has appeared and been a regular on many television programs including: The Michael Richards Show, The Outer Limits, I'll Fly Away, Yes, Dear, The Sopranos, The Others, JAG, The Drew Carey Show, Lost, October Road, and many more.

In 2006, Cobbs played a supporting role in Night at the Museum as Reginald, a security guard on the verge of retirement. He also played basketball coach and retired basketball player Arthur Chaney in Disney's Air Bud, and Medgar Evers' older brother Charles Evers in Rob Reiner's Ghosts of Mississippi. He had a pivotal role in the Coen Brothers' The Hudsucker Proxy, and played a jazz pianist in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do.

He recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign, encouraging reading of Ice-T's autobiography.

Filmography

• The Ultimate Gift (2007)
• Night at the Museum (2006)
• The Derby Stallion (2005)
• A Mighty Wind (2003)
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
• Air Bud (1997)
• That Thing You Do! (1996)
• Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
• Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
• The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
• Demolition Man (1993)
• The Bodyguard (1992)
• New Jack City (1991)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• ''The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

References

External links

• Bill Cobbs at the Internet Movie Database