Editing Bill Cosby (section)

{{Short description|American entertainer (born 1937)}}
{{for|the 18th century British-American governor of New York|William Cosby}}
{{distinguish|Bill Cobbs}}
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{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name               = Bill Cosby
| image              = Bill cosby 1969.JPG
| image_size         = 
| alt                = Black-and-white head shot of Cosby smiling
| caption            = Cosby in 1969
| birth_name         = William Henry Cosby Jr.
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1937|7|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| education          = [[Temple University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Education|EdD]])
| years_active       = 1961–2014
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Camille Cosby|Camille Hanks]]|January 25, 1964}}
| children           = 5, including [[Erika Cosby|Erika]] and [[Ennis Cosby|Ennis]]
|genre=[[Observational comedy]], [[Surreal humor]], satire, [[deadpan]]|child=5, including [[Erika Cosby|Erika]] and [[Murder of Ennis Cosby|Ennis]]|medium=Stand-up comedy, film, television|notable_works=''[[Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids]]''<br>''[[The Cosby Show]]''<br>''[[Bill Cosby: Himself]]''}}

'''William Henry<!-- Do not include "Bill" here per [[MOS:HYPOCORISM]] --> Cosby Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɒ|z|b|i}} {{respell|KOZ|bee}}; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-40315550|title= Bill Cosby mistrial: From trailblazer to alleged assaulter|website= [[BBC News]]|accessdate= January 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-programs/breaking-barriers/|title= Breaking Barriers|website= [[PBS]]|accessdate= January 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/07/bill-cosby-america-s-granddad-gets-ornery.html|title= Bill Cosby: America's granddad gets ornery|website= Slate|date= July 13, 2004|accessdate= January 26, 2025|last1= Dickerson|first1= Debra}}</ref> Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy star, with his longest-running live-action role being that of [[Cliff Huxtable]] in the sitcom ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' (1984–1992). He also released several stand-up comedy albums and was [[Bill Cosby in advertising|a popular spokesperson in advertising for decades]]. Cosby was well known in the United States for his fatherly image and gained a reputation as "America's Dad". However, starting in 2014, dozens of [[Bill Cosby sexual assault cases|allegations of sexual assault]] have been made against him, which ended his career and sharply diminished his status as a pop culture icon.

Cosby began his career as a stand-up comic at the [[Hungry I]] nightclub in San Francisco in 1961, and primarily performed [[observational comedy]] in a conversational style. He released [[Bill Cosby discography|numerous standup specials]] starting with ''[[Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!]]'' (1963) and starred in the comedy film ''[[Bill Cosby: Himself]]'' (1983). Cosby still holds the record for winning the most [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album|Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album]], with seven wins. His acting career began with a starring role in the [[NBC]] secret-agent show ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]'' (1965–1968), which broke new ground for African Americans when he made history by winning three [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series]], becoming the first black actor to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://aaregistry.org/story/first-black-wins-emmy-award-for-best-actor/|title= Bill Cosby of 'I Spy' Series Wins TV Emmy; First Negro Cast in a Lead Role Also Co-Host at Awards Sinatra Show Voted the Best Musical Bob Hope Cited|website= [[The New York Times]]|accessdate= January 26, 2025}}</ref>

Cosby made his film debut starring in ''[[Man and Boy (1971 film)|Man and Boy]]'' (1971) followed by ''[[Hickey & Boggs]]'' (1972), ''[[Uptown Saturday Night]]'' (1974), ''[[Let's Do It Again (1975 film)|Let's Do It Again]]'' (1975), ''[[A Piece of the Action (film)|A Piece of the Action]]'' (1977), ''[[Leonard Part 6]]'' (1987), and ''[[Ghost Dad]]'' (1990). He produced and starred in a series of television sitcoms such as ''[[The Bill Cosby Show]]'' (1969–1971), ''[[Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids]]'' (1972–1985) and ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992) as well as its spin-off ''[[A Different World]]'' (1987–1993), ''[[The Cosby Mysteries]]'' (1994–1995), and ''[[Cosby (TV series)|Cosby]]'' (1996–2000). He hosted ''[[Kids Say the Darndest Things]]'' (1998–2000). During his prolific career he advertised numerous products including the [[Jell-O]] [[ice pop]] treats [[Pudding Pop]].

Over 60 women have accused Cosby of various offenses, including [[rape]], [[drug-facilitated sexual assault]], [[sexual battery]], [[child sexual abuse]] and [[sexual harassment]]. Those allegations gained traction in 2014 after fellow comedian [[Hannibal Buress]] mentioned the allegations in a comedy set that went [[Viral video|viral]]. Cosby has maintained his innocence. Although he had received [[List of awards and nominations received by Bill Cosby|numerous awards]] and [[List of honorary degrees awarded to Bill Cosby|honorary degrees]], several of them were revoked following the allegations. Reruns of ''The Cosby Show'' and other programs featuring Cosby were pulled from syndication. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of [[aggravated sexual assault]] against [[Andrea Constand v. Bill Cosby|Andrea Constand]]. He was imprisoned until the conviction was [[Vacated judgment|vacated]] in June 2021 by the [[Supreme Court of Pennsylvania]] on the grounds that Cosby's [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|5th Amendment]] and [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]] [[Due Process Clause|due process rights]] had been violated.<ref name="nyt-overturned" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Jolie |title=Vermont legal experts weigh in after Cosby freed from prison |url=https://www.news10.com/news/vt-news/vermont-legal-experts-weigh-in-after-cosby-freed-from-prison/ |agency=[[WTEN]] |date=July 1, 2021 |access-date=July 11, 2021 |archive-date=October 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018140244/https://www.news10.com/news/vt-news/vermont-legal-experts-weigh-in-after-cosby-freed-from-prison/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dale |first=Maryclaire |title=Bill Cosby released from prison after court finds due process violation |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/bill-cosbys-sex-assault-conviction-overturned-by-court |website=[[PBS NewsHour]] |date=June 30, 2021 |access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref> In 2022, Cosby was found civilly liable for having sexually assaulted Judy Huth when she was 16 years of age.<ref name=":02">{{cite news |last=Patten |first=Dominic |title=Bill Cosby Sexually Abused Judy Huth In 1970s, Civil Jury Decides – Update |publisher=Deadline Hollywood |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/bill-cosby-verdict-judy-huth-playboy-mansion-assault-trial-1235048663/ |date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=June 23, 2022}}</ref>