What Was Bill Cobbs's Net Worth?
Bill Cobbs was an American actor who had a net worth of $2 million. During a career that lasted five decades, Bill Cobbs had nearly 200 acting credits to his name. He was best known for his roles in films like "The Hitter," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "Night at the Museum," "The Bodyguard," and "The Brother from Another Planet" series such as "Walker, Texas Ranger" and "The Sopranos."
Early Life
William Francis Cobbs was born on June 16, 1934, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the son of Vera and David Cobbs. His mother was a domestic worker, while his father worked in construction. After finishing high school, Cobbs became a radar technician in the United States Air Force, remaining in that position for eight years. He later worked in office products at IBM and then sold cars in Cleveland for some time. While working in Cleveland, Bill began acting in theatre productions at the African American Performing Arts Center and the Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.
Career
In 1970, at the age of 36, Cobbs decided to move to New York with hopes of pursuing a career in acting. Until he was able to support himself through acting, he drove a cab, repaired office equipment, sold toys, and performed a variety of other odd jobs.
Cobbs landed his first feature film role in 1974 when he was cast in "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." He appeared in a short film the next year called "A Boy and a Boa." In 1977, he appeared as Mr. Jones in "Greased Lightning" followed by a role in "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich" in 1978. In 1979, he played the character of Louisiana Slim in the film "The Hitter," which was his most prominent role to date. In 1983, Bill appeared in the films "Trading Places" and "Silkwood." The following year, he had roles in "The Brother from Another Plane" and "The Cotton Club." In 1985, he appeared in the film "Compromising Positions" followed by "The Color of Money" in 1986. Throughout the rest of the 1980s, he appeared in the films "Dominick and Eugene," "Bird," "The January Man," and "Picking Tribes."
Cobbs' film career picked up even more in the 1990s. He began the decade by appearing in the films "New Jack City," "The Hard Way, and "The People Under the Stairs" in 1991. The following year, he had roles in "Roadside Prophets," "Exiled in America," and "The Bodyguard." In 1993, he appeared as the aged version of Zachary Lamb in "Demolition Man" and also had a role in "Fatal Instinct." Bill landed the role of Moses in "The Hudsucker Proxy" in 1994. In 1995, he appeared in a total of six feature films and short films, including "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," "Fluke," and "Man with a Gun." In 1996, he landed roles in "First Kid" and "That Thing You Do!" followed by roles in "Soulmates" and "Air Bud" in 1997. He rounded out the decade with roles in "Paulie," "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer," and "Random Hearts."
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Some of Cobbs' film roles in the 2000s include roles in "Sunshine State," "A Mighty Wind," "Lost," "Duck," "The Final Patient," "The Ultimate Gift," "Night at the Museum," and "The Morgue," among others. In the 2010s, he had roles in "The Arcadian," "The Muppets," "Of Mind and Music," "Call Me King," and "Beyond the Law." He also continued reprising his role in the "Night at the Museum" films as the character of Reginald.
In addition to his film career, Cobbs has also appeared in many television series over the years. He first appeared in "Good Times" in 1976, followed by "Baby, I'm Back" in 1977. In 1978, he appeared in the miniseries "King." Throughout the 1990s and 1980s, he appeared in episodes of shows like "The Equalizer," "Kate & Allie" "Spenser: For Hire," "L.A. Law," "Gabriel's Fire," "Decoration Day," "Empty Nest," "NYPD Blue," "ER," and "The Outer Limits," among many others. He was also a main cast member in shows like "I'll Fly Away" and "The Gregory Hines Show."
Some of Cobbs' other notable television roles include a nine-episode appearance on "The Drew Carey Show," becoming a recurring character on the shows "Go On" and "Greenleaf," and appearing in six episodes of "Dino Dana" from 2017 to 2019. For his work in the latter show, Bill won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program in 2020. The same year, he also guest-starred in a two-part series finale of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," playing an unnamed elderly S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Death
Bill Cobbs died on June 25, 2024, at the age of 90 at his home in Riverside, California.
