Actor Bill Cobbs, Known For ‘The Bodyguard’ And ‘Night at the Museum,’ Dies At 90

Bill Cobbs attends the 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 17, 2019. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Veteran Hollywood actor, Bill Cobbs, best known for his roles in “The Bodyguard” and “Night at the Museum” has died at 90 years of age.

His brother, Thomas Cobbs, confirmed the news on Facebook, saying the actor passed away on June 25 at his home in Inland Empire, California.

“A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones,” read the post. “As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”

Celebrities who worked with Mr. Cobbs, such as actor Wendell Pierce and “Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph, also took to social media to offer their condolences.

“A father figure, a griot, an iconic artist, that mentored me by the way he led his life as an actor. He played my father twice: in I’ll Fly Away & The Gregory Hines Show. Each time imparting wisdom with a word of encouragement,” wrote Mr. Pierce.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ralph remembered Mr. Cobbs as an “Emmy winner, working actor and wonderful human being,” that he was.

Early Career

Mr. Cobbs was born in Cleveland in 1934, and served in the Air Force for eight years before getting into the entertainment business at 36 years of age.

His first professional gig was in the theater production “Ride a Black Horse” with the Negro Ensemble Company, acting alongside Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. He also appeared in Broadway productions before landing his first television role on “Vegetable Soup,” a New York public TV-series.

Mr. Cobbs made his first big-screen appearance in “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” in 1974.

Throughout the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, Mr. Cobbs earned nearly 200 feature film and television credits, appearing on popular shows including “The Sopranos,” “The West Wing,” “Sesame Street” and “Good Times.”

He appeared in popular movies including the action-thriller “Demolition Man (1993)” and the Oscar-nominated film “That Thing You Do! (1996).” Among other notable credits are the Disney film “Air Bud (1997)”, and ”Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)”.

In a 2012 interview, Mr. Cobbs spoke about his passion for acting and what drew him to his career path. He said it is more than just entertainment, but also being able to touch the lives of people in different ways.

“I found it so stimulating to be on stage and perform…there were a lot of things I could say in theater, on the stage, in movies, in television, that were very important that were meaningful things.

“I enjoy what I do, I really enjoy it. It’s exciting to have a project and work on it and see it come to fruition, so I can find joy doing this so much,” he continued.

Meanwhile, his resume extended behind the scenes as well, with a directorial role in “The Meeting,” a story about Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

In 2020, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana,” a television show about a child who loves dinosaurs.

Three years later, Mr. Cobbs had his final acting credit on the television mini-series “Incandescent Love.”