William Henry Cosby Jr. - 1937
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I. Biography Bill Cosby was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1937 as William Henry Cosby Jr. He grew up in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, seeing little of his
father who was a mess steward in the Navy. His mother was his major influence and his first audience member. He went to elementary school with his friends, Fat Albert, Dumb Donald, Old Weird Harold, Weasel and
many other of the characters that later immortalized his standup career. He left high school in tenth grade to join the Navy, and later received his diploma via a correspondence course
while still in service. Once discharged, he attended college at Temple University in Philadelphia under a football scholarship, and received his master's and doctorate in education at the University of Massachusetts.
Cosby and his wife Camille Hanks had five children. Tragedy struck Cosby in 1997 when his son, Ennis, who was 27, was killed by a single gunshot to the head while changing a tire on his Mercedes.
Cosby entered show business in 1962 as a standup comedian at Gaslight Café, New York. Cosby's routine was unique among black comedians in not using race as a topic. In 1965,
Cosby made the transition from stand up to television when he starred in the television series I Spy. It was a historic moment at that time when Cosby, a black man was placed
along side a white man as an equal in a television series. After I Spy came The Bill Cosby Show in 1971, Cos in 1976, The Cosby Mysteries in 1994, and Cosby in 1996. The Cosby Show
was aired weekly from 1984-1992, and remains one of the most liked and respected sitcoms in television history. Cosby has appeared in over fifteen movies throughout his career, including; Uptown Saturday Night
in 1974, Ghost Dad in 1990, and Jack in 1996. In his career, Cosby has achieved many honors and held many civic roles. He has won
four Emmy awards, eight Grammy's, the NAACP Image Award, President of the R&B Hall of Fame, Board member of the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, and a board member of the United Negro College Fund.
What many people do not know about Cosby is that he is also a giant in the publishing world. Having published over fifteen titles for readers of all ages, Cosby has put quite a mark on the writing world. 1986's,
Fatherhood, became the fastest selling hardcover book of all time, remaining for more than half of its fifty weeks on the New York Times Best-Sellers list as Number 1. Fatherhood
has sold more than 2.6 million hardcover copies, and 1.5 paperback copies. In 1988, Time Flies had the largest single first printing in history - 1.7 million. II. Literary Works
Many of Cosby's books are meant for, and helpful to the whole family. The series, Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers is a collection of children's books that are easy-to-read
stories that teach kids many of the rights and wrongs of being a child. Different editions in the series are; The Meanest Things to Say (1997) His books, Fatherhood
(1986), Love and Marriage (1990) and, Childhood (1991) are three books that are about exactly what their title's say. Fatherhood, which was the top-selling
hardcover book of all time, focus's on Bill's own experience of being a father. Love and Marriage is about the hardships, and good times with being married. In, Childhood, Cosby
relives his own childhood and experiences that went on within his family. In these three stories, Cosby tells actual experiences from his life and turns it into a life lesson for the reader.
III. Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Bill Cosby Bill Cosby attended Temple once he was discharged from the Navy. Every year, Cosby
speaks in front of the graduating class, as their commencement ceremony guest speaker. It was not uncommon to see the Cos on The Cosby Show, sporting a Temple sweatshirt. IV. Works by Bill Cosby
Fat Albert (1981) V. Links to Bill Cosby Websites
The Treasure Hunt (1997)
The Best Way To Play (1997)
Shipwreck Saturday (1998)
Money Troubles (1998)
Super-FineValentine (1998)
Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors! (1999)
Little Bill: TheDay I Was Rich (1999)
My Big Lie (1999)
One Dark and Scary Night (1999)
TheWorst Day of My Life (1999)
The Day I Saw My Father Cry (2000).
Fat Albert (1981)
Kids Say the Darndest Things (1999)
Fatherhood (1986)
Time Flies (1988)
Love and Marriage (1990)
Childhood (1991)
The Meanest Things to Say (1997)
The Treasure Hun t (1997)
The Best Way To Play (1997)
Shipwreck Saturday (1998)
Money Troubles (1998)
Super-Fine Valentine (1998)
Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors! (1999)
Little Bill: The Day I Was Rich (1999)
My Big Lie (1999)
One Dark and Scary Night (1999)
The Worst Day of My Life (1999)
Congratulations! Now What? A book for graduates (1999)
Kids Say the Darndest Things (1999)
The Day I Saw My Father Cry (2000)
http://www.tdo.com/local/bhm/1pcosby/html/1a.htm
http://kennedy-center.org/honors/years/cosby.html
http://www.temple.edu
VI. Works Cited 1st Person . Ed. Dan Pachenco. Amazon.com . Seattle, WA. ©1996-2000
Cosby, William H. Childhood. New York, New York: Kennedy Center . Washington, D.C. 2000.
The Berkeley Publishing Company, 1991.
Mr. Showbiz . Ed. Disney Enterprises. Feb. 2000. http://mrshowbiz.go.com/people/billcosby/content/bio.html
This essay was submitted by a student of Cheryl Petersohn, a teacher at Harriton High School in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.