Renowned American actor Bill Cobbs, celebrated for his roles as Louisiana Slim in The Hitter, Walter in The Brother from Another Planet, and Reginald in Night at the Museum, has died at the age of 90, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. His publicist, Chuck I. Jones, confirmed that Cobbs passed away from natural causes at his Riverside home. Born on June 16, 1934, in Cleveland, Cobbs was widely recognized for his role as Whitney Houston's manager in The Bodyguard (1992), Medgar Evers's brother in Rob Reiner's Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), and a jazz pianist in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do! (1996). He also portrayed Master Tinker in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). Cobbs' television credits include appearances in The Slap Maxwell Story, The Drew Carey Show, The Gregory Hines Show, and Star Trek: Enterprise. In The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), directed by the Coen brothers, he played Moses, a mystical clockman who could freeze time, aiding Tim Robbins' character, Norville Barnes. Cobbs' other notable roles included playing a basketball coach and retired player Arthur Chaney in Disney's Air Bud and Charles Evers, Medgar Evers's older brother, in Ghosts of Mississippi. He briefly appeared in The Search for Santa Paws (2010) and made a guest appearance in the finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in 2020. Before his acting career, Cobbs served in the US Air Force, worked for IBM, and sold cars. His stage debut came in 1969 with the anti-apartheid musical Lost in the Stars at Karamu House in Cleveland.
Text: Lara Palmer
27.06.2024
Celebrated for roles in The Bodyguard and Night at the Museum, Cobbs dies of natural causes.