1. Wilbert Francisco Cobbs was an American actor, known for such film roles as Louisiana Slim in The Hitter, Walter in The Brother from Another Planet, Reginald in Night at the Museum and Master Tinker on Oz the Great and Powerful.
15 Facts About Bill Cobbs
1. 2.
Bill Cobbs played Lewis Coleman on I'll Fly Away, Jack on The Michael Richards Show, and had guest appearances on Walker, Texas Ranger and The Sopranos.
3.
Wilbert Francisco Bill Cobbs was born on June 16,1934, in Cleveland, Ohio, to a mother, Vera, who was a domestic worker and a father, David, who worked in construction.
4.
Bill Cobbs was the second cousin of Song of the South actor James Baskett.
5.
Bill Cobbs served in the US Air Force as a radar technician for eight years; he worked in office products at IBM and sold cars in Cleveland, Ohio.
6.
Bill Cobbs supported himself by driving a cab, repairing office equipment, selling toys, and performing odd jobs.
7.
Bill Cobbs credited Reuben Silver with his start in acting at the African American Performing Arts Center and Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland.
8.
Bill Cobbs was in Vegetable Soup, a New York public television educational series, and he made his feature film debut with a one-line role in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three in 1974.
9.
Bill Cobbs appeared and was a regular on many television programs, including as Lewis Coleman on I'll Fly Away, James on The Gregory Hines Show, Jack on The Michael Richards Show, and George, a blind grief-support-group member, on Go On.
10.
In 2006, Bill Cobbs played a supporting role in Night at the Museum as Reginald, a security guard on the verge of retirement.
11.
Bill Cobbs had brief appearances in the 2010 film The Search for Santa Paws, and the 2011 film The Muppets.
12.
In 2014, Bill Cobbs co-starred in Oz the Great and Powerful as the Master Tinker, and in late 2014 reprised his role of Reginald in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
13.
Bill Cobbs recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy2 campaign, encouraging reading of Ice-T's autobiography.
14.
Bill Cobbs's last credited appearance came in 2023, in the mini-series Incandescent Love.
15.
Bill Cobbs died at his home in Upland, California, on June 25,2024 from natural causes, at age 90.