Bill Cosby

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Cosby, 2011

William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. (born July 12, 1937 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) is an American comedian , actor , singer and author . His greatest successes include starring in the television series The Bill Cosby Show and Tennis Rackets and Cannons .

After a career spanning more than 50 years in the entertainment industry , Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years' imprisonment as a sex offender in 2018 , which he began the same year. On 30 June 2021 the sentence was due to violations of his rights under the 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania canceled and Cosby immediately released from custody.

Life

Youth and education

Cosby playing on the National Naval Medical Center basketball team , 1957

Cosby finished high school in 1956 when he had to repeat tenth grade and went to the US Navy as a hospital corpsman for four years , where he received a high school diploma equivalent. As a sports scholarship holder , he began studying at Temple University in Philadelphia, but dropped out because of his success as a stand-up comedian at the Gaslight Cafe, which marked the beginning of his career. In 1971 he made his bachelor's degree from Temple University .

Cosby later studied at the University of Massachusetts , where he obtained a Master of Arts degree (M.A.) in 1972 ; In 1976 he became a Doctor of Pedagogy PhD . In his dissertation , he dealt with the use of his quite successful children's series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids in primary school classes.

Cosby has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southern California for his commitment to helping the homeless and children in need . His humorous books on family life and raising children also attracted attention .

Acting

Cosby first appeared as a comedian. In 1964 he won a Grammy for his second record in the Best Comedy Performance category , the first of a total of nine. His acting career began in 1965 with the series I Spy (German title: Tennis rackets and cannons ), in which he played the CIA agent Alexander Scott at the side of Robert Culp . With this series he was awarded the Emmy , the highest television award in the United States, three times in a row . This also made Cosby the first African American to win an Emmy.

Cosby advertises scientific professions in a National Science Foundation spot from around 1990

He then played in many series that had his name in the title and which he also produced in later years . The most popular was the series The Bill Cosby Show . She turned to gynecologist Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable and his family. A series about a black middle-class family was completely new at the time. It ran on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and was one of the most successful sitcoms in US television history . From 1996 to 2000, Cosby was the star of the CBS sitcom Cosby . As in the Bill Cosby show, Phylicia Rashad played the wife of the main character played by Cosby, the grumpy, retired airline employee Hilton Lucas.

In most of his films he was dubbed by Edgar Ott and Joachim Kemmer . Wolfgang Völz gave him his voice in the film Ghost Dad . But the voice of Engelbert von Nordhausen is particularly well-known . was his standard speaker on the Bill Cosby Show .

Sexual assault allegations, trial and conviction

In February 2000, Cosby was charged by actress Lachele Covington for sexual harassment by being groped. The police did not pursue the matter. In January 2005, Andrea Constand made allegations against Cosby of drugging, abusing and pleasuring herself in the process. After a criminal case was dropped in February 2005 for lack of evidence, Constand sued Cosby for pain and suffering in March 2005 and named 13 women as witnesses. This ended in November 2006 with an out-of-court settlement that included a payment to Constand.

The turning point came in 2014 after stand -up comedian Hannibal Buress publicly called Cosby a rapist; a recording of the performance quickly spread online. As a result, a witness in the civil case between Constand and Cosby stated in an article in the Washington Post that she was certain that Cosby drugged and raped her in 1985 when she was 17. At that time, she did not dare to make this public. In November 2014, Janice Dickinson alleged Cosby had given her a knockout pill at dinner instead of a menstrual pills she wanted and then raped her. Gradually, a total of 57 women came forward with similar allegations, including Carla Ferrigno, the wife of actor Lou Ferrigno , and Beverly Johnson . The period of alleged abuse cases spans a span of four decades, starting in the 1960s.

Bill Cosby always denied the allegations through his lawyers and continued to make public appearances. A lawyer Cosby said at the end of 2014 that the allegations had crossed the line of "absurdity". It is "completely illogical" that so many of the alleged victims said nothing, did nothing and took no legal action if they thought they had been wronged. As a result of the allegations, NBC canceled a new series with Cosby, Netflix postponed the broadcast of a special that had already been filmed indefinitely, and reruns of the Bill Cosby show were discontinued by various stations.

Cosby gives a high school speech in 2006

In July 2015, after a lengthy legal tug-of-war, 2005 court records were revealed that Cosby administered narcotics to a woman in 1976 and then abused her. At the time, Cosby confirmed in court that he had used the drug methaqualone . The case was settled out of court at the time. On July 27, 2015, the cover of New York magazine featured 35 women describing their abuse by Bill Cosby in the issue. The magazine said it was aware of 11 other Cosby abuse victims.

On June 5, 2017, a criminal case began in the US state of Pennsylvania in which the case was reopened by another prosecutor on charges of abuse of Andrea Constand. Cosby made the former basketball player defenseless with three tablets at a meeting in his villa in Elkins Park in January 2004 and penetrated her with her fingers. All other allegations are statute-barred and can no longer be examined in court. In the trial, Constand and Kelly Johnson appeared as witnesses. Cosby, who did not testify, defended himself that the actions were consensual. He could face a prison sentence of up to ten years. On June 17, 2017, the trial ended without a verdict, as the jury did not come to a unanimous decision as to whether Cosby was beyond any doubt guilty ( hung jury ). The case was retried with fellow jurors beginning April 2, 2018. At the end of April 2018, Cosby was found guilty of triple indecent sexual assaults ( indecent sexual assault , for example: sexual coercion / sexual abuse).

In a civil case that has been ongoing since December 2014, a woman accused the comedian of abusing her in 1974 in the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles . The charge due to the statute of limitations could no longer be prosecuted. Because the plaintiff was still a minor at the time in question , she can raise claims for damages against Cosby. In such cases, different limitation periods apply in the USA.

On September 25, 2018, 81-year-old Cosby was sentenced to between three and ten years in prison. Psychological reports attested that he was a " violent predator ", which means that he had to undergo therapy or psychological counseling for the rest of his life. In addition, as a registered person on the Pennsylvanian sex offender list, he has to regularly inform the local authorities about his whereabouts even after he has been released. Neighbors and schools are also notified of the list entry.

He was located at the Phoenix State Correctional Institution , Schwenksville , Pennsylvania. The highest court in the US state of Pennsylvania dealt with his appeal from December 2020. The hearing took place over the phone due to the coronavirus pandemic. On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned the 83-year-old Cosby's conviction for violations of his constitutional rights, and he was immediately released.

The reason was that the then prosecutor Bruce Castor had promised after the uncovering of the allegations in 2005 not to bring a criminal case against Cosby if he testified in a civil case for compensation. His successor later initiated criminal proceedings because he could not see a legally binding agreement between Castor and Cosby, and used Cosby's statements in his civil case that he had given women "different pills", namely narcotics. Neither the court sentencing Cosby to jail nor the appeals court found it to violate his constitutional rights, but the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania found that his rights under the 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment had been violated and overturned it Condemnation on.

Private

Cosby is married to Camille Hanks. They had four daughters and a son.

Her son Ennis (* 1969) was shot and killed in a robbery on January 16, 1997 when he tried to change a wheel on his car on a highway near Los Angeles . The perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in August 1998.

Her daughter Ensa (* 1973) died on February 23, 2018 at the age of 44 after a long illness of kidney failure .

According to himself and his lawyers, Bill Cosby is legally blind.

Awards

Star of Bill Cosby on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On February 17, 2011, Cosby was honored as Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy in a formal ceremony by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick D. West of 3rd Class Petty Officer . This promotion was revoked on December 4, 2014 by the Secretary of State for the Navy in connection with the allegations of sexual assault, because "[...] the allegations are very serious and contradict the core values ​​of the Navy". In addition, numerous universities have withdrawn academic honors from Cosby, including Temple University, where Cosby obtained his bachelor's degree in 1971 .

In May 2018, the Kennedy Center revoked its awards for Cosby with the Kennedy Prize (1998) and the Mark Twain Prize (2009) on allegations of sexual abuse against him.

plant

Filmography

TV Shows

Movies

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1963 Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow Right! US21
platinum
platinum

(128 weeks)US
1964 I started out as a child US32
platinum
platinum

(140 weeks)US
1965 Why Is There Air? US19th
platinum
platinum

(152 weeks)US
1966 Wonderfulness US7th
platinum
platinum

(106 weeks)US
1967 Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings US18 (26 weeks)
US
Revenge US2
platinum
platinum

(73 weeks)US
1968 To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With US7th
gold
gold

(46 weeks)US
Hooray for the Salvation Army Band! US74 (11 weeks)
US
200 MPH US16
gold
gold

(25 weeks)US
1969 8:15 am 12:15 pm US62
platinum
platinum

(16 weeks)US
It's true! It's true! US37 (19 weeks)
US
The best of Bill Cosby US51 (25 weeks)
US
1970 More of The Best of Bill Cosby US80 (16 weeks)
US
Live: Madison Square Garden Center US165 (6 weeks)
US
1971 When I Was a Kid US72 (8 weeks)
US
For adults only US181 (7 weeks)
US
1972 Inside The Mind Of Bill Cosby US191 (4 weeks)
US
1973 Fat Albert US187 (4 weeks)
US
1976 Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days US100 (12 weeks)
US
1986 Those of You With or Without Children, You'll Understand US26th
gold
gold

(15 weeks)US

More albums

  • 1970: Sports
  • 1971: Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band
  • 1971: Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs
  • 1974: At Last Bill Cosby Really Sings
  • 1977: Disco Bill
  • 1977: My Father Confused Me… What Must I Do? What must I do?
  • 1978: Bill's Best Friend
  • 1982: Bill Cosby: Himself
  • 1986: Cosby and the Kids
  • 1990: Where You Lay Your Head
  • 1991: My Appreciation
  • 1991: Oh, baby
  • 1994: At His Best
  • 1997: Hello Friend: To Ennis, With Love
  • 2001: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Cosby
  • 2004: The Bill Cosby Collection

Singles (selection)

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1967 Little Ole Man (Uptight-Everything's Alright)
Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings 		US4 (11 weeks)
US
Hooray For The Salvation Army Band
Hooray For The Salvation Army Band 		US71 (6 weeks)
US
1968 Funky North Philly
Hooray For The Salvation Army Band 		US91 (3 weeks)
US
1970 Grover Henson Feels Forgotten
 US70 (3 weeks)
US
1976 Yes, Yes, Yes
Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days 		US46 (10 weeks)
US

bibliography

  • 1987: family ties.
  • 1988: Time flies. Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-27724-3 .
  • 1990: the art of being a perfect father.
  • 1992: Stop the time or How does MAN get older with dignity.
  • 1998: Kids say the darndest things. Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-58126-0 .
  • 2001: Cosbyology. Essays and Observations from the Doctor of Comedy. Hyperion, ISBN 0-7868-6810-4 .
  • 2007: Come on people - On the path from victims to victims.

Web links

Commons : Bill Cosby  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ After allegations of rape: Bill Cosby between standing ovations and protest. stern , November 23, 2014, accessed on February 3, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Bill Cosby is about to go to prison. Courier , September 26, 2018, accessed February 3, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (ed.): COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, Appellee v. WILLIAM HENRY COSBY JR., Appellant . June 30, 2021, p. 67–79 (English, pacourts.us [PDF]).
  4. ↑ a b Focus.de Court decides: Bill Cosby's conviction for sexual abuse overturned
  5. ^ William Henry Cosby Jr .: An Integration of the Visual Media Via "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning. Dissertation, University of Massachusetts, 1976
  6. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/24/us/bill-cosby-fast-facts
  7. ↑ Bill Cosby. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on January 28, 2021 .
  8. ↑ http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/tv/lachele-covington-bill-cosbys-latest-abuse-accuser/
  9. ↑ http://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/kriminalitaet/cosby-prozess-erst-betaeubt-dann-missbendung-15048655.html
  10. ↑ Allegations against sitcom legend: "You rape women, Bill Cosby!"
  11. ↑ Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?
  12. ↑ Janice Dickinson Details Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Accusations: He Raped Me. Entertainment News, November 18, 2014.
  13. ↑ BILL COSBY SEX ALLEGATIONS: 2 MORE FORMER MODELS COME FORWARD
  14. ↑ Complete list of women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault
  15. ↑ REPORT Complete list of women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault (Updated 8/13). Retrieved August 13, 2015 .
  16. ↑ Lou Ferrigno's wife comes forward with new Cosby allegations ( Memento from November 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on msn.com , November 21, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Bill Cosby Drugged Me. This Is My Story", vanityfair.com, December 11, 2014
  18. ↑ Manuel Roig-Franzia, Scott Higham, Paul Farhi, Mary Pat Flaherty: Bill Cosby's legacy, recast: Accusers speak in detail about sexual-assault allegations. In: Washington Post , November 22, 2014.
  19. ↑ Rape allegations against US star: Applause for Bill Cosby on live show . Spiegel Online , November 22, 2014.
  20. ↑ Abuse allegations: NBC cancels new TV series with Bill Cosby. On: Spiegel Online , November 19, 2014.
  21. ↑ James Poniewozik: So What Do We Do About The Cosby Show ? On: Time.com , November 21, 2014.
  22. ↑ New Revelations Bill Cosby made women compliant with drugs. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. July 7, 2015, accessed July 7, 2015 .
  23. ^ Sedatives: Bill Cosby made women compliant with medication. In: Zeit Online. July 7, 2015, accessed July 7, 2015 .
  24. ↑ Noreen Malone: I'm No Longer Afraid ': 35 Women Tell Their Stories About Being Assaulted by Bill Cosby, and the Culture That Wouldn't Listen . New York Magazine dated July 27, 2015.
  25. ↑ Christiane Heil: Bill Cosby faces ten years imprisonment. In: FAZ.net . June 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2018 .
  26. ↑ USA: Bill Cosby trial ends without judgment. In: The time. June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017 .
  27. ↑ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/06/26/bill-cosby-juror-speaks-camera-not-enough-evidence-led-mistrial/103198922/
  28. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/23/us/bill-cosby-juror-speak/index.html
  29. ↑ Justice: New abuse case against Bill Cosby in April 2018. In: welt.de . September 15, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2018 .
  30. ↑ Bill Cosby found guilty of sexual assault. In: FAZ.net . April 26, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018 .
  31. ↑ Bill Cosby has to go back to court. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 28, 2017, accessed on September 25, 2018 .
  32. ^ Bill Cosby sentenced to state prison for sexual assault. BBC News, September 25, 2018, accessed September 25, 2018 .
  33. ↑ Abuse Trial: Bill Cosby sentenced to several years in prison. Die Zeit , September 25, 2018, accessed on September 26, 2018 .
  34. ↑ https://www.nickiswift.com/134721/what-life-behind-bars-is-really-like-for-these-celebs/sl/heres-hoping-bill-cosby-still-likes-pudding
  35. ↑ http://www.walshgroup.com/ourexperience/building/correctional/phoenixstatecorrectionalinstitution.html
  36. ↑ Mallika Kallingal, Brian Vitagliano: Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in Bill Cosby's appeal. In: CNN. October 9, 2020, accessed October 9, 2020 .
  37. ↑ Court hears Bill Cosby's appeal in December. In: Tyrolean daily newspaper. October 9, 2020, accessed October 9, 2020 .
  38. ↑ Bill Cosby's Daughter Ensa Cosby Dead at 44 usmagazine.com
  39. ↑ Aric Jenkins: Bill Cosby Reveals That He Is Now Blind , time.com , April 26, 2017
  40. ↑ Ricardo Montero-Hernandez: Bill Cosby is legally blind, according to defense attorneys . In: CNN , October 28, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2021. 
  41. ↑ Jeff Schogol: Bill Cosby made honorary chief petty officer. Stars and Stripes, February 17, 2011, accessed January 21, 2016 .
  42. ^ Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs: Navy Revokes Honorary Title for Cosby. US Department of the Navy, December 4, 2014, accessed January 21, 2016 .
  43. ↑ Devon Ivie: BILL COSBY JUNE 19, 2018 42 Universities on the Status of Bill Cosby's Honorary Degrees. In: Vulture. June 19, 2018, accessed October 9, 2020 .
  44. ^ Statement in Bill Cosby's honorary degree. In: Temple University . April 27, 2018, accessed October 9, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Bruce Haring: Bill Cosby Honorary Doctorate Pulled By Temple University, His Alma Mater. In: Deadline. April 27, 2018, accessed October 9, 2020 .
  46. ↑ Kennedy Center rescinds Bill Cosby's Honors and awards Twain . In: The Washington Post , May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  47. ↑ a b Chart sources: US
  48. ↑ Music Sales Awards: US
personal data
SURNAME Cosby, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cosby, William Henry Jr. (real name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actor, comedian, singer, and writer
DATE OF BIRTH July 12, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA