Bill Cobbs, a veteran actor with roles in Oz the Great and Powerful, The Bodyguard and dozens of TV shows, has died. He was 90.
Cobbs passed away surrounded by family at his home in the Inland Empire area of Southern California on June 25, his publicist Chuck I. Jones confirmed to Urban Hollywood 411 this afternoon.
The actor suffered from various age-related illnesses, yet he always looked forward to working and had been cast in a string of upcoming projects, according to Jones.
“I had just spoken with him three weeks ago and he was in great spirits,” Jones said.
Born William Francisco Cobbs in Cleveland, Ohio on June 16, 1934, he served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years and later sold cars before moving to New York to pursue a career as an actor.
He worked on stage and made his feature film debut in the 1974 crime drama, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
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Cobbs was best known for his roles in the films The Bodyguard (1992); Air Bud (1997); and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He also starred in the Night at the Museum films.
“He was most proud of The Bodyguard. He thoroughly enjoyed working with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner,” Jones told Urban Hollywood 411 about his client. “When Whitney passed away, he attended her funeral.”
Jones said Cobbs also had fond memories of his role as “Master Tinker” in Oz the Great and Powerful.
The actor had recently been cast in the upcoming Oz the Great and Powerful 2, which is currently in development.
With a Hollywood career that spanned five decades, Cobbs had parts on the TV series Good Times, One Life to Live, The Slap Maxwell Story, I’ll Fly Away, The Gregory Hines Show, Sesame Street, and more recently Greenleaf and The Carmichael Show, according to his IMDb page.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020, in the category of Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for children’s show Dino Dana.
Cobbs is survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.
