Did You Know...

Cosby left high school early to join the Navy and after 4 years service entered Temple University on an athletic scholarship. It was his natural sense of humor that prompted him to create a comedy routine during his college years. An enthusiastic response from local nightclubs quickly turned into something much bigger. By 1962 he was performing at New York's Gaslight Cafe and within a year was making his first appearance on 'The Tonight Show'.

Cosby's breakout role came on a show called 'I Spy' with actor Robert Culp in which he played an undercover CIA agent from 1965 to 1968. With that came the honor of being the first African-American actor to star in a weekly television drama series, three Emmy Awards and a lot of national attention. This assured Cosby a place in entertainment and popularity among consumers, viewers and his peers alike. Cosby furthered his career by recording several comedy albums, including the best selling 'Why Is There Air?', 'Revenge', and 'Wonderfulness'. His film credits include 'Man And Boy', 'Mother', 'Jugs' and 'Speed' with Raquel Welch.

The first of many series to bear Cosby's name began in 1969 with 'The Bill Cosby Show'. Between 1969 and the early 80's the world saw his name on 'The Electric Company', the animated 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids', 'The New Cosby Show', and 'Cos'. Then in 1982 Cosby released what would be known as his greatest accomplishment until that time, a comedy and performance movie and album entitled 'Bill Cosby: Himself'.