Hudsucker Proxy, Night at the Museum, Air Bud Actor

Bill Cobbs, the compelling actor who played a crucial role in films such as The Hudsucker Proxy, The state of the sun shining And Night at the museumdied. He was 90 years old.

Cobbs died Tuesday night at his home in Riverside, his publicist, Chuck I. Jones, said. TMZ.

A Cleveland native who excelled in comedy as well as drama, Cobbs played Whitney Houston’s manager in The bodyguard (1992), Medgar Evers’ older brother in Rob Reiner’s film Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), jazz pianist in Tom Hanks This thing you do! (1996) and Master Tinker, builder of the Tin Woodsman, in Sam Raimi’s film. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

He also played the role of the wise-cracking coach who placed a basketball-playing dog on the Timberwolves team in Air bud (1997).

On television, Cobbs rose to prominence as the sardonic bartender The Dutchman on the show starring Dabney Coleman. The Story of Slap Maxwellbus driver Tony on The Drew Carey Show, the main character’s father The Gregory Hines Show and Dr. Emory Erickson, the inventor of the Transporter, on Star Trek: Enterprise.

At the Coen brothers The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Cobbs portrays Moses, the mystical clockmaker whose ability to stop time comes none too soon for Tim Robbins’ Norville Barnes.

In John Sayles The state of the shining sun (2002), Cobbs provides a moral compass as a doctor struggling to save his Florida beachside neighborhood from developers. (The actor and filmmaker previously worked together in the 1984 sci-fi comedy. Brother from another planet.)

Cobbs set the plot in motion as Reginald, the soon-to-retire security guard, Night at the museum (2006). He returned for the 2014 sequel.

Wilbert Francisco Cobbs was born on June 16, 1934. After graduating from East Tech High School in Cleveland, he served for eight years in the United States Air Force, where he experimented with stand-up comedy. He worked for IBM and sold cars before appearing on stage for the first time in 1969 in the anti-apartheid musical Lost in the stars at Karamu House in his hometown.

He quickly followed this with roles in Ossie Davis’ Purlie and that of Luigi Pirandello Six characters in search of an author at the venerable Cleveland Theater.

Cobbs headed east a year later and joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York, working with artists like Davis, Ruby Dee, Adolph Caesar and Moses Gunn. “Once I realized I could go on stage with people like that, I thought, ‘Maybe I could be an actor,'” he recalled in 2015.

Alongside César and Esther Rolle, Cobbs appeared off-Broadway in 1971. Ride a black horse and then in Dark Visions for the Joseph Papp Public Theater.

For his big screen debut, he showed up on a subway platform in The taking of Pelham one two three (1974).

“I came home to see my mom and dad, and all our friends and neighbors went to see the movie, and everyone was waiting for me to appear,” he said in 2013. “I’m getting close from a police officer on the subway and say, ‘Hey, man. What is going on?’ “

He then studied on Broadway in Black Picture Show And The first breeze of summer in 1975.

Cobbs’ film resume is also included Greased Lightning (1977), Stock exchanges (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), The color of money (1986), Jack’s New Town (1991), Hard (1991), People under the stairs (1991), The demolisher (1993), Things to do in Denver when you’re dead (1995), Hope floats (1998), A powerful wind (2003), Three days in Vegas (2007), To come down (2009) and The Muppets (2011).

Cobbs was also a regular on Sam Waterston’s show. I will fly away, The Michael Richards Showby Julianne Nicholson Others and that of Matthew Perry keep on goingand he starred in many other series, from The Equalizer, Kate and Allie And The Sopranos has Six feet Under ground And Yes dear.