Biography
William Francisco Cobbs (June 16, 1934 – June 25, 2024) was an American actor. He was known for such film roles as Louisiana Slim in The Hitter (1979), Walter in The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Reginald in Night at the Museum (2006) and Master Tinker on Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He played Lewis Coleman on I'll Fly Away (1991–1993), Jack on The Michael Richards Show (2000), and had guest appearances on Walker, Texas Ranger and The Sopranos. In 2020, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Caroltyn
2022
as Dr. Mason
When a mysterious illness targets several children in the small town of Caroltyn, young single mom Kofi is forced to confront the past and the heartbr...

Block Party
2022
as Uncle Jim
Recent Harvard grad Keke McQueen, 23, is eager to ditch her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan for her dream job in Atlanta, but when Keke discovers t...

Saving Paradise
2021
as John Thompson
A ruthless corporate raider is forced to return to his small town roots where he suddenly inherits his father's nearly bankrupt pencil factory, which ...

Dino Dana: The Movie
2020
as Mr. Hendersen (Uncredited)
Finds 10-year-old Dana, who sees dinosaurs in the real world, solving dino experiment #901 - where are all the kid dinosaurs? But while working on the...

Beyond the Law
2019
as Swilley
When a former detective learns of the murder of his estranged son, he ventures back to the darkened streets he once knew so well. Armed, dangerous and...

My Christmas Grandpa
2017
as Fred
The cashier at a small market is a grouchy man who never has a smile for anyone; but when a little girl asks for a Grandpa for Christmas and chooses h...

Call Me King
2017
as Malachi
In the international world of gun running... loyalty, honor and discretion are valuable commodities, but nothing is more priceless than the bond of fa...

New Life
2016
as Mr. Charles
Benjamin Morton's life changed forever the day he met the little girl next door. Ava was and always would be the girl of his dreams. From the innocen...

The Ultimate Legacy
2015
as Ted Hamilton
A self-absorbed young man is challenged to grow a conscience and change his ways in order to receive an inheritance.

The Great Gilly Hopkins
2015
as Mr Randolph
Young and feisty Gilly Hopkins (Sophie Nélisse) devises a scheme to escape from her new foster home and reunite with her birth mother.

A House Is Not a Home
2015
as Paul
Ben (Webb) and Linda Williams move the family into a dream home in a last ditch effort to save their troubled marriage. Despite their good intentions,...

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
2014
as Reginald
When the magic powers of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah begin to die out, Larry Daley spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on...

Christmas In Palm Springs
2014
as Gabriel
Jessica has a big presentation in Palm Springs. There are a couple of problems though: her two kids who will do anything to get mom and dad back toget...

Of Mind and Music
2014
as Stompleg
Dr. Alvaro Cruz, a neuroscientist, disillusioned by the death of his mother and his inability to help her, finds redemption and reward by helping Una ...

On Angel's Wings
2014
as Mr. Dupac
When the Angel's Soccer team's top player is injured, the Coach decides to play water girl McKenzie Adams. Things don't go precisely according to plan...

The Last Letter
2013
as Pastor
Catharine Wright struggles with a debilitating sleep disorder. Her husband Michael struggles to cope when their new born son lay in the wake.

Dear Secret Santa
2013
as Ted
Beverly Hills banker/workaholic Jennifer comes home to her small Northern California town just before Christmas when her dad, Ted, takes a bad fall wh...

The Ultimate Life
2013
as Ted Hamilton
Despite his best intentions, billionaire Jason Stevens can’t find enough time to keep his beloved Alexia a priority. But when he discovers his late gr...

Oz the Great and Powerful
2013
as Master Tinker
Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wiza...

The Undershepherd
2012
as Dr. Ezekiel Cannon
Best friends LC and Roland are two young ministers, climbing the ranks at the First Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Dr. Ezekial Canon.

Lukewarm
2012
as Thomas
Luke Rogers was the ideal "Christian". Now in his mid-twenties, Luke has found himself far from the good Christian life he used to lead.

The Muppets
2011
as Grandfather
When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his puppet brother, Wal...

The Tenant
2011
as Jack Rymer
A simple man, Dr. Walter Newman has high aspirations to cure all disease through genetic manipulation. His obsession with his mission draws him deeper...

The Arcadian
2011
as Charles
The Arcadian follows "The Lighthouse Keeper" on a story of revenge and redemption in a strange future world reminiscent of wild 1970s pop. The visual ...

The Search for Santa Paws
2010
as Mr. Stewart
When Santa and his new best friend, Paws, discover that the boys and girls of the world have lost the spirit of the season, they take a trip to New Yo...

Get Low
2010
as Rev. Charlie Jackson
A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicki...

No Limit Kids - Much Ado About Middle School
2010
Comedy - Bill Cobbs, Lee Meriwether, Blake Michael
Black Water Transit
2009
as Frank Vermillion
In this action thriller set in post-Katrina New Orleans, business owner Jack Vermillion (Laurence Fishburne) is struggling to run a legitimate shippin...
This Man's Life
2008
as Myer Truman
A magical tale about a man traveling home to claim his estranged father's inheritance when he encounters a peculiar stranger that seems to know everyt...

The Morgue
2008
as George
A supernatural killer terrorizes a group of people in an eerie morgue.

The Ultimate Gift
2007
as Ted Hamilton
When his wealthy grandfather finally dies, Jason Stevens fully expects to benefit when it comes to the reading of the will. But instead of a sizable i...

Three Days to Vegas
2007
as Marvin Jeffries
Four grumpy old men go on a road trip from their retired life in Florida to the excitement of Las Vegas in order to stop one of their daughters from m...

Night at the Museum
2006
as Reginald
Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army o...

Hard Luck
2006
as Cobb
Three converging story lines involving bootleggers, a serial killer and drug dealers are followed. A former drug dealer tries to go straight, but come...
Queen of Swing
2006
as Narrator
QUEEN OF SWING recounts the true story of a Jazz Age trailblazer — 95-year-old entertainer Norma Miller. The engaging biography highlights the life, c...

Special Ed
2006
as Lou
Dr. David Edwards is a cancer specialist, and his life is his work. His only friend is Lou Rosen, 73. Lou is also David's patient, but at his age, cha...

The Final Patient
2005
as Dr. Daniel Green
When retired physician Daniel Green (Bill Cobbs, Night at the Museum) lifts a 5-ton farm tractor off a boy trapped beneath, the enigma of his supernat...

The Derby Stallion
2005
as Houston Jones
An alcoholic former horse-trainer perceives in a fifteen-year-old boy a unique gift of horsemanship and makes it possible for the boy to conceive his ...

Duck
2005
as Norman
An aging widower and a duck encounter helpful and hostile characters as they search for a place and a reason to live.

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
2004
as Self
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks is a 2003 documentary about the life of Academy Award nominated actress Beah Richards. Directed by Lisa Gay Hamilton, it wo...

A Mighty Wind
2003
as Blues Musician
Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion co...

Sunshine State
2002
as Dr. Elton Lloyd
A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estat...

Enough
2002
as Jim Toller
Working-class waitress Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married Mitch, the man of her dreams. After the arrival of thei...

A Rugrats Kwanzaa
2001
as Uncle Charles (voice)
When Aunt T. visits the Carmichaels to celebrate Kwanzaa, she tells Susie the holiday is a time to honor the legacy of our great people.

For All Time
2000
as Proprietor / Conductor
A man facing middle-age and a failing marriage finds a time slip that can take him back to the end of the nineteenth century.

The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000
Documents the race riot of 1921 and the destruction of the African-American community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With testimony by eyewitnesses ...

Random Hearts
1999
as Marvin
After losing their spouses in a plane crash, an internal affairs cop and a congresswoman find each other's keys in each other's loved ones' possession...

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
1998
as Estes
Ever since killing the Fisherman one year ago, Julie James is still haunted by images of him after her. When her best friend Karla wins free tickets t...

Hope Floats
1998
as Nurse
Birdee Pruitt has been humiliated on live television by her best friend, Connie, who's been sleeping with Birdee's husband, Bill. Birdee tries startin...

Paulie
1998
as Virgil the Janitor
Paulie, a talking parrot, recounts his travels looking for his original owner to a Russian janitor who helps him to the end of his journey.

Always Outnumbered
1998
as Right Burke
An ex-con moves to L.A. to find work and creates a disturbance by fighting for a position. More importantly he touches the lives of many of his neighb...

Air Bud
1997
as Arthur Chaney
A lonely boy befriends a stray dog who has a natural talent for basketball and together they experience the highs and lows of life as their friendship...

Ghosts of Mississippi
1996
as Charlie Evers
A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to bring a white supremacist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights...

That Thing You Do!
1996
as Del Paxton
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager.

First Kid
1996
as Speet
Some say that to be the leader of a country is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. But being the child of a world leader can be doubly so. Constan...

Nightjohn
1996
as Old man
John is a man of many talents, including one forbidden skill: he can read. When he teaches a young slave girl named Sarny to read and write, she learn...

Ed
1996
as Tipton
Jack Cooper could be a world-class baseball pitcher if he didn't keep buckling under the pressure. He tries to keep his spirits up after he's traded t...

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
1995
as Malt
Five different criminals face imminent death after botching a job quite badly.

Out There
1995
as Lyman Weeks
A Pulitzer Prize winning photographer is fired from his job for not being sensationalistic enough. After he purchases an old camera at a yard sale, he...

Man with a Gun
1995
as Henry Griggs
Madsen plays an assassin who's hired to kill the woman he loves.

Divas
1995
as Sippy
This pilot for a prospective series is an ensemble drama chronicling the ups and downs of a young, all-female, black singing group from Seattle.

Fluke
1995
as Bert
Workaholic Thomas Johnson dies in an auto accident and reincarnates as a dog. Remembering some of his previous being, he returns to his wife and son t...

Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long
1995
as Pullman Porter
A Louisiana governor becomes a controversial political kingpin during the Depression.
Captiva Island
1995
as Vernon
While vacationing on Captiva Island, Florida with his parents, a teen, gloomy about his future, finds love and friendship when he meats a cute girl an...

Tuesday Morning Ride
1995
as Jeff
Tuesday Morning Ride is based on the short story "A Summer Tragedy" by Arna Bontemps, a Harlem Renaissance writer. Set in the 1930s, the story depicts...

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
1995
as Caleb
Orphaned after her parents are killed in an accident, Goldilocks is sent to live with her Uncle Hal in the country. Meanwhile, Uncle Hal, an eco-frien...

The Hudsucker Proxy
1994
as Moses
A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.

Fatal Instinct
1993
as Man in Park
Ned Ravine is a police officer and lawyer who occasionally defends the delinquents he arrests. He crosses paths with seductive Lola Cain during an ass...
I'll Fly Away: Then and Now
1993
as Lewis Coleman
Lilly Taylor returns to her hometown for the first time in thirty years, where she remembers the dramatic events that led to her leaving, and learns w...

Demolition Man
1993
as Zachary Lamb - Aged
In 1996, brash L.A. detective John Spartan and maniac killer Simon Phoenix are both sentenced to decades in a cryogenic prison as punishment for a res...

The Bodyguard
1992
as Bill Devaney
A former Secret Service agent grudgingly takes an assignment to protect a pop idol who's threatened by a crazed fan. At first, the safety-obsessed bod...

Exiled in America
1992
as Abraham White
A Central American revolutionary is captured and tortured by government forces. He escapes and flees to the US, hiding out in a rural area where he is...

Roadside Prophets
1992
as Oscar
On a quest to fulfill a friend's last wish, Joe takes to the desert road on his 1957 Harley-Davidson. Joined by wannabe biker Sam, Joe journeys from L...

The People Under the Stairs
1991
as Grandpa Booker
Trapped inside a fortified home owned by a mysterious couple, a young boy quickly learns the true nature of the homicidal inhabitants, and secret crea...

Carolina Skeletons
1991
as Elijah Crooks
After a long time in the army, an Afro-American soldier returns to his hometown, where, years ago, his brother was executed for the rape and murder of...

New Jack City
1991
as Old Man
A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infi...

The Hard Way
1991
as Raggedy Man
Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang works a deal with New Yo...

Decoration Day
1990
as Gee Pennywell
A cantankerous widower (Garner) who is virtually living the life of a recluse is forced to rejoin his community when his Godchild (Skaggs) gets in tro...

Moe's World
1990
The spirit of a deceased 11-year-old boy acts as the guardian of his family and friends in the working-class neighborhood he left behind.

The January Man
1989
as Detective Reilly
Nick and Frank Starkey were both policemen. A scandal forced Nick to leave the force, now a serial killer has driven the police to take him back. A we...

Bird
1988
as Dr. Caulfield
Saxophone player Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker comes to New York in 1940 and is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict bu...

Dominick and Eugene
1988
as Jesse Johnson
Dominick and Eugene are twins, but Dominick is a little bit slow due do an accident in his youth. They live together, with Dominick working as garbage...

Suspect
1987
as Judge Franklin
When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson, a homeless veteran who's deaf and ...

Five Corners
1987
as Elderly Man in Bar
A psychotic young man returns to his old neighborhood after release from prison. He seeks out the woman he previously tried to rape and the man who pr...

The Color of Money
1986
as Orvis
Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria and propo...

Johnny Bull
1986
as Wiggins
An English girl comes to America to join her American husband in a Pennsylvania coal town in the late 1950's. She faces the ire of her new mother-in-l...

Compromising Positions
1985
as Sgt. Williams
An ex-newspaper woman who is now a suburban housewife can't resist getting involved in an investigation of the murder of a philandering dentist who ha...

The Cotton Club
1984
as Big Joe Ison
Harlem's legendary Cotton Club becomes a hotbed of passion and violence as the lives and loves of entertainers and gangsters collide.

The Brother from Another Planet
1984
as Walter
An alien slave crash-lands in New York City while being pursued by two Men in Black bounty hunters. His attempt to find a place for himself on Earth p...

Silkwood
1983
as Man in Lunchroom
The story of Karen Silkwood, a metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant who was purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possi...

Trading Places
1983
as Bartender
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Rage of Angels
1983
as Abraham Wilson
Based on Sidney Sheldon's novel. A young assistant district attorney is used by a ruthless attorney to get his client off. She is fired and almost dis...

The Member of the Wedding
1982
as T.T. Williams
12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their upcoming honeymoon. [Taped live in performance at...

The Hitter
1979
as Louisiana Slim
An ex-professional boxer gets a new start when teaming up with an ageing hoodlum and an ex-call girl.

Greased Lightning
1977
as Mr Jones
The true life story of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win an upper-tier NASCAR race.

Greased Lightning
1977
as Mr. Jones
The true life story of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win an upper-tier NASCAR race.
A Boy and a Boa
1975
as father
A story of a young boy and his pet boa. The boa gets loose in a library and gives the viewer a snake’s-eye view of the facilities. We also learn about...

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1974
as Man on Platform
In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?