Bill Cobbs

Bill Cobbs

1934-06-16 Cleveland, Ohio, USA 98 Credits

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

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Complete Filmography

Caroltyn

Caroltyn

2022

as Dr. Mason

2.7
Acting

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

Block Party

2022

as Uncle Jim

6.1
Acting

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

Saving Paradise

2021

as John Thompson

5.9
Acting

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

Dino Dana: The Movie

2020

as Mr. Hendersen (Uncredited)

7.2
Acting

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

Beyond the Law

2019

as Swilley

5.2
Acting

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

My Christmas Grandpa

2017

as Fred

3.4
Acting

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

Call Me King

2017

as Malachi

5.0
Acting

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

New Life

2016

as Mr. Charles

6.7
Acting

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

The Ultimate Legacy

2015

as Ted Hamilton

5.6
Acting

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

The Great Gilly Hopkins

2015

as Mr Randolph

6.6
Acting

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

A House Is Not a Home

2015

as Paul

2.0
Acting

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

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

2014

as Reginald

6.2
Acting

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

Christmas In Palm Springs

2014

as Gabriel

5.0
Acting

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

Of Mind and Music

2014

as Stompleg

5.6
Acting

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

On Angel's Wings

2014

as Mr. Dupac

Acting

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

The Last Letter

2013

as Pastor

3.6
Acting

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

Dear Secret Santa

2013

as Ted

6.0
Acting

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

The Ultimate Life

2013

as Ted Hamilton

6.9
Acting

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

Oz the Great and Powerful

2013

as Master Tinker

5.9
Acting

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

The Undershepherd

2012

as Dr. Ezekiel Cannon

2.0
Acting

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

Lukewarm

2012

as Thomas

5.0
Acting

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

The Muppets

2011

as Grandfather

6.7
Acting

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

The Tenant

2011

as Jack Rymer

3.5
Acting

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

The Arcadian

2011

as Charles

Acting

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

The Search for Santa Paws

2010

as Mr. Stewart

6.3
Acting

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

Get Low

2010

as Rev. Charlie Jackson

6.7
Acting

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

No Limit Kids - Much Ado About Middle School

2010

6.0
Acting

Comedy - Bill Cobbs, Lee Meriwether, Blake Michael

Black Water Transit

2009

as Frank Vermillion

4.2
Acting

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

2.0
Acting

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

The Morgue

2008

as George

4.7
Acting

A supernatural killer terrorizes a group of people in an eerie morgue.

The Ultimate Gift

The Ultimate Gift

2007

as Ted Hamilton

7.6
Acting

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

Three Days to Vegas

2007

as Marvin Jeffries

3.8
Acting

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

Night at the Museum

2006

as Reginald

6.6
Acting

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

Hard Luck

2006

as Cobb

5.6
Acting

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

Acting

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

Special Ed

2006

as Lou

9.0
Acting

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

The Final Patient

2005

as Dr. Daniel Green

6.6
Acting

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

The Derby Stallion

2005

as Houston Jones

5.9
Acting

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

Duck

2005

as Norman

6.9
Acting

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

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks

2004

as Self

Acting

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

A Mighty Wind

2003

as Blues Musician

6.7
Acting

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

Sunshine State

2002

as Dr. Elton Lloyd

6.4
Acting

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

Enough

2002

as Jim Toller

6.7
Acting

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

A Rugrats Kwanzaa

2001

as Uncle Charles (voice)

6.8
Acting

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

For All Time

2000

as Proprietor / Conductor

6.3
Acting

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

The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story

2000

Acting

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

Random Hearts

1999

as Marvin

5.5
Acting

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

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

1998

as Estes

5.4
Acting

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

Hope Floats

1998

as Nurse

6.4
Acting

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

Paulie

1998

as Virgil the Janitor

6.9
Acting

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

Always Outnumbered

1998

as Right Burke

6.4
Acting

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

Air Bud

1997

as Arthur Chaney

5.6
Acting

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

Ghosts of Mississippi

1996

as Charlie Evers

6.6
Acting

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!

That Thing You Do!

1996

as Del Paxton

6.9
Acting

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

First Kid

1996

as Speet

5.7
Acting

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

Nightjohn

1996

as Old man

5.6
Acting

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

Ed

1996

as Tipton

4.1
Acting

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

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

1995

as Malt

6.4
Acting

Five different criminals face imminent death after botching a job quite badly.

Out There

Out There

1995

as Lyman Weeks

4.8
Acting

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

Man with a Gun

1995

as Henry Griggs

4.6
Acting

Madsen plays an assassin who's hired to kill the woman he loves.

Divas

Divas

1995

as Sippy

10.0
Acting

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

Fluke

1995

as Bert

7.1
Acting

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

Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long

1995

as Pullman Porter

7.5
Acting

A Louisiana governor becomes a controversial political kingpin during the Depression.

Captiva Island

1995

as Vernon

Acting

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

Tuesday Morning Ride

1995

as Jeff

6.3
Acting

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

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

1995

as Caleb

4.5
Acting

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

The Hudsucker Proxy

1994

as Moses

7.1
Acting

A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.

Fatal Instinct

Fatal Instinct

1993

as Man in Park

5.4
Acting

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

8.0
Acting

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

Demolition Man

1993

as Zachary Lamb - Aged

6.7
Acting

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

The Bodyguard

1992

as Bill Devaney

6.7
Acting

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

Exiled in America

1992

as Abraham White

3.0
Acting

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

Roadside Prophets

1992

as Oscar

5.7
Acting

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

The People Under the Stairs

1991

as Grandpa Booker

6.5
Acting

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

Carolina Skeletons

1991

as Elijah Crooks

6.8
Acting

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

New Jack City

1991

as Old Man

6.6
Acting

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

The Hard Way

1991

as Raggedy Man

6.2
Acting

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

Decoration Day

1990

as Gee Pennywell

7.0
Acting

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

Moe's World

1990

Acting

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

The January Man

1989

as Detective Reilly

5.0
Acting

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

Bird

1988

as Dr. Caulfield

6.8
Acting

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

Dominick and Eugene

1988

as Jesse Johnson

6.8
Acting

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

Suspect

1987

as Judge Franklin

6.6
Acting

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

Five Corners

1987

as Elderly Man in Bar

5.8
Acting

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

The Color of Money

1986

as Orvis

6.9
Acting

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

Johnny Bull

1986

as Wiggins

1.0
Acting

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

Compromising Positions

1985

as Sgt. Williams

5.5
Acting

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

The Cotton Club

1984

as Big Joe Ison

6.5
Acting

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

The Brother from Another Planet

1984

as Walter

6.6
Acting

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

Silkwood

1983

as Man in Lunchroom

7.0
Acting

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

Trading Places

Trading Places

1983

as Bartender

7.2
Acting

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

Rage of Angels

1983

as Abraham Wilson

7.0
Acting

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

The Member of the Wedding

1982

as T.T. Williams

5.0
Acting

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

The Hitter

1979

as Louisiana Slim

3.7
Acting

An ex-professional boxer gets a new start when teaming up with an ageing hoodlum and an ex-call girl.

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning

1977

as Mr Jones

6.3
Acting

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

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning

1977

as Mr. Jones

6.3
Acting

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

Acting

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

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1974

as Man on Platform

7.5
Acting

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?