US actor Bill Cobbs, who appeared in Night At The Museum and The Bodyguard, has died aged 90. His agent confirmed to the PA news agency the actor died on Tuesday evening in California surrounded by his family. Cobbs played Whitney Houston’s manager Bill Devaney in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, which also starred Kevin Costner.
The veteran actor also portrayed security guard Reggie in 2006’s Night at the Museum, opposite Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. Cobbs’ agent said it is thought the actor died of natural causes.
The actor’s other film credits included Air Bud, Sunshine State, Get Low, Ghosts of Mississippi, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Color of Money, Demolition Man and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
He also appeared in episodes of The West Wing, The Sopranos, LA Law, One Tree Hill, NYPD Blue, Six Feet Under, CSI and Star Trek: Enterprise. Cobbs notched up about 200 film and television credits, and was regularly cast in small but pivotal roles. Actor Wesley Snipes was among those paying tribute on social media, writing on Twitter: “Rest in Power King.”
Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph tweeted: “Emmy winner, working actor and wonderful human being, Bill Cobbs [has] transitioned to act on a higher stage.”
The Wire star Wendell Pierce, who worked with Cobbs on I’ll Fly Away and The Gregory Hines Show, described him as a “father figure, a griot, an iconic artist”. Bill Cobbs was born and raised in Cleveland,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“He shared so many stories about the city he loved. It’s serendipity that I’m here in Cleveland as I learn of his passing. He comes from a great legacy of the Black Theatre.
“His passing reminds me of the talent pool that populated the Black Theatre at that time. They were that Moses generation that is leaving us now passing on a great responsibility.
Source: BBC
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