Bill Cobbs, veteran actor of 'The Bodyguard,' 'Night at the Museum,' dies at 90

Sheri Walsh
·3 min read
Bill Cobbs, who appeared in the motion picture adventure fantasy "Oz The Great and Powerful," attends the premiere of the film at El Capitan Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on February 13, 2013. Cobbs died Wednesday at his home in California at the age of 90. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Bill Cobbs, who appeared in the motion picture adventure fantasy "Oz The Great and Powerful," attends the premiere of the film at El Capitan Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on February 13, 2013. Cobbs died Wednesday at his home in California at the age of 90. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

June 26 (UPI) -- Veteran actor Bill Cobbs, known for more than five decades of character work in films such as The Bodyguard, Night at the Museum and Air Bud, has died at the age of 90.

"We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs," his family wrote in a statement.

"On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones."

"As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time," the actor's brother Thomas Cobbs wrote Wednesday in a Facebook post.

Bill Cobbs, who was a native of Cleveland, served in the U.S. Air Force, sold cars and worked at IBM before getting his start in acting at the age of 36.

Bill Cobbs, who made a cameo appearance in the motion picture musical comedy "The Muppets," attends the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on November 12, 2011. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Bill Cobbs, who made a cameo appearance in the motion picture musical comedy "The Muppets," attends the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on November 12, 2011. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

His first professional acting role was in Ride a Black Horse at the Negro Ensemble Company. He would go on to play more than 150 roles in movies and television shows.

Cobbs played Whitney Houston's manager, Devaney, in the 1992 film The Bodyguard and the coach who put a golden retriever into a basketball lineup in the 1997 Disney movie Air Bud. Cobbs also played a security guard in Night at the Museum in 2006 and returned for the sequel in 2014.

Carolyn Cobbs and Bill Cobbs arrive at the AFI Associates and Sony Pictures Classics motion picture "Get Low" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, in Beverly Hills on July 27, 2010. File Photo by Jonathan Alcorn/UPI/
Carolyn Cobbs and Bill Cobbs arrive at the AFI Associates and Sony Pictures Classics motion picture "Get Low" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, in Beverly Hills on July 27, 2010. File Photo by Jonathan Alcorn/UPI/

Cobbs also appeared in Rob Reiner's Ghosts of Mississippi, played a jazz pianist in Tom Hank's Oscar-nominated That Thing You Do! and was the Master Tinker in Oz the Great and Powerful.

On television, Cobbs played bus driver Tony on The Drew Carey Show and the inventor of the Transporter, Dr. Emory Erickson, on Star Trek: Enterprise.

Cobbs also appeared in One Tree Hill, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, JAG, Northern Exposure and Sesame Street, to name a few.

"It's exciting to have a project and work on it and see it come to fruition, so I can find joy doing this so much," Cobbs said during a 2012 interview.

"Art is somewhat of a prayer, isn't it? We respond to what we see around us and what we feel and how things affect us physically and mentally," Cobbs added. "I enjoy what I do. I really enjoy it."

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