Bill Cobbs, Veteran Character Actor From ‘The Bodyguard,’ ‘The West Wing’ And More, Dies At Age 90

Bill Cobbs, the actor who is best known for playing as Alan Tatum on The West Wing, died at age 90 on Tuesday at his home in Riverside, Calif. Cobbs, also remembered for playing as Devaney in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston, appeared in more than 200 films and TV shows, Variety reported. The longtime Hollywood star made his TV debut in the 1975 public television educational series, Vegetable Soup.

Cobbs also appeared on popular shows such as The Sopranos, Good Times, Sesame Street and My Wife and Kids. In 2020, Cobbs earned recognition for his role on the Dino Dana series. The Cleveland native received a Daytime Emmy Award at that time for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program.

Cobbs made his film debut in 1974 when he starred on The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Since then, Cobbs appeared on The Hitter in 1979, Brother From Another Planet in 1984 and Air Bud in 1997. He also starred on I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Night At The Museum in 2006 and The Muppets in 2011.

Cobbs worked as an Air Force radar technician before leaving his hometown of Cleveland and moving to New York to start his acting career at age 36. The iconic actor started his career in theaters and continued to gain fame around the country.

Loved ones paid tribute on social media after Cobbs died on Tuesday. Thomas Cobbs, a relative of the 90-year-old star, described him as  a “beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend.”

“As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father,” Thomas wrote on Facebook, per Variety. “We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”