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Booking Bill Cosby - Stand-up Comedians, actors - © Richard De La Font Agency, Inc. - For serious booking inquiries only, click here: For More Information
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Bill Cosby is, by any standards, one of the most influential stars in America today. Whether it be through concert appearances or recordings, television or films, commercials or education, Bill Cosby has the ability to touch people's lives. His humor often centers on the basic cornerstones of our existence, seeking to provide an insight into our roles as parents, children, family members, and men and women. Without resorting to gimmickry or low-brow humor, Bill Cosby's comedy has a point of reference and respect for the trappings and traditions of the great American humorists such as Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx.
The 1984-92 run of "The Cosby Show"
and his books "Fatherhood"
and "Time Flies"
established new benchmarks on how success is measured. His status at
the top of the TVQ survey year after year continues to confirm his
appeal as one of the most popular personalities in America. Cosby's
believability and humor makes him most effective as the spokesman for
Jell-O.
Cosby's initial immediate success began with "Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow, Right?" And continued with many other comedy albums. He also has released a number of jazz recordings, including "Hello, Friend - to Ennis With Love" (released in 1997). Cosby has earned five Grammy Awards for the best comedy album.
Bill Cosby represents the voice of a vast, ordinary world. Everyone seems to easily identify with his characters and the situations they find themselves in. He gives the twist of the ridiculous to everyday faults, foibles and successes and makes them a recognizable slice of life. Bill Cosby points out the humor in our lives, and in doing so, he touches our hearts. Because of this, his appeal is not restricted to any specific group. His qualities have endeared him to people from all walks of life.
It is the fusion of these qualities that has resulted in television's biggest and most influential hit of the modern era, "The Cosby Show." The show was credited by many for single-handedly resurrecting the sitcom genre. Cosby's return to television after eight years was promoted by what he perceived as a lack of relevance and an abundance of superficiality in TV comedy programming. Week after week of #1 ratings and the almost unanimous critical acclaim only confirms that others agree with his opinion.
Life Magazine wrote: "Cosby's success may have changed the game as well as the scores. Before his show hit the air, many viewers had rejected prime time television as an electronic wasteland of crime, slime, glitz and glands…What Cosby offered instead was a gentle, whimsical, warm-hearted sitcom about family life that found humor in the little things that happen in every home and everlasting value in the love and trust that exist between parents and children… Nobody actually says this family represents the whole human family, but the delicious ordinariness of its pleasures and tribulations has given millions a fresh, laughter-splashed perspective on their own domestic lives."
Exercising his deep concern with projecting positive images of African Americans, Bill Cosby together with partners, Tom Werner and Marcy Carsey, produced "A Different World" on NBC for seven seasons. In his partnership, they also put on the air "Here and Now" (starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner) for NBC and the revival of the classic Groucho Marx show, "You Bet Your Life," for first run syndication.
During 1994, Cosby also starred in "The Cosby Mysteries," a series on NBC, broadcast during the 1994-5 season, and the CBS television movie "I Spy Returns," co-starring his original partner Robert Culp.
With over thirty years in comedy, Bill Cosby is, for many young comedians, the man who wrote the textbook. What Cosby teaches is to approach the monologue as a screenwriter looks at real life, bringing to each story the structure and body of a complete work. The Cosby student will also learn that one does not have to use offensive language or risque topics to obtain laughs. According to Cosby, "Anyone should be able to say on stage what they want. But those who have knowledge, do understand that certain things on stage can be abused and misused. And if such topics are used just for laughter, the humor will not stand the test of time."
Cosby is, without a doubt, the best-selling comedian of all time on records. During the mid-sixties, Cosby had as many as six albums on the charts at one time. Eight of the albums have been certified Gold Records by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In addition, Bill Cosby has filmed numerous television specials, starred in NBC-TV's "Children's Theater" and PBS-TV's "The Electric Company" (the latter created by the Sesame Street Children's Television Workshop) and has written, directed and produced two educational TV shows ("Concern," dealing with his concern for school children and "Prejudice," an irreverent spoof of prejudiced hang-ups). His production company also turned out two animated specials featuring his lovable gallery of childhood pals.
In the early 80's, Cosby hosted "Picture Pages" on Captain Kangaroo's "Wake Up" program on CBS. Today, the Instruction Cosby leads, which is designed to develop readiness skills in pre-school children, is available on home video by Disney. The series was awarded the Gold Award at the 1981 International Film & TV Festival in new York as "Outstanding Children's Program."
To support himself during his college days, Cosby tended bar at night, where he found a ready-made audience for his brand of home-grown humor. The enthusiasm of his customers convinced him that he might have a chance as a comedian.
His first stage appearance (for $5 a night) was at a night spot called "The Underground" in a small room named "The Cellar." It didn't have a stage, so Cosby did his act on a table with a chair propped on it. He not only had to climb over the bar to get to the "stage," but he couldn't stand up because of his height. He was probably the world's first "sit-down" comedian.
In addition, Cosby earned a Master Degree in Education (M. Ed.) in 1972 and his Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in 1977 from the University of Massachusetts. His doctoral thesis was titled "The Integration of Visual Media Via Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Into the Elementary Schools Culminating as a Teacher Aid to Achieve Increased Learning."
The legacy of Cosby's comedic genius continues to make sure that those echoes will continue to be heard around the world.
Film credits include --
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