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 Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for the series Dino Dana. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Cobbs, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• 2025Broken Church — Pastor Evans
• 2022Block Party — Uncle Jim
• 2022Caroltyn — Dr. Mason
• 2021Saving Paradise — John Thompson
• 2020Dino Dana: The Movie — Mr. Hendersen (Uncredited)
• 2019Beyond the Law — Swilley
• 2018As Evil Does — Jeremiah
• 2018Clipped Wings, They Do Fly — Judge Johnson
• 2017My Christmas Grandpa — Fred
• 2016Call Me King — Malachi
• Greenleaf — Henry McCready, John McCready
• 2016New Life — Mr. Charles
• 2015A House Is Not a Home — Paul
• The Carmichael Show — Vernon
• 2015The Great Gilly Hopkins — Mr Randolph
• 2015The Ultimate Legacy — Ted Hamilton
• 2014Christmas in Palm Springs — Gabriel
• Hand of God — Papa Gene
• 2014Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb — Reginald
• 2014Of Mind and Music — Stompleg
• 2014On Angel's Wings — Mr. Dupac
• Rake — Judge Rutchland, Federal Judge
• 2013Dear Secret Santa — Ted
• Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — Old Man
• 2013Oz the Great and Powerful — Master Tinker
• 2013The Last Letter — Pastor
• 2013The Ultimate Life — Ted Hamilton
• Go On — George
• 2012Lukewarm — Thomas
• 2012The Undershepherd — Dr. Ezekiel Cannon
• Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior — Bishop Sanford
• Harry's Law — Judge
• 2011The Arcadian — Charles
• 2011The Muppets — Grandfather
• 2011The Tenant — Jack Rymer
• 2010Get Low — Rev. Charlie Jackson
• 2010No Limit Kids - Much Ado About Middle School
• The Glades — Gregory Richmond
• 2010The Search for Santa Paws — Mr. Stewart
• 2008The Morgue — George
• 2008This Man's Life — Myer Truman
• Army Wives — Harry
• October Road
• Side Order of Life — Eddie Morgan
• 2007The Ultimate Gift — Ted Hamilton
• 2007Three Days to Vegas — Marvin Jeffries
• 2006Hard Luck — Cobb
• 2006Night at the Museum — Reginald
• 2006Queen of Swing — Narrator
• 2006Special Ed — Lou
• 2005Duck — Norman
• 2005The Derby Stallion — Houston Jones
• 2005The Final Patient — Dr. Daniel Green
• 10-8: Officers on Duty — Earl Edmonds
• 2003A Mighty Wind — Blues Musician
• One Tree Hill — Gus
• 2002Enough — Jim Toller
• 2002Sunshine State — Dr. Elton Lloyd
• 2001A Rugrats Kwanzaa — Uncle Charles (voice)
• My Wife and Kids
• Six Feet Under — Mr. Jones
• Star Trek: Enterprise — Dr. Emory Erickson
• The Division — Mr. Greene
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Harry Bastille
• 2000For All Time — Proprietor / Conductor
• Soul Food — Mr. Bradford
• The Michael Richards Show — Jack
• The Others — Elmer Greentree
• 2000The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
• Yes, Dear — Counterman
• 1999Random Hearts — Marvin
• The Sopranos — Reverend James Sr.
• The West Wing — Alan Tatum
• 1998Always Outnumbered — Right Burke
• 1998Hope Floats — Nurse
• 1998I Still Know What You Did Last Summer — Estes
• L.A. Doctors — Bob
• 1998Paulie — Virgil the Janitor
• The Wild Thornberrys — Chief (voice)
• 1997Air Bud — Arthur Chaney
• 1997Soulmates — Mr. Williams
• The Gregory Hines Show
• The Practice — Arthur Turner
• 1996Ed — Tipton
• 1996First Kid — Speet
• 1996Ghosts of Mississippi — Charlie Evers
• 1996Nightjohn — Old man
• 1996That Thing You Do! — Del Paxton
• 1996Thrill — Norm Duprey
• 1995Captiva Island — Vernon
• 1995Divas — Sippy
• 1995Fluke — Bert
• 1995Goldilocks and the Three Bears — Caleb
• JAG — Matthew Turner
• 1995Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long — Pullman Porter
• 1995Man with a Gun — Henry Griggs
• 1995Out There — Lyman Weeks
• The Drew Carey Show — Tony
• The Outer Limits — Second Elder - Prisoner No. 91777, Joe Dell
• The Watcher
• The Wayans Bros. — Fred Watson
• 1995Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead — Malt
• 1995Tuesday Morning Ride — Jeff
• ER — Mr. Bowman
• 1994The Hudsucker Proxy — Moses
• Touched by an Angel — Henry Baldwin
• 1993Demolition Man — Zachary Lamb - Aged
• 1993Fatal Instinct — Man in Park
• 1993I'll Fly Away: Then and Now — Lewis Coleman
• NYPD Blue — Bernie Carpenter, Norval Stevens
• Walker, Texas Ranger — Gino Costa
• 1992Exiled in America — Abraham White
• 1992Roadside Prophets — Oscar
• 1992The Bodyguard — Bill Devaney
• 1991Carolina Skeletons — Elijah Crooks
• I'll Fly Away — Lewis Coleman
• 1991New Jack City — Old Man
• 1991The Hard Way — Raggedy Man
• 1991The People Under the Stairs — Grandpa Booker
• 1990Decoration Day — Gee Pennywell
• Gabriel's Fire
• 1990Moe's World
• Northern Exposure — Angelo Maxwell
• The Trials of Rosie O'Neill — Fish Fry Baby
• True Colors
• Coach — George
• 1989The January Man — Detective Reilly
• 1988Bird — Dr. Caulfield
• 1988Dominick and Eugene — Jesse Johnson
• Empty Nest
• 1987Five Corners — Elderly Man in Bar
• 1987Suspect — Judge Franklin
• Designing Women — Henry / Charlie
• 1986Johnny Bull — Wiggins
• L.A. Law — Webb Johnson, Webb Cobbs
• 1986Streets of Gold — Dishwasher at Klebanov's (uncredited)
• 1986The Color of Money — Orvis
• 1985Compromising Positions — Sgt. Williams
• Spenser: For Hire
• The Equalizer — Barry
• Kate & Allie
• 1984The Brother from Another Planet — Walter
• 1984The Cotton Club — Big Joe Ison
• Rage of Angels — Abraham Wilson
• 1983Silkwood — Man in Lunchroom
• 1983Trading Places — Bartender
• 1982The Member of the Wedding — T.T. Williams
• 1979The Hitter — Louisiana Slim
• 1977A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich — Bartender
• 1977Greased Lightning — Mr Jones, Mr. Jones
• 1975A Boy and a Boa — father
• Good Times
• 1974The Taking of Pelham One Two Three — Man on Platform
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Gee Pennywell

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 2004Beah: A Black Woman Speaks — Self