UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 4, Page 1
September 24, 1992
Bill Cosby brings his comic genius to Carpenter Center
Life magazine calls him "America's funniest father." Publishers
Weekly calls him a bestselling author. Forbes magazine calls him the
world's highest paid entertainer. USA Today calls him "the undisputed
king of television." Spelman College calls him a $20 million
benefactor. Millions of American television viewers call him Dr. Cliff
Huxtable. Pollsters call him the most popular personality in America.
And now, the University of Delaware calls him the first star to
perform in its new Bob Carpenter Center, located at the corner of
Route 896 and the Christina Parkway in Newark.
He is Bill Cosby, and he is bringing his comic genius to the
Carpenter Center at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30. The event is being
sponsored by the Student Program Association and the Perkins Student
Center at the University.
Ticket prices have been set, but procedures for purchasing
tickets are still being finalized. Details will be announced.
All seats are reserved, and tickets will go on sale first for
full-time University undergraduates at $12.50 each on Friday, Oct. 2.
The following Friday, Oct. 9, tickets will go on sale for University
faculty and staff and graduate and part-time students, priced at
$17.50 each. Remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public
at $22.50 each on Friday, Oct. 16. There is a six-ticket limit. Any
tickets that remain on Oct. 30 will be sold at $22.50.
Cosby, who previously performed at the University in 1968, has a
career that touches nearly every aspect of the entertainment world.
His humor is based on insights about the roles that parents and
children and men and women play, without the need for gimmicks or
low-brow comedy
The Cosby Show, which completed its eighth and final season in
the spring, was widely regarded as one of the most successful series
in television history. His newest television venture, a revival of the
classic game show You Bet Your Life, began airing in national
syndication this fall. Produced in Philadelphia, it is shown locally
at 7 p.m. each weekday on WCAU-TV. He and his partners also produce A
Different World, the NBC series now in its sixth season.
His television career began in the 1960s, when he was signed to
star in the series I Spy, in which he and Robert Culp played spies
disguised as tennis bums. The casting of a black man with a white man
as his equal was historic, and it created international interest in
the show and in Cosby. Before the series ended, he had won three Emmy
Awards. His other television shows included The Bill Cosby Show in the
early 1970s, and later he was host of Cos, a variety show. He also has
filmed numerous television specials, and he created the critically
acclaimed Saturday morning cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby
Kids.
In addition to television, Cosby has appeared in several motion
pictures. He made his debut in Man and Boy, which was set in the
post-Civil War era. His other films include Hickey and Boggs, Uptown
Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, Mother, Jugs and Speed, A Piece of
the Action, California Suite, The Devil and Max Devlin , Leonard Part
VI and most recently Ghost Dad.
Cosby's credibility with the public has led to a career as a
spokesman for several companies, including General Foods, Kodak and
Shearson Lehman, among others.
In the publishing world, Cosby's books have broken records for
both sales and longevity. In 1986, his first book, Fatherhood, was the
fastest-selling hardcover book of all time, and it has sold more than
2.6 million hardcover copies and 1.5 million paperbacks. Time Flies,
his second book, had the largest single first printing in publishing
history (1.75 million copies). His third book, Love and Marriage, and
his latest book, Childhood, also made The New York Times bestseller
lists. Childhood deals with the predicaments of growing up and coming
of age, combining stories of his legendary childhood with comic
insights about children today.
On record, Cosby is the best-selling comedian of all time. He has
had 21 albums, three of which were musical, on the national pop
charts, as well as six singles. Three albums were in the top 10, and
three others hit the top 20. During the 1960s, he had as many as six
albums on the charts at one time. Eight of his albums have been
certified gold records, and he has won Grammy Awards for "Best Comedy
Album" five times.
Born in Philadelphia, Cosby left school after repeating 10th
grade and joined the Navy. While in the service, he finished high
school through a correspondence course, and, when he was discharged,
he enrolled at Temple University on an athletic scholarship. His goal
was to become a physical education teacher.
To support himself in college, he worked as a bartender at night,
where he had a chance to test his humor on his customers. Their
enthusiasm convinced him he might have a chance as a comedian.
After appearing at clubs in Philadelphia, he got a booking at The
Gaslight in New York City, and he was on his way
Cosby resumed his academic career once his entertainment career
was established. He earned his master's degree in 1972 and his
doctorate in education in 1977, both from the University of
Massachusetts.
In addition to his many business ventures, Cosby has been active
with many charities, and he is an active trustee of Temple University.
He and his wife, Camille, have made contributions to predominantly
black colleges
In 1989, they gave $20 million to Spelman College, the largest
personal gift ever made to any of the 112 black colleges and
universities in the United States.