Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and activist. Cosby's start in stand-up began at the hungry i in San Francisco which was followed by landing a starring role in the 1960s show I Spy. During its first two seasons, he was a regular on the children's television series The Electric Company. Cosby is known for creating the cartoon comedy series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in an urban area. Cosby has also been a film actor. Beginning in the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in a sitcom, The Cosby Show; the show aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America for five years, 1984 through 1989. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. He produced the Cosby Show spin-off sitcom A Different World. He starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons, from 1998-2000. In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His dissertation discussed the use of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a teaching tool in elementary schools.