Bill Cosby’s Achievements During His Decades-Spanning Career

It’s unfortunate that Bill Cosby, who’s still currently serving time in prison, might forever be remembered as a sexual offender. While the allegations against the iconic figure have already been proven in court, there are still those who believe that his achievements and contributions to the community should never be forgotten and erased from history, as other parties have suggested.

From his stint with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, which lasted from 1955 to 1960, Cosby entered the entertainment industry in 1963 as a comedian in various shows, such as “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Jack Paar Program.”

It was also in that year that he released his very first album, a 30-minute recording of his stand-up comedy performance. The album — titled “Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow ... Right!” — also earned him his first Grammy nomination.

It would only take two years later for him to win his first Grammy. In 1965, he finally got the best comedy performance award for his performance in “I Started Out As A Child.” He would later go on to win nine out of the 15 Grammy nominations in the next 22 years.

His role in the “I Spy” television show firmly established his career. He won Emmy Awards three years in a row — in 1966, 1967 and 1968. Money also started pouring in at this point as he was reportedly earning $30,000 a week in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

Cosby played as a high school gym teacher in “The Bill Cosby Show” in 1969, a show that lasted for two years. At the same time, he received an Emmy for outstanding variety or musical program for “The Bill Cosby Special.” He was also a voice actor in the animated “Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert,” which came out on the same year.

His first appearance in a feature film happened in 1971. Cosby was the lead actor in “Man And Boy,” alongside actors Gloria Foster, George Spell and Leif Erickson.

In 1972, Cosby created and voiced in the animated television series “Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids.” It proved to be a hit, and the long-running series went on until 1985. It received an Emmy nomination in 1974.

Those who work in the entertainment industry know that they’ve made it big when they get their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cosby got his own star in 1977.

In 1984, Cosby created “The Cosby Show,” where he also starred in. It became the most watched TV show for five straight seasons, with viewership of around 60 million. The show ran until 1992 and won a Golden Globe for best television series in 1985. It would later spawn the spinoff “A Different World” in 1987.

Cosby was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1991. However, his name was removed from the list in 2018 after his conviction.

He starred in the film “Jack,” along with the late Robin Williams in 1996. At the moment, it’s his last feature film.

He later starred in “Cosby,” a CBS sitcom that ran from 1996 to 2000. Other members of the cast included Phylicia Rashad, T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh, Doug E. Doug, Madeline Kahn, Jurnee Smollett and Darien Sills Evans.

In 1998, Cosby received the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual honor given to those in the performing arts. At the White House reception that followed, then President Clinton praised Cosby for his “remarkable gift,” which allows “all of us to return to our childhoods.”

Cosby was the host of “Kids Say The Darndest Things” in 1998 until 2000. In the show, Cosby would ask his guests, who can be between 3 and 8 years of age, various questions that would make them answer in a cute and funny way.

In 2002, Cosby was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, the other one being the Congressional Gold Medal.

By 2005, however, allegations against Cosby were made public. He was eventually convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and was sentenced from three to 10 years in prison.