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With the trial less than a year away, many are wondering what fate awaits the Emmy Award winning actor who became a household name in the entertainment industry with shows like Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby show and the family friendly Cosby Show. However despite a looming trial ahead for Bill Cosby with over 60 women estimated to have come forward in relation to sexual assault charges, one thing is certain, Bill Cosby successfully broke down barriers of racial and cultural prejudices in American entertainment and made a mark in US History by becoming one of the most prolific and celebrated African American entertainers of all time.
William Henry Cosby Jr was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Anna Pearl and William Henry Cosby Sr on 12th July 1937 and was one of four sons. He was an athlete and was head of both the baseball and track and field teams in high school as well as being class president. Although he was a gifted athlete, he spoke of being the class clown and teachers often described him as such.
Cosby dropped out of high school after failing the tenth grade and after a brief stint in a shoe shop, he enlisted in the US Navy. He managed to finish his high school education by completing a series of correspondence courses which were equivalent to a high school diploma. He went on to study Physical Education at Temple University, and after realizing his talent for humour and making people laugh, he pursued a career in comedy.
He started out with a series of comedy albums which earned him several Grammy awards and later landed his first leading role on television in 1965, starring in the espionage adventure series I Spy. The show was a hit and earned him three consecutive Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series. By then, Cosby had established himself as an actor and comedian performing stand up comedy routines as well appearing on prime time TV. The success of his career continued with shows like Fat Albert and the Bill Cosby show, but the show that earned him worldwide acclaim was The Cosby Show where Cosby played Dr Heathliciffe Huxtable, a funny, yet lovable, Obstetrician with his wife and family of five kids . The show premiered on 20th September 1984 and ran for eight seasons.TV Guide named it the hit show of the eighties and it is often credited for reviving the sitcom genre as well as paving the way for other shows featuring a mostly African American cast.
Following the success of the Cosby Show, Bill Cosby went on to work in television projects and attempted to revive the success of the Cosby show with a new show named 'Cosby' in 1996. However after four seasons, the show was cancelled in 2000. Although very much involved in television projects and other entertainment ventures Cosby's television appearances became less frequent and his involvement in the sitcom genre slowly faded.
It seemed as if Cosby would have a graceful exit from his acting career and had solidified his position as a respected entertainer. However in November 2014 at least 11 women came forward with accusations of rape, sexual assault and sexual misconduct in addition to drug facilitated sexual assault. Although this was not the first time the actor faced charges in relation to sexual assault with previous accusations of sexual assault made against him in 2005, with one charge which resulted in a civil lawsuit, where Cosby agreed to an out of court settlement with the claimant.
Nonetheless the accusations made against him in 2014 were injurious. Multiple women including supermodel Janice Dickinson came forward stating they were sexually assaulted by the actor, and Cosby's career went into meltdown, with TV networks refusing to air reruns of of the Cosby show, and reports that his agency Creative Artists Agency had dropped him leaving him with no form of representation.
Cosby was formally charged with sexual assault on 30th December 2015 with the judge deeming there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Bail was posted at £1 million dollars and the date for his trial set on 6th September 2016.
Cosby is now awaiting his trial along with many others who feel Cosby should face retribution for the various accusations made against him. Although we are nowhere close to reaching a verdict on the accusations made and despite a successful career in entertainment spanning over 30 years, I'm left to wonder will the courts convict the comedian, Bill Cosby?
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