I Spy

Bill Cosby

Known for a tough-love approach to parenting and winning giggles by telling tales about family life and making amusing facial expressions, Cosby has put in time on the nightclub circuit, starred in several films and written several books.

As Alexander Scott in the... more 1965 series "I Spy," Cosby became one of the first black dramatic leads on TV.

In 1972, he proceeded to create the cartoon "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," based on his own childhood in Philadelphia. The show blended both entertainment for children of all ages and valuable moral lessons.

The pinnacle of Cosby's stellar career was "The Cosby Show," the 1984 smash sitcom in which he portrayed Dr. Cliff Huxtable. The NBC show dominated the ratings for years by portraying life in a middle-class black family, helping break down stereotypes while keeping the laughter flowing. (James Devaney/WireImage.com)