Camille cosby biography

Philanthropist, entrepreneur, foundation executive

Managed Husband’s Money Well

Role Model for TV’s Claire Huxtable

Bestowed Generous Gifts

Emphasized Importance of Education

Not Immune to Sorrow

Selected writings

Sources

Camille Cosby is married to one of the most recognized faces in the entertainment industry, yet has been a surreptitious public presence throughout much of husband Bill Cosby’s career. Instead, she prefers to work behind the scenes—she has raised five children while returning to school to finish her own education. She also plays an active role in the management of her husband’s career and estimated $300 million fortune. A large portion of that fortune has been given away to historic African American colleges and universities in an ongoing, one-family philanthropic mission. In recent years Camille Cosby has undertaken some significant projects of her own, including a stage play based on a best-selling book and a film documentary about a mentoring program. Tragically, the publicity-shy Cosby family’s private life was shattered in early 1997 with the murder of their third child and only son, Ennis.

Camille Olivia Hanks was born in Washington, DC, in 1944, the eldest of Guy and Catherine Hanks’s four children. After attending Catholic schools, she enrolled in the University of Maryland as a psychology major. During her sophomore year friends convinced her to go on a blind date. Her escort to the movies was a 26-year-old comedian named Bill Cosby. She eventually dropped out of school and married the rising star in 1964. Camille began traveling with Bill every few weeks as he performed throughout the country. Less than a year after their marriage, Bill Cosby’s appearance on the Tonight Show landed him a role on the prime-time television show, I Spy. As Alexander Scott, Bill Cosby became the first African American to star in a leading dramatic role on a televi

In all 197 episodes of The Cosby Show, the family sitcom that ran on American television from 1984 to 1992, Camille Cosby, the wife of the star and the woman who inspired the matriarchal character Clair Huxtable, appeared in front of the cameras just once.

It was a walk-on part, as a spectator passing through a shot in the 1986 episode Off to the ­Races, but it was remarkable nevertheless.

The uncredited appearance was out of character for a woman who has spent much of her 50 years of marriage shunning the spotlight trained on her husband, Bill.

But as the rising torrent of accusations of sexual impropriety has swept her 78-year-old husband from his pedestal as “America’s dad”, so that spotlight has fallen relentlessly on her, too.

On Wednesday, Camille, drawn into the ever-escalating legal slanging match between her husband and his accusers, successfully postponed an attempt to force her to give evidence in an action for defamation being brought by seven alleged assault victims, who say Cosby has defamed them as liars.

She could yet find herself under oath. But however this latest round in the saga plays out, Camille’s persistent defence of her husband has painted a portrait of a woman determined to stand by her man, come hell or high water.

But Camille is more than just “another victim of the controversy”, as CNN suggested when fresh allegations began to surface towards the end of 2014.

Right from the earliest days of Cosby’s success, Camille has played a significant role, acting as his savvy manager while forging a career as a producer and working as a tireless champion of black education, while at the same time returning to college to achieve her own educational goals.

Even Oprah Winfrey, who interviewed her in 2000, admitted she was awed by her presence. Camille “exudes the kind of splendour attendant with royalty”, she wrote. “Even hearing her name – Dr Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby – makes you think: ‘I want to be like th

American writer and television producer (born 1944)

Camille Olivia Cosby (néeHanks; born March 20, 1944) is an American television producer, philanthropist, and the wife of comedian Bill Cosby. The character of Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show was based on her. Cosby has avoided public life, but has been active in her husband's businesses as a manager, as well as involving herself in academia and writing. In 1990, Cosby earned a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, followed by a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in 1992.

Early life and education

Camille Olivia Hanks was born on March 20, 1944, in Washington D.C., to Guy A. Hanks Sr. and Catherine C. Hanks and grew up in Norbeck, Maryland, just outside Washington. She is the oldest of four children. Cosby's father was a chemist at Walter Reed General Hospital and her mother worked at a nursery. Both her parents had college educations, with her father earning a graduate degree from Fisk University and her mother earning an undergraduate degree from Howard University.

Cosby attended private Catholic schools. First, she attended St. Cyprian's, followed by St. Cecilia's Academy. Cosby stated,

"The Oblate Sisters were my first formal educators. They did what all educators should do, that is, convey the knowledge of wide-ranging possibilities, and, more importantly, give a stamp of self-value for every single student."

After high school, Cosby studied psychology at the University of Maryland, where she met her future husband, Bill Cosby.

In June 1987, Johnnetta Cole of Howard University in Washington, D.C., presented Cosby with a Doctor of Humane Letters, an honorary doctoral degree.

In 1990, Cosby earned a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, followed by a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in 1992. In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfr

(1945-)
Philanthropist

Personal Life

Camille Olivia Cosby was born in 1945, in Washington D.C., the eldest daughter of Guy and Catherine Hanks. Guy Hanks was a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge who went on to earn a master's degree at Fisk University in Nashville. Her mother, Catherine, graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C.

After attending parochial schools, Camille Olivia Hanks continued her privileged education at the University of Maryland, where she studied psychology. Although her parents encouraged her to study music at an early age, her interests were inclined towards psychosocial issues related to African Americans. Her academic achievements were momentarily put on hold, however, when she met Bill Cosby on a blind date while in college. The two were wed in 1964 and her attention turned towards helping her husband's budding career as a comedian, and building what would eventually become the Cosby empire, Cosby Enterprises.

The couple had five children together, Erika, Erin, Ennis, Ensa, and Evin. A devastating blow came with the death of their 27-year old only son Ennis who was shot while changing a flat tire alongside a Los Angeles freeway in 1997. This unfortunately followed on the heels of another embarrassing media frenzy when earlier that year, her husband, Bill Cosby, was confronted with a paternity lawsuit from Autumn Jackson, who claimed to be the result of an affair he had years back. It was later proved that he was not the father, although he admitted to having the affair years ago. Camille remained composed, however, during this time when she related to the press a "that-was-then-and-this is-now" type sentiment, stating that they were young and had much more growing to do as a couple at the time the affair occurred.

Career Details

Although she may be best known for her role as a wife to comedian Bill Cosby and a mother to his children, Dr. Camille has accomplished many things in her academic and