Camille cosby biography

(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 c

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Newsmaker: Camille Cosby

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 sexuell 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

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Cosby, Camille 1944–

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-selli