Bill Cobbs, Daytime Emmy-winning actor and 'The Bodyguard' star, dies at 90

Bill Cobbs, the prolific Daytime Emmy-winning actor who starred in 1992's "The Bodyguard" and the "Night at the Museum" franchise, has died.

He was 90. A cause of death was not immediately clear.

Cobbs' longtime manager, Susan Zachary, confirmed to USA TODAY that Cobbs died Tuesday.

"He was one of my first clients in each incarnation of this leg of my professional career and I am honored and proud to be his last talent representative," Zachary said in a statement. "He was loyal and dear… an inspiring actor, director, and human. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him."

In a statement released Wednesday, his family said, "We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs. On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones.

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"As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time."

Throughout his nearly 50-year career, Cobbs accumulated 200 film and TV credits, according to IMDB. In "The Bodyguard," which was Whitney Houston's feature film debut and starred Kevin Costner as her guard, Cobbs played her manager, Bill Devaney.

He also played night guard Reginald, who worked alongside Dick Van Dyke's Cecil and Mickey Rooney's Gus and became one of the film's villains in 2006's "Night at the Museum." He briefly reprised his role in the 2014 sequel "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb."

His other Disney credits included 1997's "Air Bud" (as basketball coach Arthur Chaney) and 2013's "Oz the Great and Powerful."

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It was his role as Mr. Hendrickson in Amazon Prime Video's Canadian series "Dino Dana" that earned Cobbs a Daytime Emmy in 2020. His other TV roles included playing Rev. James, Sr. in an episode of "The Sopranos" in 2000 and series regular The Dutchman in "The Slap Maxwell Story" in the '80s, as well as appearances on "ER" in 1996 and "The West Wing" in 2002.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1934, Cobbs held several positions in the U.S. Air Force, IBM and as a car salesman before finding his way into acting at 36. He started his career in local theater, stepping into his first role in the Negro Ensemble Company's "Ride a Black Horse" production.

Eventually, he made his TV debut in the educational series "Vegetable Soup" before making his way onto the silver screen in 1974's "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three."