“It feels like a member of the family is gone.” That was the majority of people’s reaction in 2017 when they heard the news that the man who played “Grandpa Huxtable” on The Cosby Show for years, Earle Hyman, had passed away.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Actor Earle Hyman died five years ago 2017 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 91.
Despite the fact that he is only 11 years older than Bill Cosby, actor Earle Hyman, portrayed Cliff’s father Russell (Grand Huxtable) on “The Cosby Show. Hyman appeared in 40 episodes of The Cosby Show over the course of its nine-season run. In 1986, Hyman even received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for his work in the classic Season 2 episode “Happy Anniversary.”
In addition to his work on The Cosby Show, Hyman was the voice of Panthro on the 1980s cartoon Thundercats. Additional TV credits included All My Children and The Defenders.
And it doesn’t stop there, Hyman was also known for his stage work. In 1980, he won the Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the role of Oscar in Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque.
Not many of us would have known that Earle was also fascinated with the culture of Norway, spoke the language fluently, owned property there and actually spent much of his time in parts of the country. He first appeared there on stage in the 1950’s, and in the 90’s, he starred in a Norwegian television sitcom. Plus, he is the first cousin once removed of singer Phyllis Hyman.
When asked about his 65+ year career he simply says, “I feel very grateful. I wouldn’t have changed it for anything in the world. I loved it.”