“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 had passed away.
Actor Earle Hyman died at age 91 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.”
That career stated for him at a very young age. “I wanted to become an actor at the age of four in church. I was asked to learn a little poem for the Christmas pageant and when I did and finished it, people stood up and applauded and I said ‘woo, I like that.’ Then in the same play, my mother played the virgin Mary. But when she passed me, she didn’t look at me, didn’t say anything to me. At that moment, I saw that she wasn’t my mother anymore, she was ‘Mary’ in the play. That’s when I began to see the magic of acting.”
But it was when his parents moved him to Brooklyn was when his love for acting really took off. Earle’s mother was a teacher and his father was a principal. They moved from North Carolina to New York for better educational opportunities for African Americans.
Hyman is survived by his nieces Cassandra, Yvette and Monica and nephew Derryl.
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