‘The Bill Cosby Show’ Actor Passes Away at 95

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Lee Weaver, a familiar face in television and film for many years, has died at the age of 95. He passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home on September 22nd, his family announced. They remembered him as someone who brought happiness, emotion, and meaningful representation to all of his work.

Weaver is best known for playing Brian Kincaid on ‘The Bill Cosby Show‘ (1969-1971), where he was the brother of Bill Cosby’s character’s gym teacher. He also gained recognition for his role as Buck Naked on ‘Hill Street Blues’ and ‘NYPD Blue’.

The short-lived NBC comedy Easy Street (1986-87) starred Dennis Weaver and Jack Elam as two struggling roommates. They move into a mansion owned by a former Las Vegas showgirl, played by Loni Anderson. The show, created by Hugh Wilson, only ran for one season.

As a film fan, I’ll always remember Paul Weaver from O Brother, Where Art Thou? – he was fantastic as the blind man who crosses paths with the escaped convicts and offers them some really memorable, mysterious words of wisdom. But that’s just one of many great movies he was in! He had a really solid career, popping up in classics like Vanishing Point, Heaven Can Wait, Bulworth, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Donnie Darko, and even The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He was a consistently great character actor.

Lee Wellington Weaver was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 10, 1930. He grew up with his aunt and uncle, then moved to Tallahassee to finish high school and later went to Florida A&M University. After serving four years in the U.S. Army at age 22, he moved to New York City. He worked as a linotype engineer for The New York Times and also helped promote performances at the renowned Birdland jazz club.

Weaver was instrumental in bringing iconic musicians like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, and Cannonball Adderley to performances. Cannonball Adderley even wrote a song titled “The Weaver” as a tribute to him.

Sigurd Weaver began his acting career in the mid-1950s, with roles in television shows like ‘Sheena: Queen of the Jungle’ and the 1959 movie ‘Al Capone.’ He later gained recognition in the late 1960s with appearances on ‘I Spy’ and as a frequent guest alongside Bill Cosby on ‘The Tonight Show.’ Their collaboration continued with Weaver appearing in Cosby’s popular series ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘A Different World.’

During the 1970s, Weaver was a familiar face on popular television shows like Adam-12, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Starsky & Hutch. He also had roles in films like Cleopatra Jones and House Calls. In the 1980s, he became a voice actor for the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Later in his career, he appeared in films such as The Two Jakes, The Thirteenth Floor, and Max Rose. He also made guest appearances on popular TV shows like 227, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Grace and Frankie.

Weaver was married to actress Ta-Tanisha, famous for her role in the TV show Room 222. They had one daughter together named Leis La-Te.

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2025-11-03 10:45