Broadway Star and COSBY SHOW Alum Earle Hyman Dies Age 91

Deadline is reporting that Earle Hyman, best known for his role as Russelll Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," has passed away at age 91.

Hyman was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and appeared in the American Negro Theatre's first hit, Anna Lucasta (1944), both on Broadway and in London. Drawn to classical roles, he has played many of Shakespeare's major tragic leads in national and international productions, starring in Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear.

On the New York stage, he found roles in Mr. Johnson (1956), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Pygmalion (1991). Hyman is also a Tony Award-nominee and an ACE Award winner, and he received an Emmy nomination for his role as Russelll Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." He was also the first non-Norwegian to be awarded the St. Olav Medal, for his three decades of performing on the Norwegian stage.

For more on Earle Hyman, visit Deadline here.

Photo Credit: Ben Strothmann