(1979), and Coriolanus (1979), and voiced Panthro on the animated television series ThunderCats (1985–1989). He played two roles (at different times) on television's The Edge of Night. One of his most well known roles, that of Russell Huxtable in The Cosby Show, earned him an Emmy Award nomination in 1986. He played the father of lead character Cliff Huxtable, played by actor Bill Cosby, despite only being 11 years older than Cosby. Death Hyman died at age 91 on November 17, 2017, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. In June 2020, the Folger Shakespeare Library, a private research library in Washington D.C., acquired Hyman's personal items and memorabilia to be displayed as the Earle Hyman Collection. In personal correspondences Hyman wrote that he and Rolf Sirnes (1926–2004), a Norwegian seaman, had lived together for fifty years. Hyman described their relationship as a passionate friendship and wrote that Sirnes was his partner. Connections to Norway In Norway, Hyman was seen as a friend of the country and had a cabin in Skånevik. Earle Hyman learned to speak Norwegian through Sirnes, who was originally from Haugesund. In the 1990s, they lived in New York City. Filmography Awards and nominations References External links Audio Interview (2008) 1926 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors American gay actors LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT African Americans Male actors from North Carolina American male Shakespearean actors American expatriates in Norway People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina People from Brooklyn Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal