Lee Weaver, beloved Character Actor of ‘Bill Cosby Show’ adn ‘O Brother, where Art Thou?’,โ Dies at 95
Los Angeles, CA – September 23, 2023 – Lee Weaver,โ a prolific and instantlyโฃ recognizable character actor whose career spanned decades and included memorable roles in iconic television shows and โคfilms like The Bill Cosby Show and O Brother, Whereโฃ Art Thou?,โ has diedโ at the age of 95. His family announced his passing on Friday, September 22nd, at his home in los Angeles.
Weaver broughtโ aโฃ unique blend of warmth, depth,โ and often, comedic timing to every role he inhabited. His family stated he “wove joy, depth and portrayal into every role he played and everything he did.”
Born Lee Wellington Weaverโ on April 10,1930,in โFort Lauderdale,florida,Weaver’sโ path to acting โขwas anything but conventional. Raised by his aunt โคand uncle after the age of 14, he served four yearsโ in the โฃU.S. Army before embarking on a diverse career in New York City. He worked as a linotype engineer for The Newโ York Times while simultaneously establishing himself as a prominent jazz โคpromoter at โฃthe legendary Birdland club, booking luminaries like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sarah Vaughan.
His acting career began to blossom in the late 1960s,with aโ recurring role as Brian Kincaid on the Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971). He continued to build a strong presence on television, notably as theโข delightfully eccentric exhibitionist Buck Naked onโฃ Steven Bochco’s critically acclaimedโข Hill Street Blues (1982-1984) and NYPD Blue (1994).
While often appearing in supporting roles, Weaver consistently stole scenes. He showcased his comedic โขtalents alongside Loni Anderson and Jack โElam in โthe 1986-87 NBC comedy Easy Street, created by WKRPโค in cincinnati‘s Hugh Wilson.
His โfilmography is equallyโ impressive, featuring โappearances in a wide โคrange of notable productions including Vanishing โคPoint (1971), Heaven can Wait (1978), The Onion Field (1979), Bulworth (1998), How Stella Got Her Groove Back โ (1998),โข Donnie Darko (2001), and The 40-Year-Oldโ Virgin (2005).
perhaps one โof โคhis most memorable film moments came in the Coen brothers’ 2000 masterpiece, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, where he delivered a captivating performance asโข the blindโค man who offers cryptic guidance to George โClooney, John Turturro, and โขTim Blake Nelson’s