Earle Hyman

Earle Hyman is an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his recurring role on ThunderCats as the voice of Panthro and later on The Cosby Show as Cliffs father, Russell Huxtable.

Hyman was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, of African and Native American ancestry. Hymans parents, Zachariah Hyman and Maria Lilly Plummer , moved their family to Brooklyn, New York, where Hyman primarily grew up. Earle Hyman became interested in acting after seeing a production of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsens Ghosts. The first play I ever saw was a present from my parents on my 13th birthday Nazimova in Ghosts at Brighton Beach on the subway circuit and I just freaked out.

Source: Wikipedia