Clark Atlanta University announced last week (Oct. 6) that The Cosby Show actor Joseph C. Phillips became a professor at the University in Theatre and Communication Studies.
“Joseph brings a wealth of awe-inspiring talent, meaningful engagement in the community, and a portfolio of informed, decisive commentary to the University,” President Dr. George T. French Jr. said in the statement. “We anticipate that he will inspire independent thinking, civic responsibility, and a passion for interdisciplinary learning in our students—which aligns perfectly with our mantra to “lift our community by lifting our voices.”
He took to Facebook to confirm the news, writing, “The secret is out. I’m loving my new gig.”
Phillips is known for his role as Lt. Martin Kendall (Denise Huxtable Kendall’s husband) on The Cosby Show. The versatile actor also played Col. Greg Davis (Jessica Davis’ father) on the controversial novel-based Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and Attorney Justus Ward on General Hospital, which earned him three NAACP Image Award nominations. He had guest-starring roles in Good Trouble, NCIS, and How To Get Away with Murder.
As for his movie roles, he played Chief Salisbury in Boogie Town and Waymon in Strictly Business. He starred in the Broadway production of Six Degrees of Separation and “A Raisin in the Sun” (Kennedy Center and American Playhouse productions).
Aside from his acting experience, Phillips authored the book “He Talk Like A White Boy,” where he discussed how his proper dialect caused many to question whether he was genuinely African-American. The actor voiced his conservative views about limited government and traditional family in the weekly column “The Way I See It.”
In 1983, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting from New York University, following his transfer from the University of the Pacific, where he was a communications major. Phillips was a director on the State Board of the California African American Museum, overseeing the accessions committee, which approved the items that would be included in the museum’s collection.
