Earle Hyman was an actor best known for his role as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable, on The Cosby Show. His performance brought him a 1986 Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.

Hyman is also known for his work on ThunderCats, as the voice of Panthro. Additionally, he appeared on the series Camera Three, The United States Steel Hour, Play of the Week, The Defenders, All My Children, A Different World, A Man Called Hawk and Cosby.

Hyman was also a renowned stage actor, had played Othello hundreds of times, appeared often on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for featured actor in a play for his performance as Oscar in the original 1980 production of Edward Albee's The Lady From Dubuque. He also appeared on stages throughout Europe during his career.

Hyman died November 17, 2017, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 91.