Geoffrey Owens Still Persistent as an Actor, Even Years After ‘The Cosby Show’ – Now His Son Is Doing the Same in the Industry
When you think of “The Cosby Show,” one of the promising actors that comes to mind is Geoffrey Owens.
Playing the character Elvin Tibideaux marked his television debut. The actor appeared periodically from series two until the end of series eight in 1992.
The Brooklyn native’s acting journey began when he took up theater while studying at the High
School of Performing Arts. After his performance on “The Cosby Show,” Owens went on to appear in many movies and shows such as “Law & Order,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Blue Bloods.”
But in his successful career, what was once the opportunity of a lifetime became a turning point in his journey. After the Bill Cosby scandal spread in the media, TV Land was one of many networks to pull reruns of “The Cosby Show” from its schedule. The actor’s decrease in income due to the loss of television royalties pushed him to find a stable job at that time, so he decided to work at Trader Joe’s. While working in a new position at a grocery store, someone took a picture of him and it went viral.
“Yes, it affected me financially,” he told PEOPLE about the show being discontinued in 2018. “By the time the show was discontinued, it made a difference in income ours. That was one of the factors that led me to the point where I said to myself, ‘I have to do something,’ and I thought, ‘What can I do? and the final answer is from Trader Joe, which is really a great situation for me in many ways.”
Despite being “job-shamed” and feeling humiliated, Owens didn’t let that stop his longtime passion.
“I will continue to pursue it. I will persevere,” he told the outlet. “And even if it means that eventually when all this hubbub dies down, I might need to take another job outside of business. I’m still willing to do that.”
And he did it every time. Following the viral photo, Tyler Perry offered Owens a role on OWN’s “The Haves and the Have Nots” out of respect for his “hustle” and being a “true artist,” US Weekly reports believe. In addition, 50 Cent also showed support for Owens through Instagram, according to Complex. “That’s right, the underdog is back on Top @mgeoffreyowens,” he wrote. Owens went on to appear on STARZ’s “Power” and “Power Book II: Ghost.”
His dedication to his craft has earned Geoffrey Owens an estimated net worth of $400,000, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
Through all the support that poured in, the best came from his son, Jordyn. As Shadow and Act previously reported, the 23-year-old is now following in his father’s footsteps. This is also how his only child is pursuing his dream.