# William Thomas Jr.

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{{Short description|American actor (1947–2020)}}
{{other people}}
{{Infobox person
|name = William Thomas Jr.
|image =
|birth_name = 
|birth_date = {{birth date|1947|11|8}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|14|1947|11|8}}
|birth_place = [Columbus, Ohio](/source/Columbus%2C_Ohio), US
|occupation = [Actor](/source/Actor), [Minister](/source/Minister_(Christianity))
|website =
}}
'''William Thomas Jr.''' (November 8, 1947&nbsp;– November 14, 2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dispatch/obituary.aspx?n=william-thomas-butch&pid=197181757&fhid=40014|title=Rev. Dr. William "Butch" Thomas Jr.|website=[Legacy.com](/source/Legacy.com) |accessdate=December 11, 2020}}</ref> was an American actor. 
From 1991 to 1992, he played Vanessa Huxtable's fiancé Dabnis Brickey on the [NBC](/source/NBC) sitcom ''[The Cosby Show](/source/The_Cosby_Show)''. He also appeared on Broadway, and had roles in several films and television series.

==Career==
Before coming to Hollywood, he appeared on Broadway in ''[Godspell](/source/Godspell)'', ''Your Arms Are Too Short to Box with God'', and as Jacob in the original production of ''[La Cage aux Folles](/source/La_Cage_aux_Folles_(musical))''. 

In his early television career, Thomas portrayed Cool Charles on the critically acclaimed but short-lived 1987-1988 [CBS](/source/CBS) [comedy-drama](/source/comedy-drama) ''[Frank's Place](/source/Frank's_Place)'', which starred [Tim Reid](/source/Tim_Reid) and his wife [Daphne Maxwell Reid](/source/Daphne_Maxwell_Reid). He also portrayed Det. William Donald Potts on [Steven Bochco](/source/Steven_Bochco)'s widely panned 1990 [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) musical-drama ''[Cop Rock](/source/Cop_Rock)''. 

From 1991 to 1992, in one of his most well-known roles, Thomas played Vanessa Huxtable's fiancé Dabnis Brickey on the [NBC](/source/NBC) sitcom ''[The Cosby Show](/source/The_Cosby_Show)'', during the eighth and final season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Erin |title=The Cosby Show: Where Are They Now? |url=https://www.theroot.com/the-cosby-show-where-are-they-now-1790868420 |website=The Root |date=19 September 2014 |accessdate=30 October 2019}}</ref>  He later played Mr. Laskin on the "My Big Brother" episode of ''[Family Matters](/source/Family_Matters)'', as well as appearing in episodes of ''[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air](/source/The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air)'', ''[Star Trek: The Next Generation](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Next_Generation)'', ''[Home Improvement](/source/Home_Improvement_(TV_series))'', ''[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper](/source/Hangin'_with_Mr._Cooper)'', and ''[The West Wing](/source/The_West_Wing)''. Thomas also appeared on ''[The Bold and the Beautiful](/source/The_Bold_and_the_Beautiful)'' in 2005 as an INS agent. 

His movie credits included ''[Mambo Kings](/source/Mambo_Kings)'' (1992), ''[Bruce Almighty](/source/Bruce_Almighty)'' (2003), and ''[Surviving Christmas](/source/Surviving_Christmas)'' (2004).

==Personal life and death==
Thomas was also an ordained minister. Bill was married to Rev. Dr. Michael Kosik, also a pastor. He died on November 14, 2020 at age 73 after a series of health issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://disciples.org/obituaries/william-bill-thomas-jr/|title=William "Bill" Thomas, Jr.|website=disciples.org |accessdate=November 15, 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0858435}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, William Jr.}}
Category:1947 births
Category:2020 deaths
Category:American evangelists
Category:American male television actors
Category:Male actors from Columbus, Ohio
Category:20th-century African-American male actors
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century African-American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors

{{Ohio-bio-stub}}
{{US-tv-actor-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Thomas Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Thomas_Jr.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Thomas_Jr.?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.