Question. Context: Earle Hyman (October 11, 1926 -- November 17, 2017) was an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his role on ThunderCats as the voice of Panthro and various other characters. He also appeared on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.

Question: who played bill cosby's father in the cosby show?
Answer. Earle Hyman
What step-by-step reasoning justifies that answer?
Reasoning: To answer the question, consider the following: He also appeared on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.