Earle Hyman (October 11, 1926 – November 17, 2017) was an American actor. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Hyman was known for his role on "ThunderCats" as the voice of Panthro. He also appeared on "The Cosby Show" as Cliff's father Russell Huxtable. He made his Broadway stage debut as a teenager in 1943 in "Run, Little Chillun".