Story highlights Earle Hyman had a long TV and stage acting career

He died in New Jersey at age 91

(CNN) Earle Hyman, a longtime stage and TV actor who was best known for playing Bill Cosby's father on "The Cosby Show," died Friday.

Hyman was 91.

He died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, according to Jordan Strohl, a representative for The Actors Fund.

Hyman enjoyed an international theater career that spanned decades.

He also frequently appeared from 1984 to 1992 on the "The Cosby Show," playing Russell Huxtable. Bill Cosby tweeted about the late actor on Sunday night: "Earle Hyman brought love, dignity and integrity to Grandpa Huxtable. Thank you, Earle, you will live forever."