Camille Olivia Hanks was born in what is now Silver Spring, Maryland to a wealthy family. She attended private schools and was pursuing a degree in psychology when she met up-and-coming comedian Bill Cosby, marrying him in 1964 (via The Washington Post). The Cosbys went on to have five children together, giving each one a name that started with the letter "E" standing for excellence. Erika, Erinn, Ennis, Ensa, and Evin all became a part of their father's standup act, along with Camille.

As Camille watched her husband's career grow, she went back to school to complete her own education and eventually earned her doctorate. She chose to then focus on African-American issues and began a career full of speaking engagements in 1986 when she gave a commencement address at Howard University. In the ensuing years, she created an African-American oral history project and penned commentaries with her thoughts about racism.

After she became a public figure herself, she told Oprah Winfrey, "I don't think that I thought I was smart. I knew I was a good mother, but I didn't think that I was smart in terms of having something to say if Bill and I were seated with a group of people who were busy doing their different things. I always said, 'My husband is the public person. He is the one who has something to say,'" (via The Washington Post).