Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies: ‘Cosby Show’s Theo Huxtable Star Was 54
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died. The actor known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show was 54 years old.
Warner’s cause of death was confirmed to People by a source who shared he died by accidental drowning while swimming on a family vacation in Costa Rica.
Along with The Cosby Show, Warner has remained a TV favorite, appearing in other popular programs including The Resident, 9-1-1, American Horror Story, and Community, to name a few.
Born August 18, 1970, Warner was named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. At the age of nine, he’d expressed an interest in performance and was enrolled in entertainment schools. Getting his start young, Warner made a name for himself as a child star.
As mentioned above, Warner played Theo Huxtable in NBC‘s The Cosby Show for its run between 1984 and 1992 and appeared in installments of the network’s other hit series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also guest-starred as Theo on The Cosby Show‘s spinoff, A Different World. Warner earned an Emmy nod for his role on The Cosby Show in 1986.
Guy D’Alema / FOX
Warner even got behind the camera on a few episodes of The Cosby Show as a director after first trying out the format on a New Edition music video. In the years following The Cosby Show, Warner appeared in shows like Here and Now, The Magic School Bus as the voice of The Producer, Malcolm and Eddie, and Touched by an Angel.
Following his run on those shows, he appeared in the feature Drop Zone and made-for-TV movies Tuskegee Airmen and Tyson. Most recently, Warner had a leading role in Fox’s since-canceled medical drama The Resident, in which he played Dr. AJ Austin. Despite the show’s cancellation, co-creator Amy Holden Jones and executive producer Andrew Chapman told TV Insider that Warner “would be great” as the lead of a spinoff. “Having him being the lead doctor and then you’d have a whole other cast around him and you’d have a whole other different set of problems that he would have,” said Jones.
He also played a nurse with a connection to Bobby’s (Peter Krause) past on the first responder hit, 9-1-1. (It also reunited him with Angela Bassett, with whom he worked a few times.) Additionally, Warner appeared as Shirley’s (Yvette Nicole Brown) ex-husband on Community and guest-starred on Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Other recent TV roles include parts on The Irrational and Accused.
Warner is survived by his wife and young daughter.
Conversation23 Comments
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B
This news is very sad! I enjoyed watching him recently on Missing Persons Alert and The Resident!
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C
So sad, he was an amazing actor.
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O
What a Great loss. Malcolm Jamal Warner was the epitome of class & intergrity. We grew up watching on the Cosby show. Rest in Power! Condolences to his family & friends. 🙏🏿
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P
Sad
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G
How awful! I will always remember him in "Jeremiah," with Luke Perry.
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G
This is so sad. On a family vacation. How tragic for the family.
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C
I am totally shocked at this information. I have watched MJWarner all my life(I am 72y.o.). He was such a wonderful talent to watch whatever he did. A terrible loss to the performing artists/actors genre. My deepest condolences to family, friends and fans. Rest in Peace Malcolm Jamal Warner as you will be deeply missed by everyone.
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P
OMG I'm shock Crosby outlived him,and Rashad ..so very sad 😢
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C
I was shocked by his passing. My deepest sympathy for his wife, daughter, & everyone else that is feeling a loss due to his passing. He was much too young to be leaving this life. Why must the good people leave us way to soon? God must have needed a Special Angel to call him home so soon. I've never read any negative press about him. He truly was a great person, husband, & Father. So very sorry for your loss. 🙏💔
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A
I'm now remembering that ep of "The Cosby Show" in which he wanted a certain kind of shirt that his sister Denise tried to make but it didn't come out the way it was supposed to but he ended up liking it when his friends did. R.I.P.
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R
May you rest in peace you will be missed very much by a lot of people🥲
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R
He will be missed very much
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B
What a shame. So young and so talented.
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G
RIP! LOVED HIM IN THE RESIDENT. THOUGHTS & PRAYERS TO FAMILY & FRIENDS! SO SAD & TOO YOUNG!
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C
I just hope he had accepted Jesus has his personal savoir
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G
Seriously!!
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G
What a shock!! He was so good in every roll he played. Loved in in the Resident. My sincere condolences to family and friends
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P
He was exceptional on The Resident. Gone much too soon.
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R
I just watched the last episode of The Resident. I searched for a reason and also saw a post from Malcolm died. I knew that had happen but didn't remember while I was watching the show. It would have been devastating to the show if it was still on. He was fantastic in it.
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G
It hit very hard he was such a wonderful actor. He will be tremendously missed. My condolences to his families.🙏🙏🙏
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P
Rest in peace he shouldn't of went in the ocean if he couldn't swin rest in peace
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O
I believe there is much more to this story.... it's not that cut and dry!
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R
And you shouldn't have made a comment like that judgmental or what you don't even know what happened
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