Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor who starred as Theo in ‘The Cosby Show,' dead at 54
He was 54.
Warner died in a drowning accident in Costa Rica, where he was on vacation with his family, the source said.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Warner for further information.
A native of New Jersey, Warner started acting at age 9, making appearances in shows like 'Fame.' He was a young teen when he was cast as the only son of Bill Cosby's character, Heathcliff Huxtable, in 'The Cosby Show,' which ran from 1984 to 1992.
Warner later reflected on the legacy of the popular, Emmy-winning sitcom.
'The fact that the Cosby Show for Black America and White America alike finally legitimized the Black middle class, which has always been around since the inception of this country but, as with everything, is not legitimate til it's on television,' Warner said. 'When the show first came out, there were White people and Black people talking about (how) the Huxtables don't really exist, Black people don't really live like that. Meanwhile, we were getting tens of thousands of fan letters from people saying, thank you so much for this show.'
Warner was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1986 for his supporting work on 'The Cosby Show.'
By the time the show was over, Warner said in a 2013 interview, 'we were still on top enough to go out on top, but we were ready to live our own lives.'
'We were all ready to move on and as Mr. Cosby said, by that point, we had pretty much said all that we could say,' Warner added.
After the perennial hit series ended in 1992, the actor continued working primarily in television until recently, with credits including 'Touched by an Angel,' 'Community,' 'Key and Peele,' 'Suits,' 'Sons of Anarchy' and 'American Horror Story.'
As much as he honored the Theo character, Warner also worked hard to show how multifaceted he was, including being a Grammy-winning musician.
He won best traditional R&B performance in 2015 for the song 'Jesus Children.' He was also nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for best spoken word poetry album.
Warner also starred opposite Eddie Griffin in the series 'Malcolm & Eddie' for four seasons between 1996 and 2000.
His more recent acting credits include 'The Resident,' 'The Wonder Years' reboot, 'Grownish' and '9-1-1.'
Last year, Warner launched his podcast 'Not All Hood' last year with the goal of continuing to be a voice that explores the diverse experiences of the Black community and touch on themes of representation in media.
'When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects,' he told People magazine in an interview last year.
This story is developing and will be updated.
By Elizabeth Wagmeister.
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on 'Cosby Show', dies in Costa Rica drowning
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show' was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped define the 1980s, died at 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday. Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. 'He was rescued by people on the beach,' the department's initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica's Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money, and another episode where Theo tries to hide his ear piercing from his dad. His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992. He played the role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the show's 197 episodes and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986. For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The 'Gordon Gartrell' shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon and the profile picture on Warner's Instagram shows a toddler sporting one. NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was among those giving tribute Monday. Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend. 'We were both super fans of the hit 'Cosby Show' and continued to follow his career on shows like 'Malcolm and Eddie' and 'The Resident,'' Johnson said. 'Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.' Like the rest of the 'Cosby Show' cast, Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned. Warner told The Associated Press in 2015 that the show's legacy was 'tarnished.' 'My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,' Warner said. 'We've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.' Representatives for Cosby declined immediate comment. Warner worked steadily as an actor for more than 40 years. His first major post-'Cosby' role came on the sitcom 'Malcolm & Eddie,' co-starring with comedian Eddie Griffin in the popular series on the defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000. 'My heart is heavy right now,' Griffin said on Instagram Monday. 'Rest easy my brother for you have Won in life and now you have won forever eternal bliss..' In the 2010s, he starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross as a family-blending couple for two seasons on the BET sitcom 'Read Between The Lines.' He also had a role as O.J. Simpson's friend Al Cowlings on 'American Crime Story' and was a series regular on Fox's 'The Resident.' 'First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband,' Ross said on Instagram. 'My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.' Warner's film roles included the 2008 rom-com 'Fool's Gold' with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A poet and a musician, Warner was a Grammy winner, for best traditional R&B performance, and was nominated for best spoken word poetry album for 'Hiding in Plain View.' Warner also worked as a director, helming episodes of 'Malcolm & Eddie,' 'Read Between the Lines,' 'Kenan & Kel,' and 'All That.' Warner was born in 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His mother, Pamela Warner, reportedly named him after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. She served as his manager when he began pursuing acting at age 9. In the early 1980s, he made guest appearances on the TV shows 'Matt Houston' — his first credit — and 'Fame.' Warner was 13 when he landed the role of Theo in an audition after a broad search for the right child actor. Cosby was a major star at the time, and the show was certain to be widely seen, but few could've predicted the huge, yearslong phenomenon it would become. He was married with a young daughter, but chose to not publicly disclose their names. Warner's representatives declined immediate comment on his death. His final credits came in TV guest roles, including appearances on 'The Wonder Years,' 'Grown-ish,' and '9-1-1,' where he had a four-episode arc last year. 'I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those 'where are they now kids,'' Warner told the AP in 2015. 'I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression … to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after 'Cosby.'' ___ AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck contributed reporting from New York.
Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on 'Cosby Show', dies in Costa Rica drowning
Article content Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show' was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped define the 1980s, died at 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday. Article content Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. Article content Article content 'He was rescued by people on the beach,' the department's initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica's Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue. Article content Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money, and another episode where Theo tries to hide his ear piercing from his dad. His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992. Article content He played the role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the show's 197 episodes and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986. For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The 'Gordon Gartrell' shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon and the profile picture on Warner's Instagram shows a toddler sporting one. Article content Article content NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was among those giving tribute Monday. Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend. Article content 'We were both super fans of the hit 'Cosby Show' and continued to follow his career on shows like 'Malcolm and Eddie' and 'The Resident,'' Johnson said. 'Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.' Article content Article content Like the rest of the 'Cosby Show' cast, Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned. Article content Warner told The Associated Press in 2015 that the show's legacy was 'tarnished.' Article content 'My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,' Warner said. 'We've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.'
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gen Xers mourn drowning death of The Cosby Show's Theo actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner
DETROIT (AP) — For Black youth and teens growing up in the mid-1980s, 'The Cosby Show' offered something rarely seen on television up until that time — a sitcom that placed characters who looked like them in a positive light. And Malcolm-Jamal Warner's 'Theo Huxtable' was the character Generation X most related to. Fans took quickly to social media on Monday as news of Warner's accidental drowning in Costa Rica spread. 'It's like losing one of us,' said Harriet Cammock, a 58-year-old Detroit author and speaker. 'This is the thing with television. When you're watching people every week on television, you think you know them and you're related to them.' Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica's Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the Caribbean, according to that country's Judicial Investigation Department. First responders found him without vital signs. 'The Cosby Show' was groundbreaking and a ratings giant, drawing in viewers across racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. The show ran for 197 episodes from 1984 to 1992. In 1986, Warner earned an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy. The show starring Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad as his wife Clair and 'made the wider society aware that there are Black people who live like white people do,' said Cammock, who is Black. 'The perception that we don't live like they do was hurtful.' Lynn Reasonover, 62, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, began receiving messages Monday afternoon about Warner's death. Her initial thoughts were 'Nope, didn't happen.' 'Then, I kept seeing the news flashes and friends started sending texts,' Reasonover said. 'So, it's sinking in. Makes you realize how much some celebrities help shape our memories. His work had such a huge impact. I'm feeling a personal loss because we grew up with him. It's like losing a part of our childhood.' Reasonover saw much of her family in the Huxtables where both parents were professionals who valued education and handled family issues with understanding and love. 'They had similar problems to what we experienced growing up,' she said. 'We could relate and that's why we laughed.' Rasheda Williams, 46, of Detroit was about the same age as Rudy, the youngest character on 'The Cosby Show' and Theo's little sister. Williams said she and others are mourning Warner's passing because of what they saw in the character he played. 'He's like the ideal cousin you wish you had,' Williams said. 'Hearing the news has really affected some of us. It was unexpected. He wasn't sick. That makes it even more tragic.' 'He wasn't just an actor,' she said. 'He was also an activist, a positive role model, not just for young Black men, but for young Black women as well.'
