Beloved actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner died unexpectedly at age 54 after drowning while swimming in Costa Rica on a family vacation, a source confirmed to PEOPLE.
Warner became known in the ’80s and ’90s for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show. Following his tenure on the show, Warner lent his talents to projects such as Malcolm & Eddie, The Tuskeegee Airmen, A Different World, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Resident and many more. Last year, he launched his podcast Not All Hood in order to highlight the diversity of experiences of Black people.
“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,” Warner told PEOPLE at the time.
Below, see Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s life in photos.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Early Days
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born on August 18, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Pamela Warner and Robert Warner Jr.. According to IMDb, the actor was named Malcolm after Malcolm X and Jamal after jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. Following his parents’ divorce, he and his mother moved to Los Angeles, where he began pursuing an acting career.
In 1984, the actor snagged his breakthrough TV role, playing Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show. The role would garner Warner an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner with His ‘Cosby Show’ Siblings
Here, Warner is pictured with his onscreen sisters, Tempestt Bledsoe, who played Vanessa Huxtable, and Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy Huxtable.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Many Talents
Outside of his acting chops, Warner was also a talented musician. According to IMDb, the actor was also a poet and bass player. Above, Warner can be seen taking the mic during a concert in Washington Park in Chicago, Illinois in 1987.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s ‘Malcolm & Eddie’ Era
In addition to playing Theodore, Warner was present on many other favorite shows from the 1980s and 1990s. He voiced The Producer in The Magic School Bus, and appeared in series such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Touched by an Angel and Dexter, just to name a few.
From 1996 to 2000, Warner starred in Malcolm & Eddie alongside Eddie Griffin.
In 2019, the actor revealed that while viewers enjoyed the show, the process of making it wasn’t as fun as it seemed.
“It was a hard show for me to do, it was a hard time for me. I had come from a history-making show that showed that people of color could be funny without being stereotypical,” Warner told PeopleTV. “There was so much fighting that I did on this show, with writers, producers and the studio. There was a particular vision they had for the show that was different from the vision I had for the show.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on ‘The Cosby Show’s’ Legacy
Eleven years after the end of The Cosby Show, Warner reunited with his TV mom, Phylicia Rashad at a TV Land and Nick At Nite event in 2003.
Though Bill Cosby’s legacy was tarnished by dozens of sexual assault allegations, Warner stood by what the show represented, telling PEOPLE in 2023, “Prior to The Cosby Show, Black sitcom humor was predicated on being Black, the specificity of the ‘Black’ experience. Though the Huxtables were clearly Black — reflected quite obviously by their dress, the Black art on the walls, the music — the family issues all were universal.”
He explained, “And though Cliff [played by Cosby] was a doctor and Claire [Phylicia Rashad] was an attorney, the family dynamic was one that practically every family — no matter the ethnicity, socio-economic status or even family makeup — could find something to relate to.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Wins a Grammy
In 2015, the multi-hyphenate snagged the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album at the 65th Annual Grammys.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Scrubs In
The actor entered the procedural drama world in 2018, starring in 96 episodes of Fox’s The Resident.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Last Days
In 2024, Malcolm-Jamal Warner launched his podcast, Not All Hood, explore the vast and diverse experiences of the Black community. Together, with cohosts Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley, the trio discussed topics including Black love and representation in the media.
Warner continued to act, pictured above in his last credited acting role, as Chief Inspector Bill Houston on Fox’s Alert: Missing Persons Unit.
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