Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame on The Cosby Show, has reportedly died. The actor, who was nominated for an Emmy for playing Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom in the ‘80s, is also known for roles on The Resident and his eponymous sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He was 54 years old.
The actor’s death was being reported by TMZ as an accidental drowning, citing a “reliable source.” People also reported the death, saying an insider informed their staffers that Malcolm-Jamal Warner was on a family vacation in Costa Rica when the incident occurred.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was reportedly caught by a high current in the water while swimming near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica, on Sunday, July 20. His body was formally identified by police. He is reportedly survived by a wife and daughter.
Despite a decades-long career, Malcolm-Jamal Warner will likely be best remembered for both the comedy and the heart he brought to The Cosby Show as Theo, a taste of which you can see below:
The Cosby Show aired on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and is considered one of the best sitcoms of all time. Despite some fans re-evaluating their opinion of the show’s legacy following Bill Cosby’s assault convictions, there’s no arguing the impact it had on pop culture as a series that was centered around a Black upper middle-class family. Malcolm-Jamal Warner remained proud of what The Cosby Show had done, telling People in 2023:
Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I'm still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture.
After The Cosby Show, Malcolm-Jamal Warner continued his television career with appearances on shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy and American Horror Story: Freak Show. He had a recurring role on Suits as Julius Rowe and was part of the Community cast, where he recurred in four episodes as Shirley’s ex-husband Andre.
His most recent credit was a four-episode stint on 9-1-1 in 2024, while in 2023 he joined the cast of Accused and made appearances on The Wonder Years reboot, The Irrational and Grown-ish.
Aside from TV and movies, Malcolm-Jamal Warner's latest project was a podcast, Not All Hood, through which he continued to make a positive impact on the Black community by breaking down mental health barriers. In discussing what he and co-hosts Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley wanted to accomplish, Warner told 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.
News of the actor’s death is simply heartbreaking, and we at CinemaBlend send our condolences to Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s family and friends, as well as anyone else affected by the actor’s death, at this time.
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