logo
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor who starred as Theo in ‘The Cosby Show,' dead at 54

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, actor who starred as Theo in ‘The Cosby Show,' dead at 54

CTV News5 days ago
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, an actor and artist who rose to fame as a child as Theodore Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' has died, according to a source close to the actor.
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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fantastic Four focuses on fun
Fantastic Four focuses on fun

CBC

time17 hours ago

  • CBC

Fantastic Four focuses on fun

Social Sharing The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes out in theatres today. The reboot of Marvel's superhero group takes place in a futuristic 1960s America, giving it a nostalgic aesthetic that roots itself in the original vision of the comic books. Today on Commotion, guest host Eli Glasner speaks with NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans, entertainment reporter Teri Hart and Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko about their thoughts on The Fantastic Four and if it can reverse Marvel's recent slump at the box office. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion on remembering both The Cosby Show's Malcolm-Jamal Warner and wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Eli: Teri, what's the vision behind this new take on the Fantastic Four? Teri: What people are seeing in this very, very significant media buy that Disney has put behind this movie is a restart for the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe]. It's like, we are done with the Avengers, we are done with those old characters and we are in a new universe for the MCU — and that universe is the Fantastic Four. It's a really fun movie to watch. I quite liked the movie…. What's nice about this movie is it doesn't wind around itself 16 times, the way so many MCU movies do. It's like, they [the Fantastic Four] went to space, something happened, they have superpowers, let's move on — and then we get going. All the exposition that we were getting into and all of the explainers and all of the different lore in the MCU was tiresome, let's be clear. And this does not have that. So it's fun and it's a summer blockbuster and it's squarely in that territory, and I think it delivers. Eli: This is just the latest of The Fantastic Four movies. There was the 2005 version with Chris Evans and Jessica Alba, the 2015 version with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. Eric, talk to us about The Fantastic Four as just a story and a Marvel entity and what makes it — up until now, perhaps — so hard to adapt. Eric: The Fantastic Four were the building blocks for Marvel. They were the first set of heroes to come along to present Marvel's vision of: these are heroes that operate in a reality. They're not in a metropolis or some made-up city, they're in Manhattan. They operate out of a skyscraper in the middle of New York City. They deal with real landmarks and real people. And they were a family with real tensions. And I think one of the things that was hard about adapting this though, is that so much of it was very cosmic, and so many of their villains were really exaggerated. Galactus is a perfect example: a world-eating giant from outside our solar system. I think a lot of The Fantastic Four movies, where they fell down, were figuring out who the villain could be. It wasn't Galactus in many of them. And if that villain is not Galactus, you've already lost fans of the Fantastic Four because they want to see that classic match-up that defined the Fantastic Four. So it was great that they tackled portraying Galactus the way he is in the comic books [as the villain]. Eli: Let's talk about aesthetic, Kristy. I would describe The Fantastic Four as Norman Rockwell meets The Jetsons: this wonderful vision of the future, by way of the 1960s. So it has a look. It has very interesting aesthetic choices. Do you think that was crucial to the story? Kristy: I do. Here's the thing: I think that we got into kind of a rut where superhero movies became such a formula because it was working for DC [DC Comics] and MCU for a while that they're like, "These are how these movies look." And the genre might change up a little bit, but they had the consistent look. I think by being like, "We're doing a different look," it says, "We're doing something new, let's reset." I've seen all the other Fantastic Four movies and I will be honest, I don't remember a lot about them. And I think that's in part because it's hard in this superhero genre that we have developed as an industry, as a society, to make sense of four people that are like, "We wear matching spandex, we're called the Fantastic Four." We haven't allowed for that in any kind of real way. So they have to embrace the kitschiness of it. And putting it in the '60s, it gives it that Incredibles vibe, where we are allowed to have an idealistic nostalgia of an aesthetic instead of dealing with the reality of the '60s — and notably their 1960s looks very different than our 1960s in a political structure. But aesthetically? Gorgeous, love it. It really does allow us an escapism that I think Marvel got stuck in with all these gritty, "And now here's Yelena [Black Widow], but she's sad." It allows us to be like, "Hey guys, remember when things were just fun and super?"

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was struggling along with daughter, 8, at time of drowning
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was struggling along with daughter, 8, at time of drowning

Toronto Sun

time2 days ago

  • Toronto Sun

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was struggling along with daughter, 8, at time of drowning

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner attends 2023 Beloved Community Awards at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on January 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Paras Griffin / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter when he drowned in Costa Rica earlier this week, according to reports. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The 54-year-old actor and musician, who was best known for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show , died on Sunday during a family vacation with his wife and daughter. Police told ABC News that surfers spotted Warner and his daughter struggling in the water and dove in to try and help them. Lifeguard instructor Mike Geist, who is also the vice-president of Caribbean Guard, explained to Us Weekly how the tragedy unfolded. Geist said that after group surf lessons earlier in the day, Warner and a few other individuals 'decided to get back in the water.' He recalled three people later being seen in 'distress,' who lifeguards were 'able to get out with some help.' He continued: 'Another person that was on the beach with a boogie board went out to go and look for Malcolm because they learned there was a fourth person,' Geist said, noting that a doctor was among those searching for the actor and eventually the one who found him submerged in water. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Once brought to shore, Warner was given 45 minutes of CPR, ABC News reported, but it was too late. Warner's cause of death was ruled as accidental asphyxiation by submersion, according to the outlet. RECOMMENDED VIDEO A man trying to help Warner had been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment 'without complications.' The late Grammy winner, who won Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2015, kept much of his personal life private, never sharing his daughter's name as well as keeping the identity of his wife from the public. However, in 2023 he posted a throwback video of him dancing with his daughter and singing to her when she was 1, noting how fast she was growing up. Warner also called his daughter a 'mini us' in a 2021 Instagram post while sharing how their family came to be. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Whatever 'bigger than family' ideas I had in my head before these two beautiful spirits came into my life are now fuelled to be even bigger. Life is even more fulfilling,' he wrote. 'When people ask me how I'm doing, I often tell them that I am living the mother****ing dream,' the Resident actor continued. 'And on the days it doesn't feel like it, I just remind myself that I'm still living SOMEBODY's dream. And I press on. I am so FULL now. Of Love. Of joy. Of gratefulness.' Read More After Warner's Cosby Show run ended in 1992, he went on to star alongside Eddie Griffin in Malcolm & Eddie . In recent years he appeared on Suits , Major Crimes and 9-1-1 and hosted podcast Not All Hood alongside Candace O. Kelley and Weusi Baraka. Sports Ontario Wrestling Canada Canada

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store