Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who is most recognized for playing Theodore “Theo” Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at age 54, TheWrap has learned.
According to local police, the actor, poet, producer and director died as a result of drowning after swimming in Costa Rica while on a family vacation. TMZ was first to report the news on Monday.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said the actor died Sunday afternoon at the Playa Cocles beach on the country’s Caribbean coast. He was rescued by fellow beachgoers after a current pulled him under in Limon province, though Red Cross first responders subsequently declared him dead, per the AP.
Representatives for Warner are not yet commenting on his death.
Warner was born on Aug. 18, 197o, in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up as a child performer at The Professional Children’s School in New York City. He stepped into stardom early on in his career after he earned himself a role as Theo Huxtable on Bill Cosby’s family NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show” at 14 years old. He remained on the show for all of its eight seasons and his performance garnered him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards.
He moved on to once again rep his own name as Malcolm McGee on the Kansas City, Missouri-based buddy sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie.” He then played Dr. Reed in the sitcom “Reed Between the Lines” and later on suited up as Sticky in the FX show “Sons of Anarchy,” portrayed Al Cowlings on “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and starred as Dr. AJ Austin on “The Resident.”
Aside from his work as an actor, Warner cemented himself as a Hollywood producer and as a musician, serving as the executive producer of PBS Kids’ hit animated series “The Magic School Bus.” He made his music debut in 2003 with his EP “The Miles Long Mixtape.” His fourth album “Hiding In The Plain View” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2022 and he won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the 2015 song “Jesus Children” alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway. His latest creative endeavor was a podcast titled “Not All Hood.”
