Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for playing Theo Huxtable on NBC’s The Cosby Show, has died. He was 54.
The actor and director died Sunday in an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, according to ABC News, with the Costa Rican National Police noting that Warner died from asphyxia.
Warner died near Cocles, a beach in Limon, after getting caught by a strong ocean current. His body was discovered and formally identified by the police.
Warner’s role on the long-running Bill Cosby series earned him an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy and positioned him for later success in Hollywood. His more recent TV work included the role of surgeon AJ Austin on the medical drama The Resident and the courtroom drama Accused, both on Fox.
“Everyone at Fox is heartbroken by the tragic loss of our friend and colleague, the extraordinary Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Fox Entertainment said Monday in a statement. “While his iconic roles — from comedic to dramatic — are unforgettable and timeless, Malcolm will be remembered most for his warmth, kind heart and the lasting impact he had on his friends, family and fans everywhere.”
Warner also appeared opposite Kyra Sedgwick on ABC’s Ten Days in the Valley drama, and he played A.C. Cowlings on FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.
Born on Aug. 18, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Warner was named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. He and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 5.
Although he had a breakout role on The Cosby Show, Warner moved on from that early success to a long career in Hollywood. At the same time, having played Theo in the popular comedy, he was often called on to comment on Cosby, and the sexual assault allegations against his co-star, especially when they first emerged and Cosby was arrested in 2015 before an eventual trial.
“He’s one of my mentors, and he’s been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor. Just as it’s painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it’s just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this,” Warner told Billboard in January 2015.
“I can’t really speak on any of the allegations because obviously, I was not there. The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people. What he’s done for comedy and television has been legendary and history-making. What he’s done for the Black community and education has been invaluable. That’s the Bill Cosby I know. I can’t speak on the other stuff.”
An eventual sexual assault conviction for Cosby over a 2004 encounter with accuser Andrea Constand was later overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Cosby, then 83, was freed after serving over two years of a three- to 10-year sentence at a state prison.
Warner’s other screen credits include Sneaky Pete, Major Crimes, Suits, Community, Sons of Anarchy, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Cleaner and Dexter. As a director, he helmed episodes of The Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Sesame Street.
In 2011, he helmed and starred alongside Tracee Ellis Ross on the BET series Reed Between the Lines, and he directed the AIDS awareness video Timeout: The Truth about HIV, AIDS, and You, which featured appearances by Magic Johnson and Arsenio Hall.
Warner made his film debut in Drop Zone (1994) and appeared in Fool’s Gold (2008) opposite Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson and Donald Sutherland. And on the stage, he appeared in the off-Broadway plays Three Ways Home, Cryin’ Shame, Freefall and in a production of A Midsummer Nights’ Dream at the La Jolla Playhouse in California.
Information on his survivors was not immediately available.
