Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo Huxtable on the popular sitcom The Cosby Show, has died at age 54 from an accidental drowning in Costa Rica.
According to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department, Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles beach in the Limon province when a powerful current carried him away. Authorities confirmed his death on Monday.
Warner created some of the most memorable television moments for Generation X and their parents, including a pilot episode argument with Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) about money and a scene where he tried to hide an ear piercing from his father. Theo, the only son among four daughters in the Huxtable household, became a defining representation of American teenage boyhood on the NBC sitcom. It was the most popular show in America during much of its 1984-1992 run, reports Associated Press.
Warner portrayed the character for eight seasons, appearing in all 197 episodes, and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986. One of the most iconic images of his character remains the episode where he wears a botched designer shirt sewn by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet.
Warner later starred in Malcolm & Eddie alongside comedian Eddie Griffin on the UPN network from 1996 to 2000. In the 2010s, he co-starred with Tracee Ellis Ross on the BET sitcom Read Between the Lines and appeared as Al Cowlings in American Crime Story. He was also a series regular on Fox’s The Resident.
His film credits include the 2008 romantic comedy Fool’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A poet and musician, Warner won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance and was nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for Hiding in Plain View.
– Ends
With inputs from Associated Press