Five Things You Didn’t Know About Malcolm-Jamal Warner

The death of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner had me reading up on his life and learning several things I didn't know about him.

Maybe there are also a few things you might not have known about him. Here's what I found.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies at 54

Warner, the Emmy-nominated actor who starred as Theo Huxtable for eight seasons on “The Cosby Show,” died on Sunday at age 54.

Costa Rican authorities said Monday that  Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.

First responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him without vital signs, and he was taken to the morgue. Warner was on vacation with his family, People reported.

Five Things You May Not Have Known About Malcolm-Jamal Warner

1- A native of Jersey City, 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 and Phylicia Rashad’s characters, Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable, in The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992. He received an Emmy nomination for the role.

Warner also directed five episodes of The Cosby Show over the final three years of the show.

2- Warner went on to star in the UPN TV show Malcolm & Eddie from 1996-2000.

He continued working steadily in television throughout his career, with credits including Touched by an Angel,  Community, Key and Peele, Suits, Sons of Anarchy, and American Horror Story.

Some more recent acting credits include The Resident, The Wonder Years reboot, Grownish, and 9-1-1.

3 - He didn’t start playing bass until his mid-20s, but he made up for lost time with hard work and dedication. Warner became a serious and passionate bassist who left a real mark on jazz, R&B, and spoken word music.

Known for his rich tone and smooth melodic lines on the five-string bass, Malcolm recorded and toured with top artists, released three albums, and was nominated for several Grammys.

In 2015, Warner earned a Grammy Award for best traditional R&B performance for a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America."

4- Warner was also nominated in 2023 for "Best Spoken Word Poetry Album" for his work "Hiding in Plain View," according to TheGrio.

This nomination is particularly noteworthy as 2023 marked the inaugural year for this new Grammy category, dedicated specifically to poetry recordings.

5- He was notoriously private about his personal life. Warner is survived by his wife and daughter, who was born in 2017. He did his best to keep their identities private.

In the past year, he helped create the podcast, "NOT ALL HOOD" or NAH, which took a provocative look at the vastly different lived experiences and identities of Blacks in America.