Busy TV actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 54, drowned while on a family vacation in Costa Rica, it was announced on July 21. He rose to fame as teenaged Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984–92). Warner was already a rising actor when cast in The Cosby Show, and he went on to costar in such series as Here and Now, The Magic School Bus, Malcolm & Eddie, Jeremiah, Listen Up, Sherri, Reed Between the Lines, Major Crimes, Ten Days in the Valley, and The Resident, as well as one-shots on other shows. He also appeared in the occasional movie, was a bass-guitar player, and a poet, and hosted the podcast Not All Hood. At the time of his death, Warner was costarring as Chief Inspector Houston in Alert: Missing Person’s Unit. He also appeared in the regional productions Three Ways Home, Cryin' Shame, Freefall, A Midsummer Nights' Dream, and his one-man show Love and Other Social Issues. On his Cosby success, Warner said, “That's an experience that I will forever be proud of and it honestly really helped shape a lot of the way I see the world and the way I carry myself. It’s not just that I was on this insanely popular TV show, but that it had such an impact on black America and I've always carried that understanding with me. I think that's why I tend to be as vocal as I've always been about my experiences and about how I feel about black culture.”
