Malcolm-Jamal Warner was an actor I all the time vastly admired, which is why I used to be not solely shocked but additionally deeply upset by his sudden passing at 54 from a drowning incident. Like most individuals, I found him by way of his Emmy-nominated efficiency on The Cosby Present as Theo Huxtable, which undoubtedly stays his best-known position, however it’s not all I do know him from.
Past catching reruns of the traditional TV sitcom on Nick at Nite, Warner turned a performer I all the time stored an eye fixed out for and was delighted to see pop up in all types of titles that demonstrated his pristine versatility. I needed to take a second to look again on among the comparatively underrated Malcolm-Jamal Warner performances that made me suppose, Man, Theo has expertise, and can have me lacking him for years to return.
Just some years after The Cosby Present ended, Warner was given the possibility to headline his personal TV comedy, alongside comic Eddie Griffin, with Malcolm & Eddie. I’d describe the present, airing from 1996 to 2000, because the love youngster of The Odd Couple and Kenan & Kel (if that latter Nickelodeon present was for grown-ups), following the misadventures of the eponymous mismatched roommates and enterprise companions.
This was one other sitcom of Warner’s that I caught in reruns, partially as a result of I didn’t have UPN whereas it nonetheless existed, and I actually admired his chemistry with Griffin because the witty straight man to his goofier foil. I used to be shocked to listen to just lately, from an interview with DCP Leisure, that the duo didn’t get alongside behind the scenes. Nonetheless, issues fortunately cooled down between them, as one may see from Griffin’s heartfelt tribute to Warner that he shared with Selection.
He Proved His Dramatic Chops On The Dystopian Thriller Jeremiah
A few years after Malcolm & Eddie was cancelled, Warner was given the possibility to show that his skills had been fitted to extra than simply laughs on a sequence known as Jeremiah. The short-lived dystopian sci-fi drama, which ran for 2 seasons on Showtime, starred Luke Perry, one other actor taken too quickly, because the title hero, who embarks on a quest to discover a fabled sanctuary in a world almost eradicated by a lethal virus that solely pre-pubescent individuals had been proof against.
That is one other present that I caught in reruns (as soon as once more as a result of I didn’t have the channel) and initially turned on due to Warner, because it was a job in contrast to something I had ever seen from him earlier than. So far as I’m involved, he completely nailed his efficiency as Kurdy, a sensible and noble warrior who acts as Jeremiah’s trusted companion on his journey, which makes me wish to revisit the sequence with my Amazon Prime subscription very quickly.
Warner’s follow-up to Jeremiah noticed him heading again to sitcom territory, this time as a sidekick to none aside from former Seinfeld forged member Jason Alexander. Hear Up was the George Costanza actor’s second try to guide his personal comedy after the hit NBC sequence ended, and starred him as sports activities commentator and household man, Tony Kleinman.
Now, this one I truly watched in its prime and was, maybe, one of many few individuals who did throughout its single-season run on CBS. But, regardless of my lifelong affinity for Seinfeld, particularly George Costanza’s best hits, it was Warner who stored me coming again. He is an ideal match for the scene-stealing position of Tony’s co-host and finest good friend, Bernie Widmer, who typically steals the highlight from the character on the present in humorous methods.
For all of the visitor stars on Group that some might have forgotten about, I will surely not embrace Malcolm-Jamal Warner on that checklist. In actual fact, I believe the actor has one of the vital memorable appearances on the irreverent NBC comedy.
He appeared in 4 episodes as Shirley Bennett’s (Yvette Nicole Brown) ex-husband, Andre, and for what his stint lacks in size, Warner makes up for along with his unquestionably radiant allure. The scene when he proposes to Shirley a second time, accompanied by a dancing quartet performing a Boyz II Males track, is without doubt one of the present’s most heartwarming moments, even when their second marriage doesn’t pan out ultimately.
He Gave An Arresting Efficiency On Accused
A key cause I turned fascinated with watching Fox’s adaptation of a U.Okay. sequence depicting a number of tales of abnormal residents in troubling authorized conditions was realizing that Warner was within the Accused forged. In actual fact, I’d name his episode, “Kendall’s Story,” top-of-the-line episodes of the anthology TV present.
Warner’s heartbreaking lead efficiency carries this story of a husband and father coerced by his buddies and coworkers into taking issues into his personal arms when his younger daughter is sexually assaulted. It’s a harrowing portrait of a person pushed to unimaginable lengths by an unspeakable crime that is perhaps his strongest dramatic position.
He Owned One Of The Greatest Key & Peele Cameos
Key & Peele is a good sketch comedy sequence lauded as a lot for Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s hilarious bits as for its sensational visitor star appearances. I imagine that Warner most undoubtedly earns a spot on that checklist.
He exhibits up in a humorous sketch happening at a gathering for the Tallahassee Black Republicans, who, because the sketch involves reveal, usually are not a very numerous group when it comes to their personalities and even their wardrobe selections. Warner’s Arthur Washington is launched as an skilled in explaining the range amongst Black conservatives, however finally ends up having nothing new to supply to the dialog, primarily repeating what Key and Peele’s characters already stated. Nonetheless, the actor can’t appear to assist however slip in some distinctive quirks to his efficiency that basically assist it stand out as one in all Key & Peele’s most memorable and funniest cameos.
These are among the performances exterior of The Cosby Present that made me a fan of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. I solely want we had extra to sit up for from the actor.