Reed between the lines
malcolm-jamal warner isn’t your average comedy genius. emmy-nominated for his role as theo huxtable in the cosby show (1984-1992), he’s a triple-threat: he acts, directs and makes music. in addition to roles in series like community (2009current) and american horror story: freak show (2014-current), he directed ’90s sitcom kenan & kel (1996-2000). where is he on our screens? playing neat freak and wine-loving dr alex reed in the cancelled sitcom reed between the lines (2011).
the 44-year-old was born in jersey city, new jersey and was named after human rights activist malcolm x and legendary jazz pianist ahmad jamal. but to his friends, he’s just “huey”. malcolm started acting classes at age nine when his divorced single mom pamela noticed his love for showbiz. she later became his manager, helping him score his first bit part on the private investigation dramedy matt houston in 1982. just before landing his role on the cosby show in 1984, he bagged a small role on tv series fame (1982-1987). the cosby show is also where he made his directorial debut, later becoming the first celebrity to direct an episode of sesame street (1969-current) in 1994. he’s also directed episodes of the fresh prince of bel-air (1990-1996) and malcolm & eddie (1996-2000), which he was also the lead star in. in 2002, he proved his drama chops by playing the title character in sci-fi series jeremiah (2002-2004). malcolm dated his co-star michelle thomas, who played his girlfriend justine on the cosby show, for 11 years and was at her bedside when she died from cancer in 1998. he’s also a musician, releasing two jazz albums so far – 2003’s the miles long mixtape and love & other social issues in 2007.