Named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, this New Jersey native became interested in acting at the age of 9 and made his TV debut on Matt Houston in 1983. A year later, he was lighting up the small screen as Theodore "Theo" Huxtable.

Malcolm-Jamal maintained an incredibly active schedule during the run of the series, not only with guest appearances on A Different World and Tour of Duty but also as the host of CBS' Storybreak. He starred in several special TV and video projects devoted to community awareness, including Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You, The Real Malcom X, Kids Killing Kids, and For Our Children.

Warner had an opportunity to direct an episode of The Cosby Show. He proved to be a natural behind the scenes as well as on-screen, eventually also directing episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air as well as Kenan and Kel.