Malcolm-Jamal Warner

An `80s icon for his portrayal of a typical teen on one of television's most successful sitcoms, Malcolm-Jamal Warner stars as the cautious, more practical half of "Malcolm & Eddie," UPN's popular comedy series that focuses on two twentysomething men who couldn't be more different but somehow forge a friendship and business partnership in a Kansas City bar.

Warner plays Malcolm McGee who, left at the altar by his errant bride-to-be, decides to re-join his longtime friend Eddie (stand-up comic Eddie Griffin) in a business venture. Even though the reserved Malcolm must constantly contend with Eddie's impulsive behavior, he can't help but like his odd friend with the very big heart.

For eight seasons, Malcolm-Jamal Warner played Theo Huxtable, a teenager living in contemporary America on "The Cosby Show." After that long run, he went on to star in the comedy series "Here and Now." Most recently, he starred in several high profile telefilms, including HBO's "The Tuskegee Airmen," the story of a group of African-American World War II fighter pilots who, for the first time, were given an opportunity to serve their country; and as Rory Holloway in HBO's "Tyson," the life story of heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. His other television acting credits include the telefilm "The Father Clements Story" and the afterschool special "Desperate Exit."

Warner made his feature film debut in 1994 as Wesley Snipes' brother in "Drop Zone." On stage, Warner has starred in "Freefall" and the off-Broadway plays "Three Ways Home" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Warner had a co-starring role in the independent film, "Restaurant," filmed in the summer of 1998, and he also stars in "A Fare to Remember," an independent film which will make the festival rounds later this year.

Civic-minded, Warner has hosted several programs such as "Kids Killing Kids"; "Blacks and White TV: A History of African Americans in Television"; the video "Home Alone: A Kids' Guide to Playing it Safe on Your Own"; and was the voice of the "Producer" in the acclaimed PBS animated series "The Magic School Bus." His other hosting credits include "NBC's Friday Night Videos," "The Apollo Hall of Fame" and the weekly CBS Saturday morning show "Storybreak." In addition to being a resident director on "Malcolm & Eddie," Warner has also directed episodes of "The Cosby Show"; "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"; "All That"; and "Sesame Street"; as well as music videos for artists MC Trouble, Larry Springfield and New Edition. His film short, "This Old Man," received critical acclaim on the film festival circuit.

He also directed and produced the half hour tribute to "The Cosby Show" entitled "The First Laugh: Memories of The Cosby Show" (which he also hosted), the Saturday morning teen magazine special "All Ax-S," featuring Jaleel White and Kriss Kross, and the AIDS awareness video "Timeout: The Truth about HIV, AIDS and You," with Magic Johnson and Arsenio Hall, which earned Warner an NAACP Key of Life Image Award.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and raised in Los Angeles, Warner became interested in acting at age nine when his mother enrolled him in drama classes as an extracurricular activity. Acting soon became his ambition, overshadowing his dream of joining the Los Angeles Lakers. After graduating with honors from high school in 1988, Warner attended New York University Film School where he completed several short film projects as the first phase of his college education.

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