In the 1980s, the primetime Thursday night lineup on NBC was television gold, thanks largely in part to the Huxtable family. A six-time Emmy winner, "The Cosby Show" redefined television with its depiction of an upper-middle class Black family, and enjoyed eight season before ending it's reign. Part of the undeniable success of "The Cosby Show" — which lead to Bill Cosby's massive net worth — lies in the fact that it depicted an upper-middle-class Black American family, which was something that had
not been done in prime time, or any time.
Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable was an obstetrician with a thriving practice, and his wife, Clair (played by Phylicia Rashad) was a successful attorney. The couple lived in a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone where they raised their five children, Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam). As Dr. Huxtable, Bill Cosby delivered more than babies — he delivered situations in which any parent could relate. The hit sitcom was both hilarious and relatable, and looking back, there are many things only adults notice when watching "The Cosby Show."
Although the popularity of the "The Cosby Show" would become secondary to the scandal surrounding its namesake, the impact of the show was undeniable. "What made it so groundbreaking was its universality," the Warner told People in 2023. "NBC initially saw it as a show about an upper-middle-class Black family. Mr. [Bill] Cosby diligently impressed upon them that the show was about an upper-middle-class family that happened to be Black." Since the show wrapped, many tragic details about "The Cosby Show" cast have surfaced, including the deaths of some of the show's beloved stars.
Read more: Whatever Happened To The Cast Of The Middle?
Michelle Thomas
As Justine Phillips, Michelle Thomas stole the heart of Theo Huxtable both on screen, and in real life. Thomas and Malcolm-Jamal Warner were an item for approximately six years, and remained close friends post-breakup. When Thomas was diagnosed with Desmoplastic small round cell tumor, a rare form of cancer, Warner was there for her, and flew to her bedside in New York for her final hours. "Malcolm was the love of her life," said Thomas' mother, Phynjuar Thomas. "I think he was her only real boyfriend" (via People).
Prior to landing the role of Justine on Thursday night's most popular sitcom, Thomas was no stranger to the industry. Her mother was a regional actor, and her father was musician Dennis "D.T." Thomas of Kool and the Gang fame. Her life after "The Cosby Show" included a successful acting career on popular shows like "Family Matters," and the daytime drama, "The Young and the Restless." "She spent a lot of her career playing girls," the late Warner told People."The wonderful thing about 'The Young and the Restless' was she finally got to play a woman. She finally got to be sexy and to show people that there was more to her than Justine from Cosby." Thomas died on December 23, 1999, at 30. Her last words to Warner were "Elephant juice." "Mouthing those words looks like you're saying, 'I love you,'" Warner explained. "That was always our thing. When I saw her, I said, 'Elephant juice.' She smiled and said, 'Elephant juice.'"
Everett Wilson
Everett Wilson was a brief member of "The Cosby Show" cast, yet he never had a speaking role. That's because he and his twin brother, Ronald played the character of Nelson Tibideaux, son of Sondra and Elvin Huxtable, and twin brother of Winnie. Although he never said a word, Wilson was an integral part of the Huxtable clan as one of the first grandchildren. Sadly, Wilson was one of a long list of child stars who tragically died young when a 2005 car crash claimed his life at the age of 17.
"The Cosby Show" was Wilson's only claim to fame, and while chances are he didn't remember being on set, according to his obituary posted on Facebook, the experience was something he often spoke fondly about. "He talked about it all the time," family friend Linda Cowell-Pritchard shared. "When he met people, he would bring it up ... That was something that just put a big spark [in him]." Wilson's family and friends remembered him as a good student, and an active member of his church. Wilson attended Riverhead High School, and Guidance counselor Christy Van Hoesen described him as "outgoing, friendly, upbeat and always smiling." His mother, Mary Lou Wilson, of Calverton, agreed. "He made everybody happy," she said. "When you were down and out he was always there to pick you up and make you laugh." The driver of the car involved in the fatal accident was an acquaintance of Wilson's who was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Clarice Taylor
She may have been most widely known for her Emmy-nominated role as Anna Huxtable, Bill Cosby's on-screen mom, but it was a role on the popular PBS children's show "Sesame Street" that launched Clarice Taylor's career. Taylor played Harriet, a sweet country grandmother who often visited her grandson David in the city. It was a small, but recurring role, and it was the launchpad to roles in movies like the Clint Eastwood thriller "Play Misty for Me" and hit musical "The Wiz," where she starred in the role of Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North. Her portrayal of vaudeville comedienne Moms Mabley in an off-Broadway production she put together earned the Harlem-native a prestigious Obie award.
A founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company, based in the East Village, the mom-of-two pursued acting against her parents wishes. "I certainly know about the oppression and prejudices of being black and a woman and from the South," she once told The New York Times. "I was told I would have to survive in an oppressed land," she continued. "My family thought it was insanity for me to go into the theater rather than to get an education." Taylor proved them wrong by not only surviving, but thriving until her 2011 death at the age of 93 from congestive heart failure. Bill Cosby remembered his co-star fondly. "Clarice was a hip mother, fearless," he said in a statement printed in The Times, and added that she was "perfect" in the role even though "she looked young enough to play my sister."
Earle Hyman
In his role as Bill Cosby's father, Russell Huxtable, Earle Hyman delivered an Emmy-nominated performance with his blend of wit and wisdom. But before he was everyone's favorite "grandpa," Hyman was a renowned star of stage and screen. Originally from North Carolina, Hyman was raised in Brooklyn, and got his first taste of Broadway in 1944 with a role in "Anna Lucasta." He went on to star in several Broadway shows, including "Driving Miss Daisy," where he played chauffeur Hoke Coleman. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the then-61-year-old said it was one of his favorite roles to date. "I'm not leaving unless they fire me," he said. "It's a play that shows pure love coming from the strangest place. It is the mystery of the human heart."
Despite his success and award nominations, Hyman, who lent his distinctive voice to the animated series, "ThunderCats," never broke out on the big screen although he was offered many parts including a lead in the Rock Hudson film "Something of Value." His passion for the theater always overshadowed his desire to appear in movies, a decision he later came to regret. "I really wish I'd done more movies," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I turned down a few other roles in movies because I love the theater so much. What snobs we theater actors can be." Hyman died in the Lillian Booth Actor's Home in Englewood, New Jersey, in 2017 at the age of 91.
Ethel Ayler
Poised and polished, Ethel Ayler played Carrie Hanks, Clair Huxtable's mom. Like many of her co-stars on "The Cosby Show," Ayler cut her acting teeth in the theater, where she appeared in several Broadway productions including "Fences" where she starred with the great James Earl Jones. The regal Ayler had plenty of screen credits to her name as well, with guest spots on hit shows like "Sister, Sister, " and "Melrose Place." Her film credits included "The Bodyguard" with the late Whitney Houston, and "To Sleep With Anger," a role that earned the actor a Sprit Award nomination.
Ayler haled from Alabama and was a voice major at Fisk University in Nashville before moving to Chicago where she landed a role in "Porgy and Bess." That was the start of a stellar career that had her playing Lena Horne's understudy on Broadway in "Jamaica," before going on to other Broadway roles in "The Cool World," "Kwamina," "Black Picture Show," and "The First Breeze of Summer." But it was her role as part of the extended Cosby clan that fans most recognized, although what they may not have realized is that the actor named her character after her own grandmother. An active member of the Negro Ensemble Company, Ayers died in 2018 at the age of 88. Her family did not release her cause of death, only to say that she died in California.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
In 2025, Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show" died at 54 from accidental drowning while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica. Best known for his role as the goofy but lovable Theo Huxtable, the New Jersey native's death hit the entertainment community hard, including his on-screen dad Bill Cosby. "You could depend on Malcolm always going to uh the shelter, to learn his lines, to gather his character to come out and be ready," Cosby told 6abc anchor Sharrie Williams. "When the news came, it was shocking. And of course, my thoughts went straight to his mother, who worked so hard. She was so wonderful with him."
Life after "The Cosby Show" was good for Warner who found success on shows with the sitcoms "Malcolm & Eddie" and "Reed Between the Lines." He later hosted a podcast, "Not All Hood," with co-hosts Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley, to discuss topics relevant to the Black experience. "When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects," Warner told People. Regardless of all his success, it was his role as the only boy in the Huxtable household that fans associated with the star, which was something Warner tried to downplay. On an episode of the podcast "Hot and Bothered" in 2025, he admitted that he didn't like it when fans called him "Theo," and would often correct them. "I'm going to be Malcolm much longer than I'm going to be Theo," he said. Sadly, it wasn't as long as he thought.
Read the original article on The List.
