Theodore Huxtable

Last updated
Theo Huxtable
The Cosby Show character
First appearance"Pilot"
Last appearance"And So We Commence"
Created by Bill Cosby
Portrayed by Malcolm-Jamal Warner [1]
In-universe information
AliasTeddy and Theodore "Theo" Huxtable [2]
GenderMale
Family Cliff Huxtable [3] (father)
Clair Huxtable (mother)
Sondra Huxtable (sister)
Denise Huxtable (sister)
Vanessa Huxtable (sister)
Rudy Huxtable (sister)
RelativesRussell Huxtable (paternal grandfather)
Anna Huxtable (paternal grandmother)
Al Hanks (maternal grandfather)
Carrie Hanks (material grandmother)
Nelson Tibideaux (nephew)
Winnie Tibideaux (niece)
Olivia Kendall (step-niece)
Pam Tucker (cousin)
NationalityAmerican

Theodore Aloysius "Theo" Huxtable is a fictional character who appears in the American sitcom The Cosby Show , portrayed by actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Conception

Theo Huxtable was based on Bill Cosby's only son Ennis Cosby. [8] [9] He also gave the character dyslexia as his son also had the condition. [10] [11] [12] Theo's disability is revealed in episode "Theo's Gift". [13]

Role

Theo is the only son of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, and the middle one of their five children. [14] At the beginning of the series, he is a freshman in high school who consistently gets poor grades, to his parents' consternation. Following graduation, he enrolls at New York University to study psychology at the start of the fifth season. After struggling with his coursework through much of his freshman year, he is diagnosed with dyslexia and adopts new study habits that lead to a marked improvement in his grades. Near the end of his junior year, Theo is assigned to work as a student teacher at a local community center and takes particular interest in helping a boy with a learning disability similar to his own. During the eighth and final season, he is offered a job in San Francisco but turns it down, deciding to continue working at the community center and to enter graduate school. The series finale focuses on Theo's college graduation, with Cliff reminiscing on the trouble his son had in high school.

Reception

Theo Huxtable has had a mostly positive reception from viewers. [15] [16] [17] The character also won praise about discussing dyslexia. [18] [19] [20] Warner was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986, making him the youngest nominee in history in that category.

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References

  1. ↑ "Don't Call Him Theo: Malcolm-Jamal Warner On Life After 'Cosby'". NPR.org. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (3 November 2017). Television Series of the 1980s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9781442278318 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Craig, Steve (26 February 1992). Men, Masculinity and the Media. SAGE. ISBN   9780803941632 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "'The Cosby Show's' legacy in South Africa". 26 May 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "The 40 Biggest Hip-Hop Moments in Pop Culture History30. Theo Huxtable Raps on The Cosby Show". Complex UK. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Radloff, Jessica (3 April 2013). "The Best Episode of The Cosby Show Aired 27 Years Ago Today, and I Dare You to Disagree! What Do You Think?" . Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Hupp, Stephen; Jewell, Jeremy (23 February 2015). Great Myths of Child Development. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   9781118521229 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "Business - How America 'Knew' Ennis Cosby -- In Sitcom, He Was Theo Huxtable - Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  9. ↑ BRAXTON, GREG; HUBLER, SHAWN (17 January 1997). "Ennis Cosby's True Story Was of Triumph" . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via LA Times.
  10. ↑ "Bill Cosby did a disservice to dyslexic people with the..." 12 November 1989. Retrieved 27 July 2017– via LA Times.
  11. ↑ Kussman, Eric (12 August 2011). De-Comprehensive Politics: Getting America Back to the Basics. AuthorHouse. ISBN   9781463434809 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Kushwah, Dushyant (1 July 2009). Children With Dyslexia: A Handbook for Parents & Teachers. Readworthy. ISBN   9789350180204 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  13. ↑ Whitaker, Mark (16 September 2014). Cosby: His Life and Times . Simon and Schuster. p.  367. ISBN   9781451697971 . Retrieved 28 July 2017– via Internet Archive.
  14. ↑ McGuire, Sr Dr Jesse R. (27 July 2017). Raising Doctors on a Patient's Salary. AuthorHouse. ISBN   9781449076993 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  15. ↑ Craig, Steve (26 February 1992). Men, Masculinity and the Media. SAGE Publications. ISBN   9781506320472 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  16. ↑ Bryant, J. Alison (27 July 2017). Television and the American Family. Routledge. ISBN   9781135663902 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Matthews, Dr Levi M. (13 January 2016). Our Stories of Overcoming "Homosexual Behavior". WestBow Press. ISBN   9781512725766 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  18. ↑ Whitaker, Mark (16 September 2014). Cosby: His Life and Times . Simon and Schuster. p.  367. ISBN   9781451697971 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Internet Archive. theo huxtable dyslexia.
  19. ↑ Tropiano, Stephen; Buren, Holly Van (1 November 2015). TV Finales FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Endings of Your Favorite TV Shows. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9781495046063 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Neal, Mark Anthony (1 February 2013). Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and the Post-Soul Aesthetic. Routledge. ISBN   9781135290559 . Retrieved 27 July 2017– via Google Books.


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