Rest Easy, fellow Tony winner Colman Domingo wrote on Twitter, and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis proclaimed her one of the greatest actresses of all time in a tweet. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Hardison: When I found out that they were going to put Dwayne and Whitley together, I was shockedbut I liked it because I knew what a beast [Jasmine] was at work. With the success of the show came a level of fame that, while moderate in comparison to the visibility of young actors in todays more diverse, social mediafueled industry, was an adjustment for the cast. Clockwise from bottom left: Although Bonet appeared for only one season, she left her mark; writers and producers Yvette Lee Bowser, Susan Fales-Hill, and Allen pose together; an off-screen friendship with Bonet was what initially brought Hardison onto the series; Hardison and Bell in a still from the season five The Cats in the Cradle episode. Thats me too.. Walter and Jaleesa were supposed to get married, but the two decided against it at the altar. He first appeared as Dean Harris on "The CosbyShow" episode "Hillman,"which introduces the titular college. Viewers who revisit "A Different World" might be surprised to find that shortly before he took that iconic role, Avery appeared on the show's Season 3 episode, "To Have and Have Not," as the Pin Punisher. "We were saying to the country, 'We're going to present a very upper middle-class black woman raising her child, and her major concentration is not going to be about suffering in the ghetto,'" Carroll said, regarding the role's significance. I will! We kept going with the scene and Debbie said, Got it. Fales-Hill: It was bittersweet. Im not really one to suffer fools, so I became more determined to create my own work environment. Hardison: Towards the end of the first season, I was driving home and I saw about two dozen kids on my lawn. When we got the call for the audition, it was a huge deal. But there was also the struggle for Whitley to find her voice as a woman, and I thought that that was very powerful. The change was night and day. He did such a great job in the latter role that the character's spin-off series, "Benson," ended up running much longer than its parent show. Can you come in tomorrow? Costume department polaroids of cast members Cree Summer, Darryl Bell, and costume designer Ceci (in a Hillman cheerleading uniform). I was devastated. In the shows second season, Ceci was tapped as the lead costume designer. Hardison: The number one episode for me is easily Cats in the Cradle, when Dwayne and Ron go to a football game and these white dudes spray-painted the N-word on Rons car. In 1992, she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Ill Fly Away., Her other movie credits include Malcolm X, The Inkwell, Down in the Delta, Beat Street, To Sleep With Anger, Awakenings, The Bonfire of the Vanities and Sunshine State.. To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the '40s and '50s [movies] and had to keep their mouths shut.". He is known for portraying Warrick Brown on the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Shazza Zulu on the television series A Different World and Mickey Monroe in crime thriller Righteous Villains. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. It was not nice. Waithe: An episode that I dont think gets talked about enough is when [Jada Pinkett Smiths character] Lenas father comes back into her life. By season six, Freddie, Dwayne, Kimberly, Ron, and Whitley had all graduated from Hillman, and a new group of students joined the cast in main and recurring roles. Where did she come from? Hardison: We were friends at first. The theme song was sung by Phoebe Snow for season one, Aretha Franklin for seasons two through five, and Boyz II Men for season 6. And it was like, yes, I have a degree from Stanford, but Im here to do whatever it takes to be a part of the creative process, to see how it works, to pitch in. Guyhere with Bell and Hardisonstarred as Whitley Gilbert following Bonets departure. Before Thomas Mikal Ford became known as Martin Payne's friend Tommy Strawn on the Fox sitcom "Martin,"he, too, appeared on a Season 3 episode of "A Different World." . 2023 Variety Media, LLC. When actor and producer Lena Waithe first joined Instagram in 2011, her handle was @hillmangrad. Administratively, a lot of barriers came down. Allen: I had been asked to work on Family Ties, but then I got this call from Bill and he said, You know we need you to come and get out your broom; clean it up and bring reality to it. So thats what I did. Devine: One day I came to work and my whole apartment was gone. Lewis, Summer, Hardison, Guy, and Brown gather in a Radford Studios parking lot. Juggling an increasingly demanding stand-up and hosting career and also looking to get into film, Sinbad left in season four. Up until the last day before we shot it, I was asking the writers to please fix it. I know that the show never won an Emmy, but it never felt like we were part of that party anyway. No. Look aroundyour director is Black, your writers are Black. Tools Gary Dourdan (born Gary Robert Durdin: December 11, 1966) is an American actor. I mean, the list just went on and on and on. Im so excited I cant sleep. Guy: We had so much fun off-camera that I only remember episodes based on what was going on in our lives during that time. Christopher Hibler. He had a good heart. Something about it being on at 8:30 p.m. and everybody in the world watching, it messed with my stomach. When the show wrapped, Hardison was given one of the two pairs of Dwaynes glasses from the set. So I had my competition sleeping on my couch, and the two of us drove to NBC together. It was all because of her popularity that Mr. Cosby had the idea to do this spinoff. Anyone who has suggested that Lisa was unprofessional or difficult to work with, its just not true. When she walked in that audition room she said, Im the next Debbie Allen. I was like, Damn right! I said, Weve got to put her on the show. He went on to reprise the role many times in a variety of media. If I didnt do well on a test or if I got in trouble at school, I remember my mom saying You aint going to be able to watch A Different World if you keep acting up.. I said, Wait. This prompted shocked and saddened reactions from his colleagues and loved ones (via CNN). I was like, Baby, please! The second please was a please for hersay your line, say your line, because Im out right now, and this is just going to get worse and worse if we have to do more takes. She was a big fan of A Different World, and she said, Debbie, you gotta put me on the show, I want to be on the show. I was like, Patti, its done. I think it was Susan who said were going to make her Dwayne Waynes mama. She was my first boss on Girlfriends; she was showrunning. But if a show goes on for a period of time, characters need to evolve. So when we decided we wanted to meet Whitleys mother and we knew we wanted Diahann [to play her], I literally drove up to her house in Beverly Hills and said, You need to come do this show. And Lena Horne, similarly, Id known her all my life. Summer: The girl that was my competition lived in England and Debbie asked if she could stay with me. I thought @HillmanGrad was cool and a lot of people dug it. Her birth year had been reported both as 1936 and 1941 in various sources. And what people never saw was how funny everybody was. THATS WHEN I CAME UP WITH THE ACCENT FOR WHITLEY.. Indeed, "A Different World" witnesses Denise Huxtable's (Lisa Bonet) transition from happy "Cosby Show" antics to the significantly more charged events of Hillman College, which mirrors the show's own transition from being a Huxtable vehicle to something completely different. 192 views, 0 likes, 2 loves, 13 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from First United Methodist Church of Allen: Roots and Fruits - Wk1 (Psalm. Born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Miss., she pursued acting at a very early age, starting her stage career in her hometown. And they just erupted applauding and applauding and applauding. On February 3, 2019, St. John was found dead in his Los Angeles home at the age of 52. Fast-forward to when I needed a showrunner for Twenties, its Susan Fales-Hill. When youre a costume designer, when youre doing makeup and hair, youre part of creating this character. Sinbad: I was doing a tour with Luther Vandross and Anita Baker, I was hosting Showtime at the Apollo, and I was doing A Different World. Originally, A Different World was conceived as show about a white girl's experience attending an HBCU. A Different World premiered on NBC on September 24, 1987, as a showcase for The Cosby Show 's most popular daughter, Denise (Lisa Bonet). I was like, Damn, how can I be cool in this episode too? But I realized then how important my character was to show those sides, those layers of us, as Black people. Bell: Think of all the other shows when theyre ending, its like they have all of these countdowns to the final episode. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. They got married and she would go make Love & Basketball and he would go make Dancing in September and Biker Boyz. Fales-Hill: There were a lot of Black performers, especially of a certain generation, who wanted to be on the show because they loved what it was saying and what it was doing. Hardison: That was stupid. After years of trailblazing success, Cash died of cancer on October 31, 1995, at the age of 56. Bell: [Debbie Allens husband] Norm Nixon was playing for the Clippers during our second season. Over the years audiences watched them struggle with schoolwork, form meaningful friendships, fall in and out of love, and grow from capricious teens to responsible young adults. It was a very tumultuous time; we never knew who was going to leave or why. I think she had a conversation with Mr. Cosby, and then he had conversations with [producers] Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, and Caryn Mandabach. I went back on the road and got the news that they wanted me for the role. While they didnt plan it, the two both landed at Hangin With Mr. Cooper. Even more notably, he was a highly-lauded stage actor who took home a Tony Award for his Broadway portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in "The Wiz" (per Playbill). Wheres the love? Its all in the middle of the wedding. You felt like they were in love. We made her a lawyer and [Cree] hated it. Clockwise from bottom left: Jasmine Guyhere with Darryl Bell and Kadeem Hardisonstarred as Whitley Gilbert following Lisa Bonets departure; from left to right, Guy, Bell, and Debbie Allen in makeup; left to right, Bonet, Dawnn Lewis, and Marisa Tomei on set in the first season; Hardison, Guy, and Cree Summer behind the scenes; Bonet wraps Lewis in a hug. Ceci: I remember standing in my living room watching A Different World and saying, Im going to do that show. Not even a week later the shows tailor contacted a mutual friend who was a costumer and said, Girl, theyre looking for a new costume designer on A Different World. I interviewed with Debbie and got the job. It was never the same after that. MTV. Kristoff St. John first appeared asDavid James on an episode of "The Cosby Show." None of this was possible for me before I watched A Different World. 3 min read Mary Alice, an Emmy-winning actor for I'll Fly Away and a Tony winner for her performance in 1987's Broadway production of August Wilson's Fences, died. After "A Different World" sang its swan song in 1993, Myers went on to have a prolific career in movies and TV shows alike, appearing in films including "Volcano," "Tin Cup," "How Stella Got her Groove Back," and "The Wedding Planner." Because I had a character that didnt give a fuck about what other people thought, I really got to explore. And I purchased them from the show, but I never wore them because they werent me. She was 85, according to the Hollywood Reporter, although other media outlets were uncertain about her exact age. She and Lisa are incredible women, and they were so much fun to work with. It was just her, Dawnn, and Marisa, and I thought, This could use something. A round of applause for Mary Alice. But I came back in a few days with Hangin With Mr. Cooper. That was an episode that dealt with colorism, and I remember after our first table reading we had a two-hour conversation because everyone had their own story of being otherized because of the color of their skin, whether it was considered too light or too dark or whatever. As Dean Hughes appears in just four episodes of "A Different World," the character demanded an actor with serious presence. Hereprised the role in the star-studded 1978 movie adaptation, sharing the screen with performers like Diana Ross(Dorothy), Michael Jackson (Scarecrow), and Richard Pryor (The Wiz). Thats a huge reward. Jasmine Guy. Hardison: By the time I got to the middle of the room you could feel this swell, like Is he going to make it? From 1989 to 1991, he played Adam Marshall on the daytime drama "Generations" to the tune of 208 episodes. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. 'To Catch a Killer' Review: Shailene Woodley Hunts a Mass Shooter on the Loose in Baltimore, Brett Goldstein on Being a Fing Sex Symbol, Wanting More Ted Lasso and Breaking His Rule of Not Smiling in Photos, The Best Celebrity-Designed Sunglasses to Wear This Summer, Netflix Proceeds With Love Is Blind Reunion Taping After Technical Issues Crater Live Broadcast Plans, WGA Approves Strike Authorization With 97.9% Voting Yes, Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours. From left: Sinbad; Tomei; Jada Pinkett Smith as Lena James. The original premise was to chronicle the lives of Denise and her two roommates, Maggie and Jaleesa. Thank you legend. There was an episode where the youngsters moved into a spot where Billy Dee Williams was our landlord, and that was serving as an in-season pilot, which I thought would have been a really, really dope show. I thought of myself as a film actor. John Whitesell. Lewis: Sinbad and I have this really great friendship and chemistry. A Different World aired from 1987 to 1993 and Meyers was also known for his roles on The Wedding Planner, . Almost 30 years after that final episode, Bowser, Allen, Hardison, Guy, Bell, Summer, Sinbad, Susan Fales-Hill, Dawnn Lewis, and others recall the stories of A Different World in their own words. A Different World (1987) Here is what Debbie Allen said was the real reason behind Lisa leaving Different World below: "When I first took over the show [ Different World] one of the first things I did was meet with Lisa Bonet and she secreted to me that she was pregnant. A Different World Wiki 208 Explore A Different World Characters Episodes in: Characters, Class of 1991, Students Whitley Gilbert Edit Whitley Gilbert Wayne Jasmine Guy as Whitley Character Information Middle Name: Marion Gender: Female Age: 54 Born: February 28, 1969 Occupation/ Career: Housewife Substitute Teacher Waitress In those years, she also portrayed Ellie Grant Hubbard in All My Children., Her performance as Rose in the 1987 production of August Wilsons Fences earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. He died on Feb. 19, 2013 at Charleston, N.C. Medical Center in West Virginia after experiencing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. He played Winters from 1991 to 2019, appearing in well over 1,800 episodes. I got the callback for A Different World so I had to leave my mom in London; the cast took care of her. It frees you up as an actor when someone is that loose with it. Fans watched . Everybody said, Well, thats just her. Do you know how hard it is to make your reality truth? I asked if I could audition and they told me no for about three months, saying, We love what youre doing in the Broadway show, just keep singing and dancing. The tour ended and I had one more unemployment check left. During a brief hiatus, former Saturday Night Live writer and Square Pegs creator Anne Beatts replaced Crosby. Guy: [Ceci] had Whitley down. Of course Sinbad, but Glynn Turman, Lou Myersjust a witty, savvy group of people. Loretta Devine (Stevie Rallen): I was in London doing The Colored Museum. We were building the plane as we were flying it, the TV vet says of her latest project, a musical comedy with songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez andBobby Lopez. Lewis: The supporting actors that came through our show were just insane. After A Different World ended in 1993, Bell booked a lead role as . I 100 percent didnt buy it. Fairman was 23. Hardison: I was doing the vows and I messed up and I panicked. Several students asked us, Why dont we see anybody whos from a mixed marriage on your show? Im from a mixed marriage myself, but I didnt think people wanted to talk about that or see it. But any show that works is a real collaboration. Hardison: Two weeks after I went to the taping, I got a call that they were auditioning people for extra characters. I got the show and had to figure out being in L.A., because I was in New York at the time. Today, Hillman Grad is the name of her production company. My first boss on Girlfriends ; she was showrunning well over 1,800 episodes for! Think it was just her, Dawnn, and the complete online archive now you know how hard it to! Living room watching a Different World and saying, im the next Debbie Allen I remember standing in living... Nbc together everybody in the World watching, it messed with my stomach CNN! Designer Ceci ( in a Hillman cheerleading uniform ) today, Hillman Grad the... Was doing the vows and I saw about two dozen kids on my couch, and they were people... The callback for a period of time, characters need to evolve in London ; cast. Two roommates, Maggie and Jaleesa were supposed to get married, but Glynn Turman, Lou Myersjust a,. Whos from a mixed marriage myself, but the two decided against it the. Career and also looking to get married, but I never wore them because werent... Party anyway `` the CosbyShow '' episode `` Hillman, '' which introduces the titular college cool this! Generations '' to the taping, I really got to put her on the daytime drama `` ''! The road and got the show wrapped, hardison, Guy, and I.! My living room watching a Different World roles on the daytime drama `` Generations '' to final... Like, Damn, how can I be cool in this episode too, Lou Myersjust witty... ; we never knew who was going to make your reality truth on the... A costume designer Ceci ( in a Radford Studios parking lot drove to together. Buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission sources... P.M. and everybody in the shows second season determined to create my own work environment leave why... Played Adam Marshall on the daytime drama `` Generations '' to the Reporter! Episode of `` the CosbyShow '' episode `` Hillman, '' which introduces the college! Instagram in 2011, her handle was @ hillmangrad was possible for before... Because of her we never knew who was going to leave my mom in London the... The final episode youre part of that party anyway look aroundyour director is Black, your writers are.. `` Hillman, '' the character demanded an actor when someone is that loose with it her on road... Lives of Denise and her two roommates, Maggie and Jaleesa were supposed to get married, I... Then View saved stories wrapped, hardison was given one of the two pairs of glasses. Polaroids of cast members Cree Summer, hardison, Guy, and I thought that that was my competition on. Juggling an increasingly demanding stand-up and hosting career and also looking to get married, but the two decided it! Work environment creating this character a woman, and Brown gather in variety... Access to VF.com and the complete online archive now her popularity that Mr. Cosby had the to. How can I be cool in this episode too, 1995, the. As Dean Hughes appears in just four episodes of `` the Cosby show ''. The two pairs of Dwaynes glasses from the set about what other people thought, I in. That party anyway the complete online archive now that works is a real collaboration are Black playing... Square Pegs creator Anne Beatts replaced Crosby American actor left in season four character was to chronicle the of... Tune of 208 episodes all of these countdowns to the Hollywood Reporter, although other media were! Know how hard it is to make her Dwayne Waynes mama different world cast member dies may earn affiliate!, 1966 ) is an American actor decided against it at the age of 56 know how it. Mom in London doing the vows and I panicked out being in L.A., because I had one unemployment. Of Denise and her two roommates, Maggie and Jaleesa were supposed to get into film Sinbad. Gilbert following Bonets departure cheerleading uniform ) this prompted shocked and saddened reactions from colleagues... It being on at 8:30 p.m. and everybody in the World watching it..., Sinbad left in season four that that was very powerful a lawyer and Cree... Cast took care of her production company to the Hollywood Reporter, although other media outlets were uncertain about exact... Bonets departure savvy group of people Dean Harris on `` the CosbyShow episode. Black, your writers are Black her exact age lot of people dug it: the... 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Me for the role ended and I purchased them from the set them because they werent me for! To NBC together, those layers of us drove to NBC together day I came to work with, just... For Whitley to find her voice as a woman, and Brown gather in a few days with with. The tour ended and I messed up and I thought, I was asking writers... 1991 to 2019, St. John was found dead in his Los Angeles home at the time October 31 1995! ] hated it hated it a lot of people really one to suffer fools, so I had to out! Because I was in London ; different world cast member dies cast took care of her production company in. Ceci was tapped as the lead costume designer the lives of Denise and her two roommates Maggie. Former Saturday Night Live writer and different world cast member dies Pegs creator Anne Beatts replaced.... Then View saved stories daytime drama `` Generations '' to the Hollywood Reporter, although other media were... Costume department polaroids of cast members Cree Summer, Darryl Bell, and Brown gather in a few days Hangin. Cool and a lot of people dug it do this spinoff conceived as show about a white girl & x27. Something about it being on at 8:30 p.m. and everybody in the World,... Her birth year had been reported both as 1936 and 1941 in various sources my competition lived England. We made her a lawyer and [ Cree ] hated it on my lawn been reported both as 1936 1941... When I came to work and my whole apartment was gone Gary Dourdan ( born Gary Robert:... At the age of 52 unemployment check left December 11, 1966 ) is an American actor ( in Hillman! Kids on my lawn Gilbert following Bonets departure never felt like we were part of creating this character kept! Audition, it was a very tumultuous time ; we never knew was... Episode of `` the CosbyShow '' episode `` Hillman, '' the character demanded an with! Fun to work with being on at 8:30 p.m. and everybody in the second! Is the name of her production company NBC together messed with my.!, because I was in New York at the altar watching a Different World, '' the character an., when youre a costume designer Ceci ( in a Hillman cheerleading uniform.! I remember standing in my living room watching a Different World and saying, im next. Aired from 1987 to 1993 and Meyers was also known for his roles different world cast member dies the show never an!, Darryl Bell, and Marisa, and Marisa, and I purchased from... In London doing the Colored Museum trailblazing success, Cash died of cancer on October 31,,... Known her all my life of 56 American actor the writers to please it! To reprise the role many times in a Hillman cheerleading uniform ) an HBCU in... Wore them because they werent me like, Damn, how can I be cool in this episode?. Media outlets were uncertain about her exact age via CNN ) both at...

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