Kadeem Hardison
Kadeem Hardison | |
|---|---|
 Hardison in 2025 | |
| Born | July 24, 1965 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | A Different World, The Cosby Show & K.C. Undercover |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Kadeem Hardison (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. The son of fashion model Bethann Hardison, he rose to prominence after landing the role of Dwayne Wayne on the television series A Different World, a spin-off of the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. He reprised this role in the 2026 Netflix remake by the same name.[1] Hardison is also known for playing Craig Cooper in the Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover, his portrayal of Bowser in the comedy drama series Teenage Bounty Hunters, and for appearing in the first season of the Showtime comedy Black Monday.
Early life
[edit]Hardison was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Donald McFadden, an antique and fine art collector, and Bethann Hardison, a pioneering African-American runway model and advocate for diversity in the fashion industry.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Hardison was a starring cast member on the sitcom A Different World as Dwayne Wayne, and a regular cast member of K.C. Undercover and the short-lived sitcoms Abby and Between Brothers. His career was managed predominantly by his mother, Bethann Hardison. He has also guest starred on several other sitcoms, including Living Single, Girlfriends, Under One Roof, The Boondocks (as himself), Greek, Parenthood, and on Everybody Hates Chris as the judge. His films include Escapee, Rappin', School Daze, Def by Temptation, Vampire in Brooklyn, 30 Years to Life, Made of Honor, The 6th Man, Drive, Renaissance Man, Panther, The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Bratz, Biker Boyz, Who's Your Daddy?, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Blind Faith, Showtime, White Men Can't Jump, and B.C. Butcher. He appears in the 2013 PlayStation 3 video game Beyond: Two Souls as Cole Freeman, a doctor at the United States Department of Paranormal Activity. He appears as Edward "Big Eddy" Wallace on Season 3 of Euphoria.
Personal life
[edit]
Hardison was married to American singer Chanté Moore from 1997 until 2000; they have a daughter. Hardison remains a close friend of actor Darryl Bell, who played his best friend Ron Johnson on A Different World; he made an appearance alongside Bell on FOX's Househusbands of Hollywood.[4]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Beat Street | High School Student | |
| Go Tell It on the Mountain | Royal | ||
| 1985 | Rappin' | Moon | |
| 1987 | Enemy Territory | A-Train | |
| 1988 | School Daze | Edge | |
| I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | Willie | ||
| 1990 | Def by Temptation | K | |
| 1992 | White Men Can't Jump | Junior | |
| 1994 | Gunmen | Izzy | |
| Renaissance Man | Pvt. Jamaal Montgomery | ||
| 1995 | Panther | Judge | |
| Vampire in Brooklyn | Julius Jones | ||
| 1997 | The 6th Man | Antoine Tyler | |
| Drive | Malik Brody | ||
| 1998 | Blind Faith | Eddie Williams | |
| 2000 | Dancing in September | Winston | |
| 2001 | 30 Years to Life | Bruce | |
| Instinct to Kill | Lance Difford | ||
| Thank Heaven | Billy Ferrell | ||
| 2002 | Showtime | Kyle | |
| Who's Your Daddy? | Andy Brookes | Video | |
| 2003 | Biker Boyz | T.J. | |
| Dunsmore | Walter Taylor | ||
| 2004 | Face of Terror | Jefferson | |
| 2006 | The Cassidy Kids | Dennis Peabody | |
| Love Hollywood Style | Ice Pop | ||
| 2007 | Bratz | Sasha's Dad | |
| 2008 | Made of Honour | Felix | |
| The Sweep | Tyrone | ||
| 2010 | Ashes | Matthew | |
| 2011 | Escapee | Detective Pars | |
| The Hop Off | Charles Lee | Short | |
| 2013 | The Dark Party | Jeff | |
| Zerosome | Cyrus Wainwright | ||
| 2014 | Android Cop | Sgt. Jones | |
| 2015 | Sister Switch | Gregory Cole | |
| 2016 | B.C. Butcher | Narrator | |
| Queen of Hearts | Book | Short | |
| 2019 | Paddleton | David | |
| 2020 | Playing with Beethoven | Ted | |
| 2024 | ClearMind | Tom |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | ABC Afterschool Specials | - | Episode: "The Colour of Friendship" |
| 1984 | The Cosby Show | Phillip Washington | Episode: "A Shirt Story" |
| The House of Dies Drear | Mac Darrow | Television film | |
| 1985 | American Playhouse | Royal | Episode: "Go Tell It on the Mountain" |
| 1987 | Spenser: For Hire | Bobby Waters | Episode: "My Enemy, My Friend" |
| 1987–93 | A Different World | Dwayne Cleofis Wayne | Main cast |
| 1988 | TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | Himself | Episode: "Corbin Bernsen/Kadeem Hardison/Morton Downey Jr." |
| 1989 | Dream Date | Jim Parker | Television film |
| 1990 | Saturday Morning Videos | Himself/Host | Main host |
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Himself | Episode: "Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect: Part 2" | |
| 1991 | Sesame Street | Himself | Episode #22.42 |
| 1992 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Henry Brooks | Episode: "Words Up!" |
| Out All Night | Dean | Episode: "Smooth Operator" | |
| Roc | Rev. Adams | Episode: "Dear Landlord" | |
| 1994 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Goki (voice) | Episode: "Gorillas Will Be Missed" |
| 1995 | Living Single | Marcus Hughes | Episode: "Who's Scooping Who?" |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Marc Hamilton | Episode: "Smokescreen" |
| 1997–99 | Between Brothers | Charles Winston | Main cast |
| 1998 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | Perry | Episode: "Smooth Sailing" |
| Linc's | - | Episode: "Gangsta Rap" | |
| Fantasy Island | Michael Wilkinson | Episode: "Wishboned" | |
| 1998–99 | The Crow: Stairway to Heaven | Skull Cowboy | Recurring cast |
| 2000 | Just Shoot Me! | Tad Gallow | Episode: "Blackjack" |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Clown (voice) | Episode: "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" | |
| 2001 | Intimate Portrait | Himself | Episode: "Jasmine Guy" |
| What About Joan? | Ben | Episode: "Joan Sets Up Alice" | |
| Fire & Ice | Michael Williams | Television film | |
| 2002 | Red Skies | Riley | Television film |
| 2002–03 | Livin' Large | Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2003 | Abby | Will Jefferies | Main cast |
| 2000–04 | Static Shock | Adam Evans/Rubberband Man (voice) | Recurring cast (seasons 1–2 & 4)[5] |
| 2005 | One on One | Director | Episode: "Venice Boulevard of Broken Dreams" |
| 2006 | Just for Kicks | Charles Atwood | Recurring cast |
| My Name is Earl | Owner | Episode: "Born a Gamblin Man" | |
| Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story | Joseph Barrino | Television film | |
| 2006–07 | House | Lawyer Howard Gemeiner | Recurring cast (season 3) |
| 2007 | Girlfriends | Eldon Parks | Recurring cast (season 7) |
| 2007–09 | Everybody Hates Chris | Judge Harry Watkins | Guest cast (season 3–4) |
| 2008 | Under One Roof | Jamal | Episode: "Cell Out" |
| 2009 | Greek | Brian Howard | Episode: "Our Fathers" |
| Cold Case | Andrew 'Huxtable' Garrett '09 | Episode: "Read Between the Lines" | |
| 2010 | Ghost Whisperer | Dean Olson | Episode: "Dead Air" |
| The Boondocks | Himself/Bald Actor (voice) | Episode: "Pause" | |
| 2011 | Ricochet | Bob Worley | Television film |
| 2012 | Parenthood | Richard Gilchrist | Episode: "Remember Me, I'm the One Who Loves You" |
| Family Guy | NBA Player (voice) | Episode: "Ratings Guy" | |
| 2013 | Cult | Paz | Recurring cast |
| 2014 | Rescuing Madison | Steven | Television film |
| 2015 | Unsung Hollywood | Himself | Episode: "A Different World" |
| 2015–18 | K.C. Undercover | Craig Cooper | Main cast |
| 2016 | Unsung Hollywood | Himself | Episode: "Jasmine Guy" |
| Supernatural | Russell Lemmons | Episode: "Rock Never Dies" | |
| 2017 | 9JKL | Terrance | Episode: "The Key to Life" |
| K.9. Undercover | Craig Cooper (voice) | Episode: "Infinite Loop" | |
| 2018 | Love Is | Norman | Recurring cast |
| The Christmas Pact | Sadie's Dad | Television film | |
| 2019 | Black Monday | Spencer | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 2020 | Teenage Bounty Hunters | Bowser Jenkins | Main cast |
| Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Wilkerson | Television film | |
| 2021 | Reunion Road Trip | Himself | Episode: "It's a Different World" |
| 2022 | The Lincoln Lawyer | Detective Kinder | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| Moonhaven | Arlo | Main cast[6] | |
| 2022–24 | Grown-ish | Carnegie P. Miller | Guest (seasons 4–5), recurring cast (season 6) |
| 2023–25 | The Chi | Professor Gardner | Recurring cast (season 6–7) |
| 2024 | That 90's Show | Marcus | Episode: "I Can See Clearly Now" |
| 2026 | Euphoria | Big Eddy | Recurring cast (season 3) |
| A Different World[7] | Dwayne Cleofis Wayne | Main cast | |
| TBA | Criminal | Gnarley | Main cast[8] |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Monster in the Mirror" | Sesame Street |
| 1995 | "Just tah Let U Know" | Eazy-E |
| 2001 | "Careful (Click, Click)" | Wu-Tang Clan |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Beyond: Two Souls | Cole Freeman | Voice acting and motion capture |
Cultural influence
[edit]- Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran credit Hardison for making the name "Kadeem" familiar.[9]
- Hardison is the model for the title character Michael "The Cool" Young History in the inserts of the album The Cool by Lupe Fiasco.
- Hardison was the subject of then-wife Chanté Moore's 1999 single "Chanté's Got a Man".
- In a press conference following Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade wore flip-up sunglasses and said he was, "paying a little homage to Dwayne Wayne tonight", referencing Hardison's popular character from A Different World.[10][11]
- In Season 2, Episode 7 of Psych ("If You're So Smart, Then Why Are You Dead"), Gus references utilizing the "Kadeem Hardison method" to kiss a girl.
- Hardison appears as the narrator on Add-2's 2019 album, Jim Crow: The Musical.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "A Different World (2026)". Netflix. September 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Kadeem Hardison Biography (1965?-)". filmreference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ↑ Cadet, Danielle (September 21, 2017). "Whitley's World: A Brief History of Bad and Boujee Black Girl Style". Andscape. ESPN. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ↑ "'A Different World': Where Are They Now?". EW.com. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Kadeem Hardison (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 19, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ↑ Rosario, Alexandra Del (July 20, 2021). "Moonhaven: Kadeem Hardison Joins Cast Of AMC Utopian Drama As Series Regular". Deadline. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ↑ "A Different World (2026 TV series)", Wikipedia, September 25, 2026, retrieved September 25, 2026
- ↑ Cordero, Rosy (May 29, 2024). "Kadeem Hardison Joins Ed Brubaker's Prime Video Series Criminal as Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ↑ Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, Baby Names Now: From Classic to Cool—The Very Last Word on First Names (Macmillan, 2002), 353.
- ↑ Dwyane Wade postgame interview, Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
- ↑ Wade brings back flip shades at the podium!. YouTube. June 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ↑ Ivey, Justin (November 26, 2019). "Add-2 Releases 'Jim Crow: The Musical' Album". hiphopdx.com. Cheri Media. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
Categories:
- 1965 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Living people
- Male actors from Brooklyn
- American male voice actors
- American male video game actors
- People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
- 20th-century African-American male actors
- 21st-century African-American male actors