Kadeem Hardison (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor, perhaps best known for portraying Dwayne Wayne on the Cosby Show spin-off A Different World and playing Marlon Wayans' brother in the basketball comedy, The Sixth Man. He has had many roles such as Edge in Spike Lee's 1988 film School Daze, Junior in the 1992 basketball comedy White Men Can't Jump, Jamaal Montgomery with Danny DeVito in Penny Marshall's Renaissance Man and Fantasia Barrino's father in the 2006 Lifetime movie, Life Is Not A Fairy Tale, for which he received the Image Award for best "Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special", making it his third win after scoring the first two for A Different World in 1992. In February 2007, he played a lawyer defending Dr. Greg House from prescription drug fraud charges on the acclaimed series House on FOX. Hardison also made an early appearance as Theo Huxtable's friend in a memorable episode of the Cosby Show, where Denise makes Theo a ferocious-looking replica of a designer Gordon Gartrell shirt.
Hardison's portrayal of Dwayne Wayne made him particularly famous in The Netherlands. The flip-up glasses he wore on the show became a popular fashion item for the Dutch during the 1990s.
Hardison was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Donald McFadden, an art collector, and Bethann (Hardison), a fashion model who owned a fashion agency. He dated his A Different World co-star Cree Summer in the late 1980s, claiming at the time that she was his true love. From 17 November 1997 - 2000 he was married to Chante Moore and they a have daughter Sophia Hardison (born 1996).
Hardison is currently filming The Sweep, which will be released in late 2007, as well as The Dark Party, set to come out in 2008. He also stars in the upcoming movie Made of Honor alongside co-stars Patrick Dempsey and Sydney Pollock.
He also played a judge on the popular CW show Everybody Hates Chris in 2007, The Cool character on Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool" and also played the Skull Cowboy on The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, one of three collaborations with Mark Dacascos.
Was mentioned in the thank yous of "Different World, A" (1987) co-star Cree Summer's 1999 debut album "Street Faerie".
Son of Bethann Hardison, a former model who now has her own modeling agency
1996: Daughter Sophia born.
In a late 1980s interview with a Dutch youth magazine, he said that actress Cree Summer was his true love.
Is very famous in The Netherlands because of his character in "Different World, A" (1987). The Dutch know exactly what is meant by "Dwayne Wayne glasses" since everyone wanted them back in the '90s.
