Bumper Robinson (Dorian Heywood): I was graduating high school at the time, so I was actually a legit freshman coming into college. Apart from Bonet, actors like Glynn Turman (Col. Bradford Taylor), Marisa Tomei (Maggie Lauten), Jada Pinkett Smith (Lena James), and Sinbad (Coach Oakes) remain major Hollywood names. And we were doing that while we were writing the show. But the saddest part was getting letters from teachers and principals from public schools in underserved communities who were saying, Without you on the air, I cant tell my kids that they can aspire to anything and go to college.. A lot of the kids, they took that advice. I pitched the idea for episode four, Those Who CantTutor. Dwayne is tutoring Denise and gets stuck in the dorm. They decided they needed a voice that understood historically black colleges. Debbie Allen (director and executive producer): My sister [Phylicia Rashad] was a guest on A Different World, and she observed some problems behind the scenes in terms of the storytelling. Young people who gain fame, they [can] get carried away. My absolute favorite episode of my five and a half years with that show was the Gladys Knight episode where I got to be a Pip. Turman: I know what comes with being young and famous and rich. We've received your submission. It was a safe space for us, and in some ways created a form of therapy. She was 85, according to the Hollywood Reporter, although other media outlets were uncertain about her exact age. She won a Tony. Ad Choices. Allen: One of the first things I did was take everybodys fake nails and hair weaves off to make them a little more natural. 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. But any show that works is a real collaboration. That didnt pan out, though. Tuesday, August 4, 1987, writer and producer Yvette Lee Bowser pulled out her diary and started an entry: Its 2:52 AM. She was like my second mom. Who needs more validation than that? Why Was Frank Ocean's Coachella Set Such a Disappointing Mess? Hes really cool, but hes really corny; hes so confident, but hes really insecure. Though some advocated for the pregnancy to be written into the showa scenario that many young women could relate toits been widely reported that Cosby and others disagreed. But I understood Whitley, and I understood why she became what she was and the journey that she had to go on. Every 'Love Is Blind' Couple Who Got Engaged in the Pods: Where Are They Now? A Different World type TV Show network NBC Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison were one of TV's most beloved couples on NBC's A Different World, as Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne. But it was all for good TV, and there was a sweetness about them, I suppose. Kris Kross, En Vogue, and Josephine Premice (Fales-Hills mother) all guest starred in season six, along with Pinkett Smiths real-life friend, Tupac Shakur. The pilot was picked up and filming began in early 1987 with George Crosby as producer. He was like, You heard about this Cosby spinoff audition? I was like, Yeah, I just went in. He was like, I just went in. I was like, Oh, for who? Dwayne Wayne. And I was like, You went in for Dwayne Wayne? Let's take a look at "A Different World" actors you may not know have passed away. MTV. None of this was possible for me before I watched A Different World. The Clippers were awful, so we could just walk right down and sit in the front row. 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. 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. She appeared in A Different World for two seasons, and also played Ellie Grant Hubbard on All My Children in the 1980s. Today, I begin my first real job as an intern writer with a new NBC sitcom. 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. Bowser: If I allow myself to feel slighted by the lack of recognition, it would be a very sad life. I just said, Baby, please. That wasnt [Jasmines] cue, and I know what a boss she is, what a pro she is. Hes a big gamer now, but he had never played video games until we were filming in Atlanta, where Id brought my Nintendo. That to me encapsulates the best of that time. 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." The change was night and day. Shakur's murder remains unsolved. I thought everything was just over. [And] it felt like such a snake-in-the-grass thing to do to some other guy who you were friendly with. Walter and Jaleesa were supposed to get married, but the two decided against it at the altar. It was one of those moments where we knew we really hit the mother lode, because it ran so deep. '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. She was not on my radar, and clearly, I was not going to her radar at the time. Ive been here ever since. You felt like they were in love. "A Different World" features a great many actors, plenty of whom are still working in the industry. So I would go to the movies on Thursday night; Id just be anywhere where I couldnt be reached. And that was a wonderful thing about A Different Worlda lot of the platonic friendships were so healthy. 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). Wilbekin: Dwayne Wayne really reminded me of so many of my friends at Hampton. He went on to shatter that record by taking the role of cosmetics executive Neil Winters on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless." Its remarkable that it even got on the air. Fales-Hill: We created Freddies character after a trip to Spelman and Morehouse. After months of ill health and a bout of pneumonia, Myers died in February 2013 at the age of 77 (via TMZ). Lewis and Bowser both left in season five. "A Different World" witnesses Denise Huxtable's (Lisa Bonet) transition, As theCharleston Gazette-Mailreported in 2013, an unforgettably disturbing role in the "Star Wars Holiday Special. Bowser: I love watching [Dwayne and Whitley] go from being awkward teenagers to more mature Black people in love. I was in awe of her most of the time. So I had my competition sleeping on my couch, and the two of us drove to NBC together. TMZ reports that the actor died on Feb. 19 at Charleston Medical Center in West Virginia after undergoing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. It was my decision [to leave] because I was working so much, doing too many things. I made that choice. Guy: [Kadeem and I] were like, Are we coming back next season? Because people were getting fired a lot. Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson): I had just finished the tour of a Broadway show, The Tap Dance Kid, with Hinton Battle, Harold Nicholas, and Dul Hill. Hardison: By the time I got to the middle of the room you could feel this swell, like Is he going to make it? She started in the second season. It went off the air unceremoniously. My name being Lena, and me having a father that was sort of in and out of my life and had demons himself, it was such a reflection. 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. Unfortunately, once everyone realized I was the same person that had just been cast to be in the show, I was no longer allowed to sing the theme song. Bowser: I didnt leave the show to go to Hangin With Mr. Cooper, but having been there from the very beginning, I just felt like emotionally and creatively, it was time for me to go. Yvette Lee Bowser met Gina Prince-Bythewood and brought her in to become an [apprentice]. He was also a prominent voice actor, and, in 1994, gained international renown for his performance as Rafiki in Disney's "The Lion King" (viaThe New York Times). Meg Ryan was initially cast as Maggie but decided to pursue her film career; Marisa Tomei took her place. Its not deep, its messy and crazy.. Alice was an iconic performer on both the screen and stage. And what people never saw was how funny everybody was. He went on to reprise the role many times in a variety of media. I remember Kadeem walked by and I thought, Oh, God, he is so fucking fine. Ian McLagan, a fun-loving keyboardist who played on records by such artists as the Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen and his own bands -- the Small Faces and its successor, the. Of course Sinbad, but Glynn Turman, Lou Myersjust a witty, savvy group of people. Theres a picture of myself, Kadeem, Eddie Murphy, and Magic Johnson at a party that was in People magazine. 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.. Allen: If theres an episode that was remarkable, it was the AIDS episode. [Jada] was brand-new to Hollywood and she was just magnificent and magical, and had an extraordinary story herself. Bowser: We were on our grind, doing our due diligence to make sure that we could bring as many authentic elements to the show as possible going forward. Twitter. Though his time on "A Different World"was relatively short, Ross more than made up for it on other fronts. A Different World aired from 1987 to 1993 and Meyers was also known for his roles on The Wedding Planner, . Bowser: Applications to college, and HBCUs in particular, spiked exponentially as the result of the show. He reprised the role for the pilot of "A Different World." 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. Allen: Patti LaBelle and I are friends from my early dance days in New York. It wasnt until years later when we did a play together [that] she and I had spent any time together. Is he going to make it? I got all the way to the last one and hit it. Little did I know how truly tough and oppressive the world would be outside. I was devastated. 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. Everybody said, Well, thats just her. Do you know how hard it is to make your reality truth? I tracked down someone that I knew who introduced me to Dr. Cosby and he said, Go to law school. Anyone who has suggested that Lisa was unprofessional or difficult to work with, its just not true. We were under a microscope. I just cant personally imagine making a choice like that. "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. Ross died from complications of an earlier stroke on September 3, 2002, at the age of 68 (via The New York Times). The seminal Cosby Show spinoff was developed by Bill Cosbyan indelible fact. Amazingly enough, Benson wasn't even Guillaume's last iconic role. As theCharleston Gazette-Mailreported in 2013, Myers was also a celebrated Broadway performer, musician, and motivational speaker, as well as an active member of his community. He was a prolific and award-winning stage performer, both on and off-Broadway. Can you come in tomorrow? It frees you up as an actor when someone is that loose with it. I was like, When I walk into the room, you better look at me. We had to build this up to a reality. She was my first boss on Girlfriends; she was showrunning. She achieved further fame asthe conniving Dominique Deveraux on the popular ABC soaps "Dynasty" and "The Colbys.". "A Different World" features a large number of musical guest stars, many of whom are no longer with us. Bell: They got me some hockey pads so I could get on my knees and be Rudys size for the camera. 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. The stars, writers, and producers look back on their years at Hillman . That is whack. We worked together, we hung out together, we talked about life together. Debbie Allen came on as director and executive producer, and stayed until its final episode in 1993. Wardrobe was my room. Guy: I couldnt do a lot of things I did on that show without Charlie [Charnele Brown, who played Kimberly Reese], Cree, Kadeem, and Mary Alice [Lettie Bostic]. Hardison: That was stupid. Former It's A Different World actor, Darryl M. Bell (who played "Dwayne Wayne's" friend, "Ron Johnson") has had his highs and lows in the entertainment biz' and in his personal life. Guy: My sister and I were out in Atlanta having beignets, and she said, I dont know why this girl keeps staring at me, but Im about to cuss her out. Then we realized that I was being recognized. On September 7, 1996, the 25-year-old star was shot four times by an unknown gunman. It was my first time leaving the country, and I brought my mom because she had never traveled. The stars, writers, and producers look back on their years at Hillman College. She was going to wait for her cue, but I wasnt going to get to it. 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Yes, we saw Cliff and Clair Huxtable, a [married] couple with kids, but to go from watching Dwayne relentlessly pursuing Denise to becoming this articulate, genuine, compassionate, caring guy who vies for Whitleys heartand to see Whitley also mature past being this dilettante into someone who could actually allow herself to be loved by her soul mate, Dwayne, it just felt so real. I went in for Dwayne Wayne., I WANT TO BE SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. With Diahann Carroll playing Whitley Gilbert's mother, "A Different World"was practically required to cast a force to be reckoned with as her father, Mercer Gilbert. Six years is a nice, good run [but] I didnt like how it ended. Bonet (who did not respond to inquiries for this story) married musician Lenny Kravitz on her 20th birthday, November 16, 1987, and announced her pregnancy the following May. She didnt want to put on a suit, she didnt want to comb her hair. If something [unexpected] happened, she would just go with it. 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