What The Cast Of A Different World Looks Like Today

Given the massive cultural footprint The Cosby Show made over the course of its eight seasons, a spin-off was a no-brainer. Few, however, could have predicted the way A Different World would take on a life of its own over the course of its six-season run on NBC. Originally conceived of as the continuing adventures of Huxtable child Denise, the show would grow and evolve in its second season and beyond. It was hailed for its unique look at student life at historically black colleges and universities, as well as its willingness to tackle thorny social and political issues facing young people in the late '80s and early '90s.

Much of this growth is credited to showrunner Debbie Allen, herself an alumna of Howard University, who took over A Different World's creative direction in its second season. While Allen's hand definitely made a huge difference, much of the show's popularity was thanks to its intensely charismatic cast, who managed to be both hilarious and capable of real dramatic depth. It's no surprise so many of them have gone on to long and interesting careers after graduating from A Different World. Here's where they are today, and how they got there.

Originally, A Different World was conceived as show about a white girl's experience attending an HBCU. It was retooled, making Denise Huxtable the lead and her best friend Maggie Lauten the fish-out-of-water white girl. Cast in that role was a young actress who would go on to become a household name: Marisa Tomei. A military brat, Maggie was one of Denise Huxtable's roommates, as well as a journalism major involved in a long-distance relationship. Allen wanted Tomei to continue on the show in season two, but the actress decided, instead, to depart, and Maggie quietly disappeared from the cast of characters.

Tomei, however, went on to bigger things. Four years after leaving A Different World, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her hilarious turn in My Cousin Vinny, kicking off a film career that spans three decades. She was nominated for two more Oscars, for 2001's In the Bedroom and 2007's The Wrestler, and has plied her craft successfully in both comedies and dramas. She returned to TV in 2007 on the Denis Leary-led series Rescue Me, and also had a notable role on Empire. She's even worked her way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Aunt May to Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man.

With his trademark flip-up sunglasses, nerdy charisma, and rhyming name, Dwayne Wayne seemed destined for pop culture resonance from his first appearance on A Different World. The character started out in a supporting capacity but became central to the show in season two, fueled largely by his on-again, off-again romance with Whitley. As the years went on, he lived in Japan, became a math professor, and, in the end, staged a grand gesture to win the love of his life. The character was praised in the press and remains fondly remembered.

Kadeem Hardison's performance as Dwayne Wayne made him one of A Different World's breakout stars, and the actor has gone on to a long and incredibly prolific career in film and television. Listing all his credits would require more space than one article allows, as he's appeared in literally dozens of movies between 1992 and the present day, not to mention scores of TV spots. He's most recently reunited with Jasmine Guy in the cast of K.C. Undercover, appeared in the film Paddleton, and plays a starring role in the Showtime series Black Monday. With projects like the upcoming film Playing With Beethoven already in the pipeline, it's safe to say we'll be seeing plenty more of Kadeem Hardison in the future.

With Whitley thrust to the fore in A Different World's second season, there was a need to expand the cast of supporting characters. Thus, we were introduced to Kimberly Reese, Whitley's roommate and eventual best friend. A biology major, she was employed at campus eatery The Pit, and also performed in the band X-Pression, managed by Ron. Kimberly was the center of a couple of the show's more serious arcs, facing a false alarm pregnancy and choosing to give up a much-needed scholarship due to the sponsoring corporation's ties to apartheid-era South Africa. After graduation, she enrolled in medical school and found love with a fellow student there.

Kimberly was portrayed by Charnele Brown, who came to A Different World from a Broadway stage career. After the show ended, she did spot work on TV, showing up in episodes of Martin and Living Single. She's also worked as a singer and a fashion designer, and the past decade has seen her enter into the world of film production. Brown is set to appear in an upcoming episode of 5th Ward, as well as a wide variety of other roles currently in production.

For many young people, the college years are about social consciousness and political activism. Such was the case with Freddie Brooks, who arrived in the season two premiere as Jaleela's roommate. A free spirit whose mother was a '60s hippie, Freddie became a student activist during her time at Hillman, advocating for a number of different environmental, community, and charitable causes. That's not to say she didn't have time for personal matters, though, as she spent her early time at school pining after Dwayne Wayne, only to eventually end up in a relationship with Ron. Freddie ended the series completing her first year in law school.

Cree Summer, who played Freddie, didn't go on to the fullest live-action career, appearing in only a handful of films and TV shows per decade. Her voice-acting resume, however, is straight-up staggering. She was already established in the business prior to A Different World, having originated the voice of Penny on Inspector Gadget. After the series wrapped up, she continued down that avenue, contributing her vocal talents to all kinds of classic shows: Captain Planet, Gargoyles, Superman: The Animated Series, Kim Possible, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Rugrats, just to name a few. Frankly, if you have enjoyed animation at all in the last couple of decades, you have enjoyed Summer's work — she is one of the most important and influential voice actors of the modern era.

Introduced in season two, Lieutenant Colonel Bradford Taylor started out as a recurring character, but eventually moved up to become part of the main cast. A career military man and veteran of the Vietnam War, he had previously served in the same unit as Pit proprietor Vernon Gaines, and remained martially-minded enough that the students nicknamed him "Doctor War." At Hillman, he headed up the ROTC unit that included Ron Johnson, and worked as a professor of mathematics, leading to his crossing paths with Dwayne Wayne. Eventually, he ended up marrying, and fathering a child with, Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor.

Colonel Taylor was played by Glynn Turman, who had already been acting in film and TV for over 25 years before arriving on A Different World. He remained very active after the show wrapped — if you've watched TV or seen a movie in the past 30 years, you've likely caught one of his performances. Notable recent efforts include The Wire, in which he played Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce, J.J. Abrams' 2011 film Super 8, Shonda Rhimes' thriller series How to Get Away With Murder, and the Stephen King adaptation Mr. Mercedes.

Lena James wasn't exactly the highest-profile character on A Different World. As part of the recurring, rather than main, cast, she served a supporting role over the last two seasons of the show. An engineering major who would later switch to journalism, she worked part-time at The Pit and briefly pursued a romantic interest in Dwayne Wayne before embarking on a serious relationship with Hillman basketball star Dorian Heywood.

So, why highlight Lena among A Different World's expansive supporting cast? It's because she was played by none other than Jada Pinkett Smith, who needs no introduction. After graduating from the show, she appeared in the acclaimed Hughes Brothers film Menace II Society, kicking off an acting career that has spanned four decades. In the '90s, she starred alongside Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor and faced Scream 2's murderous mayhem. In the aughts, she played Niobe in the second two films in the Matrix franchise and voiced the hippopotamus Gloria in the hit animated film franchise, Madagascar. In the teens, she appeared in Magic Mike XXL, played gangster Fish Mooney on Gotham, and starred in the wildly successful Girls Trip. Along the way, she also married superstar Will Smith, forming one of Hollywood's highest-profile power couples. Oh, and she also sings in the metal band Wicked Wisdom. The '20s will see her return once again to the Wachowskis' dystopian future in the as-yet untitled fourth Matrix movie.