A Different World: The nameless guy at Hillman

A Dfferent World: Where are they now

The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World ran on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. This series quickly gained it's own following and was in the top 10 of the Neilson ratings. There are a number of "Where are they now" sites dedicated to the main characters of the show and a few lesster known cast members. I have found myself wondering for quite some time about a character who was in a handful of episodes but never spoke.

A Different World: An unnamed character

The young man in the above photo was on NBC's A Different World in various episodes from seasons 2-5. If he was in the first and last seasons I do not recall. I have wondered for years who he was and I never find him listed by name. I thought perhaps he might have been a relative of Bill Cosby who was used as an extra because he never said a word. In the above photo, he is in season 2 in Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. This is when Suzanne Taylor (Tracy Lee Harrison) breaks up with Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert tries to make her jealous. This young man is seated in the library when Whitley kisses Dwayne and in the above image, he comes through the door of the dorm as Dwayne is exiting on Valentine's Day.

This character usually is wearing a wool sweater and blends in with other Hillman students. The following video is from season 4 in the episode titled Ex-Communication. At around 1.42 on the video Whitley is yelling about Julian Day ( Dominic Hoffman) who is now engaged. This is the only time the young man says anything and it is with a group who repeat simultaneously that Shelby (Julian's fiance) speaks 6 languages.

This unnamed character seems a little camera shy and out of place which is why I thought he might have been a relative of someone and not an actual actor. Since he came on board when Debbie Allen took over perhaps he is related to her. He was shown in group scenes such as dancing in the pit in one episode and in another he was standing with males students when Walter was giving the coed dorm rules to in season 2.

I was surprised to find that no one else has mentioned this character online in regard to the show and I have been searching for his identity for a number of years. There are lists of now famous actors who were in only one episode of the hit series. These include Tommy Davidson, Tisha Campbell, Halley Berry, Whoopie Goldberg, Dean Cane, Michael Delorenzo, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Blair Underwood, Kristoff St. John, and many more. I find it interesting that a recurring character who was in several episodes for 4 of the six years of the series is not named even once.

In season 3 episode 1 Strangers on a Plane you can see the guy in a sweater coming down the stairs at around 27 seconds into the following video and bumps into another student. It seems I have stumbled upon one of the few subjects for which the Internet has no answer.

I have never seen the unnamed man on any other television programs or movies and wonder what he has been up to since A Different World went off the air. Reunions of the show focus (as they should) on the main characters of Whitley (Jasmine Guy), Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison), Jaleesa (Dawn Lewis) Kim, (Chaarnelle Brown), Ron (Darryl Bell), Mr. Gaines, (Lou Meyers) Freddie (Cree Summer) Walter (Sinbad) and Colonel Taylor (Glen Turman). If anyone has insight as to who this actor was I would love to know.