Dwayne Wayne is a fictional character who appears in the American sitcom ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'', portrayed by actor

Kadeem Hardison 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 ''T ...

. He is known for his trademark flip up eyeglasses/shades and making unsuccessful advances on numerous women throughout his freshman year. Maggie Lauten, portrayed by actress

Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She gained prominence for her comedic performance in '' My Cousin Vinny'' (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations ...

who left the show after one season, was to have an interracial relationship with Dwayne. Dwayne Wayne has an on off relationship with Whitley Gilbert-Wayne. They eventually get married and visit Los Angeles, which coincided with the 1992 riots following the verdict in the

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...

trial.

Character history

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Wayne was known for his characteristic

flip-up glasses Sunglasses or sun glasses (informally called shades or sunnies; more names Sunglasses#Other names, below) are a form of Eye protection, protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damagin ...

and for his sense of

flirting Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can chang ...

with girls on the college campus. He was a

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

, and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

all through the series of ''A Different World''. He majored in

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

. In the first season, he was in love with sophomore Denise Huxtable, who was portrayed by

Lisa Bonet Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet ; November 16, 1967) is an American actress. She portrayed Denise Huxtable on the sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), for which she earned widespread acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Aw ...

. By the second season, he wanted to enter a serious relationship with Suzanne, the daughter of "Dr. War", better known as Col. Taylor (

Glynn Turman Glynn Turman (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. First coming to attention as a child actor in the original 1959 Broadway production of ''A Raisin in the Sun'', Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera '' ...

). Suzanne ended the relationship because she was not ready for a serious commitment. Then Dwayne started to fall for Whitley, but stopped pursuing her after the third season when she seemed uninterested. By the fourth season, Dwayne had found an interest in Kinu Owens, portrayed by Alisa Gyse Dickens. The relationship ended when Kinu realized that Dwayne was still in love with

Whitley Gilbert Whitley Marion Gilbert-Wayne is a fictional character who appears in the American sitcom ''A Different World'', portrayed by actress Jasmine Guy. Warming up to whiz student Dwayne Wayne, the two have an on/off flirtation with each other until thei ...

. He eventually proposed to Whitley. In the beginning of the fifth season, Dwayne became a

calculus Calculus is the mathematics, mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic operations. Originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the ...

teacher, but the students put a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

out on him because of his strict rules. Whitley was beginning to put too much pressure on Dwayne. Dwayne decided to have a

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

date with Lisa Westin (

Debbi Morgan Deborah Ann "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. Morgan has appeared in a number of film and TV productions, and may be best known for the role of Angie Baxter–Hubbard on the ABC soap opera ''All My Children''. Morgan ...

). His honesty made him confess the truth to Whitley. Whitley was heartbroken and broke the engagement. By the end of this season, Whitley had fallen in love with Byron Douglass, portrayed by

Joe Morton Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American actor. Known as a character actor for his numerous roles on stage, television and film, he has received several awards including a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for ...

. Dwayne became jealous of their whirlwind romance, and spent the night with Whitley. When Byron proposed to Whitley, who still was in love with Dwayne secretly; Dwayne was heartbroken. At the wedding, Dwayne and Whitley could not hold the pressure anymore and pushed Byron out of the picture and got married. In the sixth season, Dwayne and Whitley told of their horrifying honeymoon, experiencing the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. At the end of the series, Dwayne got a new job in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, and decided to move with a now-pregnant Whitley.

Reception

The character was praised as a positive portrayal of an African-American male college student and as an engineer and mathematician.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wayne, Dwayne Television characters introduced in 1987 African-American characters in television Fictional mathematicians Fictional characters from New York City Fictional college students A Different World characters American male characters in sitcoms