Portraits w/ Omari Hardwick | July 18th 2014 | Black Hollywood Live

BHL: Portraits -- In this episode, Black Hollywood Live hosts Derrial Christon, Courtney Stewart, and DJ Jesse Janedy interview special guest Omari Hardwick.

Born "Omari Latif Hardwick," he grew up in Decatur, Georgia. Hardwick's parents gave him a name to set a precedent, "Omari" meaning "most high," and "Latif" meaning "gentle." Growing up, sports were Hardwick's world, but early on he knew he had a passion for the arts. By the age of 14, Hardwick was writing poetry on a regular basis, a passion he would carry with him into adulthood. In high school, he excelled at basketball, baseball, and football, and went on to play football at the University of Georgia. Although a star on the field, Hardwick never gave up his passion for acting, and minored in theatre in college.

After graduation, Hardwick relocated to San Diego for a spot on the San Diego Chargers (NFL) however a knee injury cut his football career short. He decided to revisit his original passion for acting, and moved to New York to study his craft more extensively. In New York, Hardwick studied off Broadway until 2000, when he made the move to Los Angeles.

Hardwick's first big break came in 2003, when he was cast in his first major role as a series regular in Spike Lee's "Sucker Free City." Two years later, he landed the feature The Guardian and TNT's "Saved"- both of which he booked within a three-week span in 2005. Throughout 2007 - 2009 Hardwick worked on various projects, including guest starring on several television series, and filming several movies including Summit Entertainment's Next Day Air and Touchstone Picture's Miracle at St. Anna.

This interview was recorded July 17th, 2014.

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