TV One's popular series UNCENSORED closes out the season this Sunday, October 18 at 10 p.m. with Hollywood leading man Omari Hardwick. The award-winning actor, poet and activist opens up about his rise to fame as well as some of the challenges and lessons he learned along the way.
Omari Hardwick was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of Joyce and Clifford Hardwick III, an attorney. Growing up in Decatur, Georgia, Hardwick wrote poetry on a regular basis and participated in many sports. Omari excelled in sports, which eventually led him to a football scholarship for University of Georgia. Even though he was a star on the field, Hardwick minored in theater and focused on poetry. After graduation, Hardwick initially pursued a career in football, hoping to join the San Diego Chargers. He declared himself for the NFL Draft where he was not selected and returned to acting. As a struggling actor, Hardwick did odd jobs in order to pay for acting classes. After being unsuccessful, he started living in his car and he finally got his break in the 2004 TV movie Sucker Free City. Hardwick is best known for his role as James "Ghost" St. Patrick on the Starz hit drama Power.
Watch a sneak peek below where Omari recalls a moment his mentor and friend Denzel Washington used a scene from "Malcolm X" to encourage him:
UNCENSORED is a one-hour series that delves into the lives of luminaries as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they faced and how they've navigated the perils of social media that helped - and sometimes haunted - their careers.
Will you be tuning in?
