Where Are They Now: The Cast of School Daze

This film showed all shades of the college experience.

School Daze (1988) - Wanting to illustrate the tension between Black college students and Black Atlanta locals, Spike Lee cast Jackson as Leeds, a Jheri curl-wearing street tough guy who tried to remind a Black student leader (Laurence Fishburne) that he's just a n----r. Again, a classic performance.(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne - Hollywood heavyweight Laurence Fishburne headed the School Daze cast, playing pro-Black student activist Dap. The Oscar-nominated actor, who eventually landed on Hollywood's A-list with roles in classics like What's Love Got to Do With It and The Matrix, currently stars on (and executive produces) the groundbreaking, hit sitcom black-ish.   (Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images)
Giancarlo Esposito - Before playing the role of Dap's bougie, frat-boy nemesis Julian, this actor usually played off-to-the side roles. His most memorable work came from director Spike Lee, who'd also cast him in other films like Do the Right Thing and Mo' Better Blues. Tinsel Town finally took notice in 2011 when Esposito starred as the slick drug kingpin Gus Fring on hit dramatic series Breaking Bad. He is currently preparing to star in the upcoming sci-fi movie Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.   (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for EJAF)Tisha Campbell-Martin - The part of Julian's apolitical, shade-struck girlfriend Jane Toussaint went to Tisha Campbell-Martin. Tisha's big screen star rose in films like the House Party series and Boomerang, but she'd become most famous for her small screen roles on classic sitcoms Martin and My Wife and Kids. She now stars (alongside hubby Duane Martin) as herself on BET's hit scripted reality series Real Husbands of Hollywood. (Photo: FayesVision/WENN.com)

Next Gallery

12 Powerful Quotes from Black Women Athletes to Inspire Greatness

12 Photos

1 / 14

Where Are They Now: The Cast of School Daze - Director Spike Lee's second feature film boldly explored the class and social dynamics at a fictional Black college. Taken from Lee's experiences attending Morehouse, the musical comedy – with its high-powered cast – exposed America to Black campus culture and showed intra-racial issues like light-skin vs. dark-skin, hostility between students and the surrounding working-class community and the power of Greek organizations. On the 27th anniversary of the film, here's a look at the players who put it all on screen.  (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Photo By (Photo: Courtesy Columbia Pictures)

ADVERTISEMENT