Ernest Harden Jr.

Ernest knew at an early age that he wanted to make his mark as an actor in life. While in elementary school he and his friend were asked to be in the school play. His friend accepted the offer, Ernest declined, thinking he wouldn’t look cool. For the rest of the school semester most of the attention was given to the school play. All of the other  students as well as himself, had to sit in the dark and watch what was going on with his friend and the other students on stage. He felt so left out, that from that time on, he vowed that he would never miss another performance, and he never did! 

Armed with a B.A. Degree in Theatre form Michigan State University and $100 in his pocket, he left his home town of Detroit  Michigan to make his mark on The Big Apple, New York City. While in New York Ernest worked with stage groups liked the Negro Ensemble Company and The New Federal Theatre. There he also worked in films like Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, The Front with Wood Allen and Taxi Driver with Robert DeNiro. 

 It wasn’t long before Ernest got called to a screen test in Los Angeles for the movie Apocalypse Now. Laurence Fishburne got the role but Ernest used the opportunity to audition in Hollywood. He was soon blessed with the role of Marcus Henderson on the hit television show The Jefferson’s with Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford. He was on the show for four years. It was a great cast. He had a great time. 

Since then Mr. Harden has starred in numerous movies, TV shows and commercials. Just to name a few: Roots, the Gift with Lou Gossett Jr., Hill Street Blues, Animal Factory with Willem Da Foe, White Men Can’t Jump with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. Ernest has the distinction of being the only African American to ever star opposite Ms. Bette Davis in White Mama. This year he has guess starred on the Bernie Mac Show, The Parkers, That’s My Bush, and E.R., and a new television series called Madison Heights. On stage he performed in Let The Church Roll On, a play in which he starred with Marla Gibbs and Dawn Lewis as well as performing in Hamlet at The Los Angeles Theatre Center.  Ernest was joined by Marla Gibbs, James Avery, Todd Bridges, Angela Winbush and Al B. Sure in Florida to start the tour of a new stage play, October 2002. Some of his upcoming movies are, Ride or Die with Vivica Fox and  Dwayne Martin, and The Real Deal with Daniel Baldwin and Tim Matherson. In early November he teamed up with Ron Shelton (producer of White Men Can’t Jump) to begin filming on Hollywood Homicide with Harrison Ford. That movie will be released on June 13, 2003. He has just finished shooting Out on Parole, also to be released 2003 and is currently filming Exorcism the movie to be released on Halloween.