Tom Fedor/The Gazette John Hardison, who won $16,800 on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game show collects Star Trek memorabilia. But his Star Trek knowledge served little purpose for Hardison when he was answering questions in the hot seat. “You can only dream you get on the show and they ask you a Star Trek question,” he said.

• 
• 
Tom Fedor/The Gazette John Hardison, who won $16,800 on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game show collects Star Trek memorabilia. But his Star Trek knowledge served little purpose for Hardison when he was answering questions in the hot seat. “You can only dream you get on the show and they ask you a Star Trek question,” he said.
• 
Tom Fedor/The Gazette John Hardison, who won $16,800 on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game show collects Star Trek memorabilia. But his Star Trek knowledge served little purpose for Hardison when he was answering questions in the hot seat. “You can only dream you get on the show and they ask you a Star Trek question,” he said.

Tom Fedor/The Gazette John Hardison, who won $16,800 on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game show collects Star Trek memorabilia. But his Star Trek knowledge served little purpose for Hardison when he was answering questions in the hot seat. “You can only dream you get on the show and they ask you a Star Trek question,” he said.

<< Prev

Next >>

More News

Mixed-use development proposed for Laurel’s arts district

Thurmont to ask Congress to reimburse money spent during G-8

Takoma Park police aim to catch fleeing thieves

State chamber: Income tax hike will unfairly hurt Montgomery

Push for Shady Grove arena refueled

Maria Hardison knew what she was getting into when she tied the knot with John Hardison.

The Bill Clinton impersonator. The Star Trek junkie.

“When I married him, I knew I signed up for the show,” Maria Hardison, 42, said. “There was always going to be a show where he’s concerned.”

And she was right; John Hardison, 44, put on quite a performance for a national audience Jan. 25 and 26 when he appeared on the television quiz show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”

The Rockville resident won $16,800, walking away from a question about which lake with an odd name was considered by its ancient inhabitants to be the birthplace of civilization. Hardison wasn’t confident enough in the (correct) answer, Lake Titicaca, to guess.

But it wasn't John Hardison’s brains alone that landed him a slot on the show; he wowed the show’s scouts with a boisterous personality at a tryout in College Park in July. He received an invitation to appear a few months later.

And who could blame the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” team for selecting Hardison?

Hardison, who received an associate’s degree from Montgomery College, spent a majority of the 1990s impersonating former President William Jefferson Clinton at corporate and political events. The routine started after Hardison dressed as Clinton for a party and heard from a number of people his close resemblance to the former leader.

He soon found himself working as needed for a company specializing in celebrity impersonators and studying tapes of an Ozarks accent.

For nearly eight years, Hardison earned $300 to $500 per hour telling jokes and posing for photographs. His final job took place at Union Station in Washington, D.C., in 2000, alongside a President George W. Bush impersonator.

“All the attention was on George W. Bush and I was like, ‘This isn’t fun anymore,’” Hardison said. “I don’t want to be the ex-president.”

Hardison, too, owns quite a bit of Star Trek memorabilia, from two pinball machines to a book with more than 90 autographs from people who appeared or worked on the show.

Hardison attends conventions, though he doesn't dress up. He built a model of the Enterprise, a spaceship featured on the show, and stuck it to the front of his motorcycle like a hood ornament.

But, the years of impersonating and adoring Star Trek served little purpose for Hardison when he was answering questions in the hot seat.

"You can only dream you get on the show and they ask you a Star Trek question," he said.

The Hardisons said they will use the winnings to pay bills and perhaps take a trip with their 6-year-old daughter, Melina.

And Maria Hardison will keep trying her luck to get on to “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” one of her favorite shows.

“When they have the next round of auditions, I’m going to go and drive to wherever they are and I’m going to get on this darn show if it kills me,” she said. “I’m the real game show nut in the family. I’m just getting hosed, here.”

abryant@gazette.net