Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a year long stint on the sketch comedy series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

.'' His true breakthrough, however, came as writer and performer on FOX's sketch comedy show '' In Living Color'' from 1990 to 1992, his animated series ''

Waynehead ''Waynehead'' is an animated television series created by actor/comedian Damon Wayans and ran from 1996 to 1997 on Kids' WB, and on YTV from 1996 to 1998. It was a co-production of Warner Bros. Animation and Nelvana, with overseas animation by ...

'' that ran on the Kids' WB block from 1996 to 1997, and his TV series '' Damon'' (1998). Since then, he has starred in a number of films and television shows, some of which he has co-produced or co-written, including '' Beverly Hills Cop'', ''

The Last Boy Scout ''The Last Boy Scout'' is a 1991 American buddy action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Shane Black, and produced by Joel Silver. The film stars Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron and Danielle ...

'', and '' Major Payne'' and the sitcom ''

My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. It starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of an African-American family. Wayans and ve ...

''. From 2016 to 2019, he starred as Roger Murtaugh in the television series '' Lethal Weapon''. He is a member of the

Wayans family The Wayans family () is an American show-business family. Family members include Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., Kim Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr., Damien Dante Wayans, and Chaunté Wayans. Works created by Wayans fa ...

of entertainers.

Early life

Wayans was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

in New York City, the son of Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker, singer and social worker, and Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager. He has five sisters—Elvira, Vonnie, Nadia, Kim and Diedra—and four brothers— Keenen,

Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...

Shawn Shawn may refer to: *Shawn (given name) *Shawn (surname) See also * Sean * Shaun Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne. Notable persons with the given name include: Peop ...

and

Dwayne Dwayne or Dewayne is a traditionally male name. It is Gaelic in origin, deriving from the Irish saint Dubhán. History St. Dubhán was an Irish monk who established an abbey in Hook Head, Ireland during the 5th century. As a surname it is O'Dubha ...

. He was

club foot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

ed as a child. This attribute would also be given to his character in ''

'', and his character on the short lived cartoon series ''

''. Wayans attended Murry Bergtraum High School.

Career

Damon started doing stand-up comedy in 1982. His earliest film appearance was a brief cameo as an effeminate hotel employee in the

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

film of 1984, '' Beverly Hills Cop''. From 1985 to 1986, he appeared on ''

'' as a featured performer, before getting fired after just eleven episodes for improvising during a live sketch, playing his character as a flamboyant gay cop instead of a straight cop. (Damon continued this sketch character in his family created show ''In Living Color'' on Fox Television, in 1990, as the flamboyant gay character, Blaine Edwards, an obvious hat tip to Blake Edwards of movies starring ''The Pink Panther''.) Wayans later claimed that he wanted to be fired due to lack of creative freedom and screen time. Wayans further explained that Lorne Michaels did not want Wayans to do too much too soon and begin drawing comparisons to Eddie Murphy who had just left the show. He also appeared in the syndicated television series '' Solid Gold'' during the 1980s as a comedian. With his brother Keenen, Wayans created the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sketch comedy series '' In Living Color'', which had a mostly African-American cast. The show went on the air in April 1990. It continued running until May 1994, although Wayans left the show in 1992 to pursue a film career. After ''In Living Color'', he starred in films such as ''

Mo' Money ''Mo' Money'' is a 1992 American comedy -drama film directed by Peter Macdonald, and written by Damon Wayans, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Stacey Dash, Joe Santos, John Diehl, Harry Lennix, Bernie Mac (in his film debut), and ...

'', ''

'', '' Major Payne'', '' Celtic Pride'', ''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...

'', and ''

The Great White Hype ''The Great White Hype'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davies, Salli Richardson and Jamie Foxx. The f ...

'', and wrote and starred in the film '' Blankman''. He also appeared in

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's video " The Best Things in Life Are Free" and was considered for the role of The Riddler in '' Batman Forever'' (the role went to

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

, his co star from ''In Living Color'' and '' Earth Girls Are Easy''). In October 1996, he produced ''

'', a short lived cartoon for

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

, loosely based on his own childhood growing up in a large family, starring a poor boy with a club foot. The show only lasted a season due to poor ratings. From 1997 to 1998, he was the executive producer of ''

413 Hope St. ''413 Hope St.'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama series which aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network from September 11, 1997 to January 1, 1998. The series was co-created by actor/comedian Damon Wayans, who made a sta ...

'', a short lived drama on the FOX network starring

Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942) is an American actor. Roundtree is noted as being "the first black action hero" for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'', and its four sequels, released between 1972 and 2 ...

and

Jesse L. Martin Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...

. In March 1998, he starred in the short lived comedy television series '' Damon'', in which he played a detective from Chicago. It aired on

. In 1999, his ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' bestselling book ''Bootleg'', with co author David Asbery was published; it is a humorous compilation of his observations about family. In October 2000, he was the lead in Spike Lee's '' Bamboozled''. Wayans starred in the ABC comedy series ''

'' from March 2001 to May 2005. In the end of 2006, he produced and starred in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

series '' The Underground'', which also featured his son, Damon Jr. He also hosted the June 2006 BET Awards. In 2011, he also added author of a serious fictional novel to his credits with "Red Hats" which is the story of a suicidal sixty five-year-old woman who finds friendship and happiness, when she joins the Red Hat Society. , Wayans continues to perform stand-up comedy and has developed apps with his company of freelancers "MIMS" (Money in My Sleep). The company created applications such as Flick Dat, Diddeo and VHedz. On November 12, 2015, at the Irvine Improv, Damon Wayans announced his retirement from stand up commencing December 2015. In September 2016, he was cast as Roger Murtaugh in the television version of '' Lethal Weapon'', a role originated by

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

in the film series. On October 3, 2018, it was reported that Wayans would leave ''Lethal Weapon'' after filming of the first thirteen episodes of Season 3 wrapped. ''Lethal Weapon'' officially ended in February 2019, after three seasons. Damon Wayans is returning with a new project at ABC and is reteaming with My Wife and Kids co-creator Don Reo on the new family comedy, Let's Stay Together (working title). The project, now in development, will be produced by ABC Studios, a division of Disney TV Studios.

Awards and honors

Wayans received four

Emmy awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations for his acting and writing in '' In Living Color''. For his role in ''

'', he won the 2002 People's Choice Awards for Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Series, and received four International Press Academy "Golden Satellite Award" nominations.

Personal life

Wayans was married to Lisa Thorner; they divorced in 2000. He has four children with Thorner: sons

Damon Wayans Jr. Damon Kyle Wayans Jr. (born November 18, 1982) is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for starring as Brad Williams in the ABC sitcom '' Happy Endings'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award f ...

and Michael Wayans and daughters Cara Mia Wayans and Kyla Wayans. He is also a grandfather. He is the uncle of Damien Dante Wayans,

Chaunté Wayans Chaunté Wayans (born May 24, 1982) is an American comedian and actress. Life and career Chaunté Wayans is a member of the Wayans Family, whose members include Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Damon Wayans, Sr., Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and ...

and Craig Wayans. Wayans is a close personal friend of both

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

legend

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

and fellow '' In Living Color'' star

. Wayans was diagnosed with

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...

in January 2013. In September 2015, Wayans defended American comedian Bill Cosby from his sexual assault accusations, stating, "It's a money hustle". He continued, saying, "Forty years – listen, how big is his penis that it gives you amnesia for 40 years? If you listen to them talk, they go, 'Well, the first time...' The first time? Bitch, how many times did it happen? Just listen to what they're saying and some of them really is unrape-able. I look at them and go, 'You don't want that. Get outta here.

''In Living Color''

Characters

*Whiz (Homeboy Shopping Network) *Homey D. Clown *Blaine Edwards (Men on...) *Handi-Man *Reverend Ed Cash *Anton Jackson *Head Detective *Tom Brothers (w/ Keenen Ivory Wayans) *Oswald Bates

Impressions

* Babyface (on ''

'') * Don King (on '' In Living Color'') *

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

(on ''

'' and '' In Living Color'') * Louis Farrakhan (on both ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''In Living Color'') *

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

(on '' In Living Color'') * Richard Pryor (on '' In Living Color'') * Fab Morvan (on '' In Living Color'') * Jamie Foxx (on '' In Living Color'') *

Roland Gift Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

(on '' In Living Color'')

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Twit.tv's Triangulation Episode 175 Damon Wayans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wayans, Damon 1960 births Male actors from New York City American male film actors African-American stand-up comedians American stand-up comedians American male screenwriters African-American television producers Television producers from New York City American television writers American people of Malagasy descent Living people Damon African-American male actors American male television actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American sketch comedians American male television writers African-American film directors Comedians from New York City 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Screenwriters from New York (state) Film producers from New York (state) People from Chelsea, Manhattan Murry Bergtraum High School alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people American Jehovah's Witnesses