Damon Wayans

Early life

Wayans was born in Harlem in New York City, the fourth child of Elvira Alethia (née Green), a homemaker, singer and social worker, and Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager. His three older siblings are Dwayne, Keenen Ivory, and Diedra. His six younger siblings are Kim, Elvira, Nadia, Vonnie, Shawn, and Marlon. The Wayans children were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. As a child, he had a club foot.

This attribute would also be given to his character in My Wife and Kids, and his character on the short-lived cartoon series Waynehead. Wayans attended Murry Bergtraum High School.

Career

Wayans started doing stand-up comedy in 1982. His earliest film appearance was a brief cameo as an effeminate hotel employee in the Eddie Murphy film of 1984, Beverly Hills Cop. From 1985 to 1986, he appeared on Saturday Night Live as a featured player, 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. 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 began 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 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.

During and after In Living Color, he starred in films such as The Last Boy Scout (1991), Mo' Money (1992), Last Action Hero (1993), Major Payne (1995), Celtic Pride (1996), Bulletproof (1996), and The Great White Hype (1996), and wrote and starred in the film Blankman (1994). He also appeared in Janet Jackson'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, his co-star from In Living Color and Earth Girls Are Easy).

In October 1996, he produced Waynehead, a short-lived cartoon for The WB, 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., a short-lived drama on the FOX network starring Richard Roundtree and Jesse L. Martin.

In March 1998, he starred in the short-lived comedy television series Damon, in which he played a detective from Chicago. It aired on Fox. In 1999, his The New York Times 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 My Wife and Kids from March 2001 to May 2005. He was also co-creator of the short lived ABC sitcom Rodney, starring Rodney Carrington and Jennifer Aspen, that ran from 2004–2006. In the end of 2006, he produced and starred in the Showtime sketch comedy 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 65-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, 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 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.

Wayans returned to scripted television in the fall of 2024 with his son Damon Jr. on the CBS sitcom Poppa's House.

Awards and honours

Wayans received four Emmy awards nominations for his acting and writing in In Living Color.

For his role in My Wife and Kids, 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. and Michael Wayans and daughters Cara Mia Wayans and Kyla Wayans. He is also a grandfather and a great grandfather. He is the uncle of Damien Dante Wayans, Chaunté Wayans and Craig Wayans.

Wayans was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in January 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

Documentary

Books

References

References

1. link. (May 27, 2010)
2. "Damon Wayans Biography: Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer (1960–)". [[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV channel).
3. Tucker, Ernest. (April 14, 1989). "Militant Wayans is mellowing out". Chicago Sun-Times.
4. "Triangulation 175 Damon Wayans – TWiT.TV".
5. "Keenen Ivory Wayans' Interactive Family Tree".
6. "Shawn Wayans Biography (1971–)".
7. Stein, Joel. (September 11, 2000). "Marlon Wayans".
8. [http://www.themoviechicks.com/mid2004/mctladykillers.html The Movie Chicks – Interview – Marlon Wayans] {{webarchive. link. (June 11, 2008)
9. Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', January 19, 2016, PBS
10. (24 May 2025). "Did You Know These 13 Celebrities Were Jehovah's Witnesses?". Essence.
11. "Damon Wayans Biography – Yahoo! Movies".
12. (September 8, 2015). "What Damon Wayans said in 2015 about getting fired at SNL, In Living Color, Kevin Hart, social media, and yes, Bill Cosby". The Comic's Comic.
13. "Chatpage – Books – Damon Wayans". CNN.
14. [http://joonbug.com/national/almostfamous/Interview-Damon-Wayans-Sr/FIdyHTOxcY0 Interview: Damon Wayans Sr.] {{webarchive. link. (August 26, 2014 Joonbug.com February 14, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.)
15. (October 3, 2018). "Damon Wayans Shockingly Quits 'Lethal Weapon' with Exclusive Announcement to EUR".
16. (May 2, 2024). "'Poppa's House': CBS Comedy Teaser Trailer Highlights Energetic Wayans Family Dynamic (Watch)".
17. "PCA Winners – People's Choice".
18. Devores, Courtney. (May 22, 2014). "Damon Wayans Sr. confronts diabetes with a fork and a laugh". Charlotte Observer.
19. (November 19, 2021). "Kevin Hart, John Lithgow, Ann Dowd, Damon Wayans to Star in ABC's Live 'Diff'rent Strokes'".