Keenen Ivory Wayans

Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans Sr. (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. He first came to prominence as the host and the creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. He has produced, directed and/or written several films, starting with Hollywood Shuffle, which he cowrote, in 1987.

"Keenen" redirects here. For a similar name, see Keenan.

Keenen Ivory Wayans
Wayans in 2013
Born
Keenen Ivory Wayans

(1958-06-08) June 8, 1958
New York, New York, United States
EducationTuskegee University
OccupationActor, comedian, filmmaker
Years active1979–2009; 2013–present
Children5
FamilySee Wayans family
Awards1990-Emmy Award Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
In Living Color (as executive producer)

A majority of his films have included him and one or more of his brothers and sisters in the cast.

One of these films, Scary Movie (2000), which Wayans directed, was the highest-grossing movie directed by an African American until it was surpassed by Tim Story's Fantastic Four in 2005. From 1997 to 1998, he hosted the talk show The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show.[1] Most recently, he was a judge for the eighth season of Last Comic Standing.

Life and career

Wayans was born in Harlem, New York City, son of Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager, and his wife Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker and social worker.[2] Genealogical TV show Finding Your Roots revealed that his paternal line traced back to Madagascar, with his deeper ancestry originating in Oceania.[3] His father was a devout Jehovah's Witness.[4][5][6] The family later moved to Manhattan's Fulton housing projects,[7] where he primarily grew up. He attended Seward Park High School during his teenage years, and attended Tuskegee University on an engineering scholarship.[7] He entertained his friends at college with made-up stories about life in New York.[8] One semester before graduation, he dropped out of school to focus on comedy.[9]

During his first set performing at The Improv in New York, Wayans met Robert Townsend, who helped him learn about the comedy business.[8] Townsend and Wayans drove cross country to Los Angeles together when Wayans moved to Los Angeles in 1980.[8] They did not speak for a year afterward. Wayans worked there as an actor. He had a regular role as a soldier on a television series titled For Love and Honor.[8] He also appeared on Hill Street Blues as a famous NFL linebacker.

Townsend wrote, directed, and starred in the movie Hollywood Shuffle; Wayans was costar and cowriter.[8] The movie's success allowed him to raise the money to make I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.[8] Fox Broadcasting Company approached Wayans to offer him his own show.[10] Wayans wanted to produce a variety show similar to Saturday Night Live, with a cast of people of color that took chances with its content.[7]

Fox gave Wayans a lot of freedom with the show, although Fox executives were a bit concerned about the show's content before its television debut.[10] Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the show, titled In Living Color, a sketch comedy television series that originally ran on the Fox Network from 1990 to 1994.

Wayans is a vegetarian, and has promoted the diet in a public service announcement of 2006 for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.[11][12]

In Living Color

Characters
  • Death Row Comic (Prison Cable Access)
  • Frenchie
  • Ice Man (Homeboy Shopping Network)
  • Tom Brothers (The Brothers Brothers)
  • Wes (Wes & Les)

Impressions

Filmography
YearTitleRole
1983Star 80Comic
1983For Love and HonorDuke
1987A Different WorldProfessor Lawrence
1987Hollywood ShuffleDonald/Jheri Curl
1988I'm Gonna Git You SuckaJack Spade
1994A Low Down Dirty ShameShame
1996Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the HoodMailman
1996The Glimmer ManDet. Jim Campbell
1997Most WantedGunnery Sergeant James Dunn
2000Scary MovieSlave (Amistad II)
2001My Wife and KidsKen
2009Dance FlickMr. Stache
2013Happily DivorcedTony
2014Last Comic StandingJudge

Writing/producing/directing credits

References
  1. Braxton, Greg (August 3, 1997). "Will 'Hip' Equal 'Hit'?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  2. Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 19, 2016, PBS
  3. PBS
  4. Keenen Ivory Wayans Biography (1958–)
  5. Stein, Joel (September 11, 2000). "Marlon Wayans". Time.
  6. The Movie Chicks – Interview – Marlon Wayans
  7. Laurence, Robert P. (April 13, 1990). "Is prime time ready for rudeness? Fox's new comedy 'In Living Color' will offend some, tickle others". The San Diego Union. p. E1.
  8. Hughes, Mike (April 13, 1990). "Laughing with 'Living Color'". USA Today.
  9. McIntyre, Mike (February 16, 1989). "Keenen Wayans gambles and wins on an offbeat 'Sucka'". The San Diego Union. p. E3.
  10. "New Fox Show Pokes Fun at Black Stereotypes". Associated Press. Greensboro, North Carolina: Greensboro News & Record. April 12, 1990. p. B6.
  11. "Keenen Ivory Wayans". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  12. "Do It for Someone You Love: Keenan Ivory Wayans". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
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