Keenen Ivory Wayans
RETURN TO INDEX
Born Name:
Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans
Born Date: June 8, 1958
Born Place: New York City
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Actor, comedian, filmmaker
Brief Biography: Keenen Ivory Wayans is the pioneering force behind the famed Wayans entertainment dynasty, he achieved massive mainstream success by creating and hosting the Emmy Award-winning Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (1990–1994).
Early Life and Career Beginnings:
Born in New York City and raised in the housing projects, Wayans was the second oldest of ten siblings. He attended Tuskegee University on an engineering scholarship but dropped out in his senior year to pursue stand-up comedy. He honed his craft performing at The Improv in New York, where he met fellow comedian Robert Townsend.
Breakthrough: Film and In Living Color:
Wayans relocated to Los Angeles in 1980, eventually co-writing and starring in the 1987 cult-classic comedy Hollywood Shuffle with Townsend. In 1988, he wrote, directed, and starred in the blaxploitation parody I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. This led to his greatest television triumph: creating Fox's In Living Color. The groundbreaking sketch series was praised for its diverse cast and social satire, launching the careers of legends like Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and his own siblings (Damon, Kim, Shawn, and Marlon). Wayans abruptly left the show in 1992 due to creative tensions with the network.
Major Blockbusters:
Following his departure from television, Wayans turned his focus to writing and directing for the big screen. His box-office hits include directing the massive box-office success Scary Movie (2000), its sequel Scary Movie 2 (2001), and the hit 2004 comedy White Chicks. He has also served as a celebrity judge on the competition series Last Comic Standing.
Born Date: June 8, 1958
Born Place: New York City
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Actor, comedian, filmmaker
Brief Biography: Keenen Ivory Wayans is the pioneering force behind the famed Wayans entertainment dynasty, he achieved massive mainstream success by creating and hosting the Emmy Award-winning Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (1990–1994).
Early Life and Career Beginnings:
Born in New York City and raised in the housing projects, Wayans was the second oldest of ten siblings. He attended Tuskegee University on an engineering scholarship but dropped out in his senior year to pursue stand-up comedy. He honed his craft performing at The Improv in New York, where he met fellow comedian Robert Townsend.
Breakthrough: Film and In Living Color:
Wayans relocated to Los Angeles in 1980, eventually co-writing and starring in the 1987 cult-classic comedy Hollywood Shuffle with Townsend. In 1988, he wrote, directed, and starred in the blaxploitation parody I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. This led to his greatest television triumph: creating Fox's In Living Color. The groundbreaking sketch series was praised for its diverse cast and social satire, launching the careers of legends like Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and his own siblings (Damon, Kim, Shawn, and Marlon). Wayans abruptly left the show in 1992 due to creative tensions with the network.
Major Blockbusters:
Following his departure from television, Wayans turned his focus to writing and directing for the big screen. His box-office hits include directing the massive box-office success Scary Movie (2000), its sequel Scary Movie 2 (2001), and the hit 2004 comedy White Chicks. He has also served as a celebrity judge on the competition series Last Comic Standing.