Keenen Ivory Wayans Biography (1958-)

Born June 8, 1958, in Harlem, NY (some sources say New York, NY); son of Howell (a retail manager) and Elvira (a homemaker) Wayans; brother of Damon Wayans (an actor, writer, and producer), Kim (an actress), Marlon (an actor), Dwayne (an actor), and Shawn (an actor); married Daphne Polk, June 16, 2001; children: Jolie Ivory Imani, Keenen, Jr., Nala, Bella. Addresses: Manager:The Gold/Miller Company, 9220 Sunset Blvd., Suite 320, Los Angeles, CA 90069.; Contact: 16405 Mulholland Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90049; Attorney: Barnes, Morris, Klein & Yorn, 1424 Second St., 3rd floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, director, screenwriter, producer
Birth Details: June 8, 1958; Harlem, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Recruit Duke Johnson, For Love and Honor, NBC, 1983-1984
In Living Color, Fox, 1990-1992
Host, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, syndicated, 1997
Specials
Motown Thirty: What's Goin' On!, CBS, 1990
MTV's 1990 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1990
A Laugh, a Tear (comedy), syndicated, 1990
Story of a People: The Black Road to Hollywood, syndicated, 1991
A Comedy Salute to Michael Jordan (also known as Los Angeles and Chicago Salute to Michael Jordan), NBC, 1991
The Fifth Annual American Comedy Awards (also known as The 5thAnnual American Comedy Awards), ABC, 1991
Host, The American Music Awards, ABC, 1991
Himself (actor), The Real Malcolm X, 1992
Comic Relief V, HBO, 1992
Presenter, The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1992
In Censors We Trust, E! Entertainment Television, 1993
(Archive footage) Himself, Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America, HBO, 1993
Soul Train Comedy Awards, 1993
Episodic
Benson "Clete" Hawkins, Benson's nephew, "Summer of Discontent," Benson, ABC, 1979
(As Keenen Wayans) Customer #1, Cheers, NBC, 1982
Roberts, "Meet the New Guy," CHiPS, NBC, 1982
Guest, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, NBC, 1983
Raymond Jackson, "The Runner Falls on His Kisser," Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1987
Professor Lawrence, "War of the Words," A Different World, NBC, 1987
Himself, "Darker Than Me," The South Bank Show, 1994
Ken, "A Little Romance," My Wife and Kids, ABC, 2001
Pilots
Ray Brewster, Irene, NBC, 1981
Recruit Duke Johnson, For Love and Honor, NBC, 1983
Television Work

Series
Executive producer and creator, In Living Color, Fox, 1990-1992
Executive producer, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, syndicated, 1997
Episodic
Director, In Living Color, Fox, 1990-1992
Specials
Producer (with Robert Townsend), Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime, HBO, 1987
Pilots
Executive producer, Hammer, Slammer, and Slade, ABC, 1990
Film Appearances
Comic, Star 80, Ladd Company/Warner Bros., 1983
Donald/Jerry Curl, Hollywood Shuffle, Samuel Goldwyn, 1987
Eddie Murphy Raw, Paramount, 1987
Jack Spade, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
Shame, A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool),Buena Vista, 1994
Mailman, Don't Be a Menace (also known as Don't Be a Menace toSouth Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), Miramax, 1996
Detective Jim Campbell, The Glimmer Man (also known as Glimmerman), Warner Bros., 1996
Sergeant James Dunn, Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997
Amistad II Slave, Scary Movie, Dimension Films, 2000
Cameo, Scary Movie 2 (also known as Scarier Movie), Dimension Films, 2001
Film Work
Coproducer, Eddie Murphy Raw, Paramount, 1987
Director, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
Director, A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool), Buena Vista, 1994
Producer, Don't Be a Menace (also known as Don't Be a Menace toSouth Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), Miramax, 1996
Executive producer, Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997
Director and (uncredited) producer, Scary Movie, Dimension Films,2000
Director, Scary Movie 2 (also known as Scarier Movie), Dimension Films, 2001
RECORDINGS
Music Videos
Appeared in Will Smith's "Just the Two of Us."
WRITINGS
Television Specials
(With Townsend) Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime (comedy), HBO, 1987
Television Episodes
In Living Color, Fox, 1990-1992
Television Pilots
Hammer, Slammer, and Slade, ABC, 1990
Screenplays
(With Robert Townsend) Hollywood Shuffle, Samuel Goldwyn, 1987
(With Eddie Murphy and Townsend; sketch portions) Eddie Murphy Raw, Paramount, 1987
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988
(With Townsend) The Five Heartbeats, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool), Buena Vista, 1994
Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997
Other
(Author of foreword) George, Nelson, In Living Color: The Authorized Companion to the Fox TV Series, Warner Books, 1991

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Authors, Vol. 140, Gale, 1993
Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 18, Gale Research, 1998
George, Nelson, In Living Color: The Authorized Companion to the Fox TV Series, Warner Books, 1991
Newsmakers 1991, Issue Cumulation, Gale Research, 1991

Periodicals

Ebony, December, 1994, p. 86
Hollywood Reporter, January 25, 1989
Newsweek, July 9, 2001, p. 54
New York, October 8, 1990, pp. 28-35
People Weekly, November 15, 1999, p. 196

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