Damon Wayans | |
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Damon at the Improv, 2007
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Birth name | Damon Kyle Wayans |
Born |
New York City, New York, U.S. |
September 4, 1960
Medium | Stand-up, television, film, books |
Nationality | American |
Years active | 1982–present |
Genres | Observational comedy, improvisational comedy, satire/political satire |
Subject(s) | Family, children, parenting, marriage, American politics, everyday life |
Spouse | Lisa Thorner (m. 19??; div. 2000) |
Children | 4, including Damon Wayans, Jr. |
Relative(s) | See Wayans family |
Notable works and roles |
Saturday Night Live In Living Color Maj. Benson Winifred Payne in Major Payne Michael Kyle in My Wife and Kids Damon Thomas in Damon |
Damon Kyle Wayans, Sr. (/ˈdeɪmən ˈweɪ.ənz/; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer, and member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a yearlong stint on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, although his true breakthrough came as a co-creator and performer on his own sketch comedy show, In Living Color, from 1990 to 1992. Since then he has starred in a number of films and television shows, some of which he has co-produced or co-written, including The Last Boy Scout and Major Payne, and the sitcom My Wife and Kids.
Wayans was born in Harlem 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, Diedre, and four brothers, actors Marlon Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Dwayne Wayans. He was club footed as a child. This attribute would also be given to his character in My Wife and Kids and his character on the cartoon series Waynehead. Wayans attended Murry Bergtraum High School.