Background
Wayans was born in New York City, son of Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager, and his wife Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker and social worker.
Wayans was born in New York City, son of Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager, and his wife Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker and social worker.
Wayans attended Tuskegee University on an engineering scholarship.
He first came to prominence as the host and co-creator of the 1990-1994 Fox sketch comedy series He has produced, directed and/or written a large number of films, starting with Hollywood Shuffle, which he co-wrote, in 1987. One of these films, Scary Movie (2000), which Wayans directed, was the highest-grossing movie ever 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.
Most recently, he was a judge for the eighth season of Last Comic Standing. He grew up in Manhattan's Fulton housing projects. He entertained his friends at college with made-up stories about life in New York.
One semester before graduation, he dropped out of school in order focus on comedy. During his first set performing at The Improv in New York, Wayans met Robert Townsend, who helped him learn about the comedy business. Wayans moved to Los Angeles in 1980, where he worked as an actor.
He had a regular role as a soldier on a television series named "For Love and Honor". Townsend wrote, directed, and starred in the movie Hollywood Shuffle. Wayans was co-star and co-writer.
The movie's success allowed him to raise the money to make I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Fox Broadcasting Company approached Wayans to offer him his own show. 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.
Fox gave Wayans a lot of freedom with the show, although Fox executives were a bit concerned about the show's content prior to its television debut. Characters
Death Row Comic (Prison Cable Access)
Frenchie
Ice Man (Homeboy Shopping Network)
Tom Brothers (The Brothers Brothers)
Wes (Wes & Les)
Impressions
Arsenio Hall
Billy Dee Williams
Don Cornelius
Jesse Jackson
Little Richard
Mike Tyson
Marsha Warfield
Milli (Rob Pilatus) of Milli Vanilli
Morgan Freeman (such as Hoke Colburn from Driving Miss Daisy, Principal Joe Clark from Lean on Me)
Rick James
Steve Harvey
Carl Weathers (as Apollo Creed).
