Marlon Wayans
Marlon Lamont Wayans | |
|---|---|
 Wayans in Las Vegas, 2007 | |
| Born | Marlon Lamont Wayans July 23, 1972 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Howard University (1990-1992) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Wayans family |
Marlon Lamont Wayans[1] (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988. He frequently collaborates with his brother Shawn Wayans, as he was on The WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. and in the comedic films Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick. However, Wayans had a dramatic role in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed Requiem for a Dream, which saw his departure from the usual comedies.
In 2009, he appeared in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2013, he had a leading role in A Haunted House and co-starred in The Heat. A Haunted House 2 was released on April 18, 2014. He also appeared in the Netflix film Naked. Marlon has partnered with former Funny or Die co-founder Randy Adams to create What the Funny, an online destination for urban comedy.[2][3] Marlon created the comedy competition television show, Funniest Wins, which aired on TBS in June - August 2014.[4] As of 2014, Marlon and his brothers have been traveling the U.S. with "The Wayans Brothers Tour".[5] In 2016, Wayans wrote, produced and starred in Fifty Shades of Black. The film is a parody of the 2015 erotic romantic drama film Fifty Shades of Grey. In 2017, NBC gave him his own sitcom, Marlon, for a 10-episode run. In September 2017, Marlon was renewed by NBC for a second season. In December 2018, NBC cancelled the series after two seasons.[6]
Early life
Wayans was born in New York City, the son of Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager.[7] His family was involved religiously with Jehovah's Witnesses.[8][9] Wayans was raised in the housing projects of New York City, the youngest of ten siblings. He is the brother of Nadia, Shawn, Keenen Ivory, Damon, Dwayne, and Kim. Wayans went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, the school made famous in Fame. After completing high school, he attended Howard University in Washington, D.C..[10]
Career
Marlon appeared with his siblings on In Living Color between 1992 and 1993. From 1995 until 1999, Wayans co-starred in the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. with brother Shawn Wayans. Wayans was originally considered for the role of Robin in the 1992 film Batman Returns,[11] however it was felt that the film featured too many characters, so the character was omitted from that film. He was then formally signed for the role in the 1995 sequel Batman Forever to play opposite Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face, but the mid-production change in directors from Tim Burton to Joel Schumacher would result in both parts being recast and Wayans being paid out (Williams was not yet signed on, but he received a penalty fee as his contract for Batman allowed him the option of reprise), for which he still receives some royalty payments to this day. He was replaced by Chris O'Donnell. He produced the first two films of the Scary Movie series, in which he and Shawn were credited writers and co-stars. Those films were released in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 he appeared as Tyrone C. Love in Requiem for a Dream and as Snails in Dungeons & Dragons. That same year he and his brother Shawn hosted the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Wayans produced the Nickelodeon cartoon series Thugaboo. In 2017, NBC gave him his own sitcom, Marlon, for a 10-episode run. In September 2017, Marlon got renewed for a second season by NBC, which is now available on Netflix.
In September 2017, Variety announced that Wayans would be partnering up with LA-based entertainment company Shots Studios to launch his own YouTube channel.[12] He's appeared in videos alongside creators such as Anwar Jibawi and Hannah Stocking.
Personal life
Wayans dated Angela Zackery from September 1992 to March 2013 and she is the mother of his two children: Amai Zackery Wayans (b. May 24, 2000), and Shawn Howell Wayans, (b. February 3, 2002).[13]
Wayans is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Knicks.[citation needed] Wayans was close friends with rapper Tupac Shakur until his death in 1996.[citation needed]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | Pedestrian | |
| 1991 | The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime | Various | TV series |
| 1992 | Mo' Money | Seymour Stewart | |
| 1992–1993 | In Living Color (TV series) | Various | |
| 1994 | Above the Rim | Bugaloo | |
| 1995–1999 | The Wayans Bros. (TV series) | Marlon Williams | |
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood | Loc Dog | Also writer |
| Mr. Show with Bob and David | KKK member | TV series | |
| Waynehead | Blue (voice) | TV series | |
| The Parent 'Hood | Himself | TV series | |
| 1997 | The 6th Man | Kenny Tyler | |
| 1998 | Senseless | Darryl Witherspoon | |
| Comics Come Home 4 (TV) | Himself | ||
| 1999 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Bad Bobby (voice) | TV series |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Tyrone C. Love | |
| Scary Movie | Shorty Meeks | Also writer | |
| The Tangerine Bear | Louie Blue (voice) | ||
| Dungeons & Dragons | Snails | ||
| 2000 MTV Video Music Awards | Host, actor on a skit with Lars Ulrich | ||
| 2001 | Scary Movie 2 | Shorty Meeks | Also writer |
| 2004 | Behind the Smile | Danny Styles | |
| The Ladykillers | Gawain MacSam | ||
| White Chicks | Marcus Copeland | Also writer and producer | |
| 2006 | Little Man | Calvin "Baby-face" Sims | Also writer and producer |
| Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness | Television | ||
| Six Degrees | Homeless Guy | TV series | |
| Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street | Dirty, Money | Television | |
| 2007 | Norbit | Buster "Bust-A-Move" Perkin | |
| 2009 | Dance Flick | Mr Moody | Also writer and producer |
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Rip Cord | ||
| 2010 | Marmaduke | Lightning | |
| 2011 | Childrens Hospital | Dr. Black | |
| 2013 | A Haunted House | Malcolm Johnson | Also writer and producer |
| The Heat | Special Agent Levy | ||
| Second Generation Wayans (TV series) | Himself | ||
| Legit (TV Series) | Doctor | ||
| 2014 | A Haunted House 2 | Malcolm Johnson | Also writer and producer |
| 2015 | Funniest Wins | Himself | |
| 2016 | Fifty Shades of Black | Christian Black | Also writer and producer |
| Animals. | Ry-Ry | ||
| 2017 | Naked | Rob Anderson | |
| 2017–2018 | Marlon | Marlon Wayne | |
| 2019 | Sextuplets | Alan | Also writer and producer |
| Russel | |||
| Ethan | |||
| Baby Pete | |||
| Dawn | |||
| Jaspar | |||
| 2020 | Respect | Ted White | Post-production |
| TBA | On the Rocks | Dean | Post-production |
References
- ^ "Marlon Wayans: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me". usmagazine.com. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
- ^ "Marlon Wayans Launching Urban Funny or Die". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ "What The Funny". What The Funny. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ "Marlon Wayans' TBS series 'Funniest Wins' unveils comedian competitors". laughspin.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "The Wayans Brothers Kick Off Brand-New Comedy Tour in U.S." goodblacknews.org. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael. "Marlon Cancelled at NBC". Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Keenen Ivory Wayans' Interactive Family Tree - Finding Your Roots - PBS". Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ Stein, Joel. (September 11, 2000) Marlon Wayans. TIME. Retrieved on 2012-04-08.
- ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 19, 2016, PBS
- ^ "Marlon Wayans". Biography.com. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan. (February 25, 1998) Marlon Wayans. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2012-04-08.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (September 7, 2018). "Marlon Wayans Launches YouTube Sketch-Comedy Channel With Shots Studios (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- ^ King, Eric (August 16, 2017). "Marlon Wayans explains how being a 'mess up' inspired his new comedy series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
External links
- 1972 births
- American people of Malagasy descent
- Wayans family
- African-American comedians
- African-American film producers
- Film producers from New York (state)
- American male film actors
- African-American television producers
- Television producers from New York City
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American male actors
- Male actors from New York City
- Howard University alumni
- Living people
- Comedians from New York City
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians
- People from Chelsea, Manhattan
- Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni