Marlon Wayans

Marlon Wayans
Wayans in 2018
Born	Marlon Lamont Wayans (1972-07-23) July 23, 1972 (age 52) New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Actor comedian writer producer
Years active	1988–present
Partner(s)	Angela Zackery (1992–2013)
Children	3
Family	Wayans family

Marlon Lamont Wayans^[1] (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work with his brother Shawn Wayans on The WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–1999) and the comedy films Don't Be a Menace (1996), Scary Movie (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001), White Chicks (2004), Little Man (2006), and Dance Flick (2009).

Wayans other film credits include Above the Rim (1994), The 6th Man (1997), Norbit (2007), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), The Heat (2013), A Haunted House (2013) and its sequel A Haunted House 2 (2014), Naked (2017), Fifty Shades of Black (2016), Sextuplets (2019), and On the Rocks (2020). He also had several dramatic roles, including the psychological drama film Requiem for a Dream (2000).

Wayans partnered with Randy Adams to create What the Funny, an online destination for urban comedy.^[2][3] He created the comedy competition television show Funniest Wins, which aired on TBS in 2014.^[4] In 2014, Wayans and his brothers traveled the U.S. with "The Wayans Brothers Tour".^[5] In 2017, he co-wrote and starred in the NBC sitcom Marlon, which ran for 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] He was raised in Fulton Houses, a housing project in New York City, the youngest of ten siblings. He is the brother of Nadia, Shawn, Keenen Ivory, Damon, Dwayne, and Kim. His family were Jehovah's Witnesses.^[8][9] 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 graduating from high school, he attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., but dropped out after two years.^[10]

Career

Between 1992 and 1993, Wayans appeared with his siblings on the sketch comedy show In Living Color. From 1995 until 1999, he co-starred in the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. with his brother Shawn Wayans. He was originally considered for the role of Robin in the 1992 film Batman Returns,^[11] but it was felt that the film featured too many characters, so his character was omitted. Wayans was then formally signed to 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 resulted in both parts being recast and Wayans being paid out (Williams was not yet signed on, but received a penalty fee as his contract for Batman allowed him the option of reprise), and he still receives royalty payments. He was replaced by Chris O'Donnell. In August 2021, a comic book adaptation of the original concept, Batman '89, began publication, by DC Entertainment, using Wayans's likeness for Robin with his permission, their civilian identity renamed Drake Winston.^[12]

Wayans 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, Wayans appeared as Tyrone C. Love in Requiem for a Dream and as Snails in Dungeons & Dragons. That same year, he and Shawn hosted the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Wayans also produced the Nickelodeon cartoon series Thugaboo. In 2017, NBC gave him his own sitcom, Marlon; it was canceled after two seasons.^[13][14][15]

In September 2017, Variety announced that Wayans would partner with LA-based entertainment company Shots Studios to launch a YouTube channel.^[16] He has appeared in videos alongside creators such as Anwar Jibawi and Hannah Stocking. In 2020, Wayans signed a deal with HBO Max.^[17]

Personal life

Wayans was in a long-term relationship with Angela Zackery from 1992 to 2013, and although he once called her his "ex-wife", he said in 2021 that he had never married.^[18][19] They have two children.^[20][21] Wayans also shares a child with his former girlfriend, Brittany Moreland.^[22] Wayans was a close friend of rapper Tupac Shakur.^[23]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	I'm Gonna Git You Sucka	Pedestrian
1992	Mo' Money	Seymour Stewart
1994	Above the Rim	Bugaloo
1996	Don't Be a Menace to South Central	Loc Dog	Also co-writer
1997	The 6th Man	Kenny Tyler
1998	Senseless	Darryl Witherspoon
2000	Requiem for a Dream	Tyrone C. Love
	Scary Movie	Shorty Meeks	Also co-writer
	The Tangerine Bear	Louie Blue (voice)
	Dungeons & Dragons	Snails
2001	Scary Movie 2	Shorty Meeks	Also co-writer
2004	The Ladykillers	Gawain MacSam
	White Chicks	Marcus Copeland	Also co-writer and producer
2006	Behind the Smile	Danny Styles
	Little Man	Calvin "Baby-face" Sims	Also co-writer and producer
2007	Norbit	Buster "Bust-A-Move" Perkin
2009	Dance Flick	Mr Moody	Also co-writer and producer
	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	Rip Cord
2010	Marmaduke	Lightning (voice)
2013	A Haunted House	Malcolm Johnson	Also co-writer and producer
	The Heat	Special Agent Levy
2014	A Haunted House 2	Malcolm Johnson	Also co-writer and producer
2016	Fifty Shades of Black	Christian Black	Also co-writer and producer
2017	Naked	Rob Anderson	Also co-writer and producer
2019	Sextuplets	Various Roles	Also co-writer and producer
2020	On the Rocks	Dean
2021	Respect	Ted White
	Back Home Again	Mr. Tortoise	Short
2022	The Curse of Bridge Hollow	Howard Gordon	Also producer [24]
2023	Air	George Raveling
2025	Him †	TBA
	Scary Movie 6 †	Shorty Meeks	Also co-writer and producer

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992–1993	In Living Color	Himself/Cast Member	17 episodes (Season 3–4)
1995–1999	The Wayans Bros.	Marlon Williams	101 episodes; also co-creator and sketch writer
1996	The Parent 'Hood	Himself	Episode: "Ode to Billy Shankbreath"
	Mr. Show with Bob and David	KKK Member	Episode: "The Biggest Failure in Broadway History"
1996–1997	Waynehead	Blue (voice)	6 episodes
1999	Hollywood Squares	Himself/Panelist	Recurring Panelist
	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Bad Bobby (voice)	Episode: "The Bremen Town Musicians"
2000	Comedy Central Canned Ham	Himself	Episode: "Scary Movie"
	2000 MTV Video Music Awards	Himself (Co-Host)	Main Host
2001	Mad TV	Himself	Episode: "Episode #6.25"
2005	Mad TV	Himself	Episode: "Episode #11.1"
2006	The Boo Crew (also known as Thugaboo)	Dirty (voice)	2 television specials
2006	Six Degrees	Homeless Guy	Episode: "The Puncher"
2011	Childrens Hospital	Dr. Black	Episode: "The Black Doctor"
2013	Sidewalks Entertainment	Himself (Host)	Episode: "Marlon Wayans"
	Anderson Live	Himself (Co-Host)	Episode: "Episode #2.77"
	Second Generation Wayans	Himself	2 episodes, also executive producer
	Legit	Doctor	Episode: "Fatherhood"
2014	Funniest Wins	Himself (Host)	8 episodes
	Deal with It	Himself	Episode: "Marlon Wayans & Mo Mandel"
2015	Lip Sync Battle	Himself (Competitor)	Episode: "Queen Latifah vs. Marlon Wayans"
	I Can Do That	Himself (Host)	Main Host
	America's Got Talent	Himself (Guest Judge)	Episode: "Judge Cuts 3"
2016	Hollywood Game Night	Himself/Celebrity Player	Episode: "Way-ans to Go!"
	The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore	Himself/Panelist	Episode: "Rand Paul Talks Donald Trump's Candidacy"
	Givit Wednesday	Himself	Episode: "Puppies & Tattoos - Marlon Wayans/Alison Eastwood"
	Big Boy's Big Brawl	Himself	Episode: "Pilot"
	Animals.	Ry-Ry (voice)	Episode: "Squirrels Part I"
2017	Safeword	Himself	Episode: "Kevin Hart vs. Damien Dante Wayans"
2017–2018	Marlon	Marlon Wayne	20 episodes; also co-creator and executive producer
2018	Do or Dare	Himself	Episode: "Marlon Wayans vs. Naomi"
	Drop the Mic	Himself	Episode: "Episode #2.3"
	The Hollywood Puppet Show	Himself	Episode: "Marlon Wayans and Bow Wow"
2019	Sherman's Showcase	Himself	Episode: "Enemies"
2022	To Tell the Truth	Himself	Episode: "Marlon Wayans, Arsenio Hall, and Joel McHale"
	Oh Hell No! with Marlon Wayans	Himself (Host)	6 episodes
2022–2024	Bel-Air	Lou	3 episodes
2023	The Daily Show	Himself (Host) [25]	Recurring Host: Season 28

Comedy specials

Year	Title	Notes
2018	Marlon Wayans: Woke-ish	Netflix-stand-up comedy special
2021	Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is	HBO Max-stand-up comedy special
2022	Marlon Wayans Presents: The Headliners	HBO Max-stand-up comedy special; with Tony Baker, Sydney Castillo, DC Ervin, Esau McGraw, and Chaunté Wayans
2023	Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me	HBO Max-stand-up comedy special
2024	Marlon Wayans: Good Grief	Amazon Prime-stand-up comedy special

Documentary

Year	Title
1991	The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime
2003	Tupac: Resurrection
2005	Hubert Selby Jr.: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow
2009	Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2012	Versus and Serena

Music videos

Year	Song	Artist
1992	"The Best Things in Life Are Free"	Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson
2018	"Just My Type"	Tiana

References

1. "Marlon Wayans: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me". usmagazine.com. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
2. "Marlon Wayans Launching Urban Funny or Die (Exclusive)". Hollywoodreporter.com. June 26, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
3. "What The Funny". What The Funny. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
4. "Marlon Wayans' TBS series 'Funniest Wins' unveils comedian competitors". laughspin.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
5. "The Wayans Brothers Kick Off Brand-New Comedy Tour in U.S." goodblacknews.org. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
6. Ausiello, Michael (December 21, 2018). "Marlon Cancelled at NBC". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
7. "Keenen Ivory Wayans' Interactive Family Tree - Finding Your Roots - PBS". PBS. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
8. Stein, Joel. (September 11, 2000) Marlon Wayans. Time. Retrieved on 2012-04-08.
9. Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 19, 2016, PBS
10. "Marlon Wayans". Biography.com. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
11. Rabin, Nathan. (February 25, 1998) Marlon Wayans. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2012-04-08.
12. Mueller, Matthew (March 9, 2016). "Batman '89 Series Would Have Picked Up Where Tim Burton Left Off". Yahoo!. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
13. Pedersen, Erik (March 17, 2017). "NBC Sets Summer Premieres: 'Marlon,' 'Midnight, Texas,' 'Carmichael Show,' Reality & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
14. Andreeva, Nellie (September 28, 2017). "'Marlon' Renewed For Season 2 By NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
15. "'Marlon' canceled by NBC after two seasons". The Grio. December 23, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
16. Spangler, Todd (September 7, 2018). "Marlon Wayans Launches YouTube Sketch-Comedy Channel With Shots Studios (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
17. "Marlon Wayans Inks Overall Deal With HBO Max | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. June 25, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
18. Victoria Uwumarogie (March 1, 2018). ""I Got You": Marlon Wayans's B-Day Message For Former Wife Shows What A Healthy Relationship With Your Ex Can Be". MadameNoire. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
19. Brande Victorian (August 19, 2021). "Marlon Wayans On 'RESPECT' And Why He Never Married: 'I Knew My Mom Needed Me'". Essence. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
20. Falen Hardge (November 13, 2023). "Marlon Wayans Shares How He Learned To Embrace His Trans Son, Kai". BET. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
21. Stephanie Kaloi (November 15, 2023). "All About Marlon Wayans' Two Kids and His 'Unconditional Love' for Them". Parade. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
22. Danielle Young (March 21, 2024). "Marlon Wayans Slams 'Entitled' Baby Mother After New Paternity Suit". BET. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
23. Thompson, Stephen (June 17, 2020). "Marlon Wayans and Snoop Dogg Honor Tupac on What Would Have Been His 49th Birthday". news.amomama.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
24. "New movies coming to Netflix in fall". whats-on-netflix.com. July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
25. "The Daily Show Guest Host Lineup". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

External links

• Marlon Wayans on Facebook
• Marlon Wayans at IMDb
• Marlon Wayans on WISH-TV