Wayne Brady

1972—

Actor, comedian, singer

Emmy-award winning actor Wayne Brady is a versatile comedian and singer who rose to fame for his improvisational comedic skills on the hit television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Displaying charm, humor, and vocal ability, the multitalented Brady also hosted a variety show, a daytime talk show, and the musical game show Don't Forget the Lyrics.

Wayne Brady was born on June 2, 1972, in Orlando, Florida. With his father, an army serviceman, posted overseas and his seventeen-year-old mother unable to take care of him, Brady was raised by his grandmother, Valerie Petersen. A shy boy, Brady "stuttered, had acne, was stick thin, couldn't get a girlfriend, and got beat up ‘for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner’ because he was in gifted classes and ROTC,", according to Jane Ganahl in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Began Acting in High School

Brady discovered his gift for entertaining when he was sixteen years old. Thinking that there was really nothing else for him to do, Brady had intended on going into the military after he completed high school. However, a friend of his pulled out of the school play and asked Brady to take over the one-line part. "As soon as I stepped onstage," Brady told Jet, "my stutter went away, my self-confidence went up, and with that first bit of applause, [I was] hooked." He graduated from Dr. Phillips High School in 1990 and began to focus on a career in entertainment. Brady started taking dance, singing, and acting lessons. He got jobs at a variety of places, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Great America. One of the parts he played at Disney World was that of Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh parade. At this time Brady was also involved in community theater, appearing in such productions as A Chorus Line and Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 1991, while still in Florida, Brady met and befriended Jonathan Magnum. The duo soon formed an improv group called the Houseful of Honkeys and moved to Los Angeles. Brady took parts in dinner theater companies and on cruise ships to pay the rent, as well as a number of walk-on roles on such television shows as Superboy, I'll Fly Away, In the Heat of the Night, Clarissa Explains It All, and the Home Court.

In 1996, while doing a musical revue in Hawaii, Brady met Mandie Taketa, and the couple was married three years later. It was also in 1996 that Brady was chosen to take part in an improvisational group called Kwik Witz. Although the show was not entirely improvisational—there was a disclaimer at the end of each performance that stated that the actors knew their topics beforehand—it still put Brady into the spotlight. It was there that he was noticed by the producers of the British television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?

When the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? debuted in 1998, Brady appeared as a rotating replacement, but soon became one of the regular members of the cast. He gained attention for his musical improvisations and was nominated in 2001 for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Drew Carey, Brady's costar on Whose Line Is It Anyway? was quoted by Hal Boedeker in the Orlando Sentinel as saying of Brady, "He's great, he's really super talented, really charismatic, and he's a thrill to work with. When he's onstage, he's something to see. I remember the first time I worked with him, I couldn't believe the stuff he was doing. It was like watching magic tricks."

Gained Fame on Whose Line?

The show brought Brady widespread fame, and he received much of the credit for the show's success. However, there was one thing that bothered Brady: Often people did not believe that the scenes staged on the show really were improvised. "That kind of ticks me off when people ask that," Brady told Diane Eicher in the Denver Post. Yet Brady realized it was also a compliment to the quick wit and talent of the actors. Viewers could not believe anyone could think up such humorous skits on the spot.

Of course, Brady had performed to sold out audiences at improvisational shows across the country for years, which was, according to Ganahl, "Pretty good for a [man] who bucks the notion that to sell out big venues, you've got to have R- or X-rated material." Not only did Brady achieve stardom for improvisational acting, but he did so on the strength of family-oriented material.

In 2001 Brady was given his own show, aptly named the Wayne Brady Show, which he hosted and starred in, along with Brooke Dillman, Jonathan Mangum, J. P. Manoux, and Missi Pyle. Brady described the show in People: "The template is FlipWilson and Carol Burnett scrunched together, then laid on top of a human Muppet show. It's family TV." The show raised ABC's summer ratings in its Wednesday time slot by four million viewers. A New York Post reporter wrote, "I haven't laughed at a sketch show this much since my all-time favorite sketch show In Living Color, bit the dust, lo these many years ago…. Wayne Brady and co. are as funny a show as the old Carol Burnett Show ensemble company and the Wayans brothers combined."

Hosted Daytime Talk Show

Based on its success as a summer replacement program, the Wayne Brady Show was continued for six more episodes, but when its ratings dropped, ABC decided to change the format. The revamped Wayne Brady Show debuted in 2002 as a daytime talk show and was a critical success, with Brady awarded Daytime Emmy awards in 2003 and in 2004. Ratings sagged by its second season, however, and the show was cancelled in 2004. By this time Brady was seemingly omnipresent on television, serving as host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the Miss America Pageant. In 2004 Brady made his Broadway debut, joining the cast of Chicago for a limited run.

Brady returned to the small screen in 2006 as host of a new Fox musical series, Celebrity Duets. That show was short-lived, but the following year he landed a similar role as host of a new show called Don't Forget the Lyrics, a karaoke-influenced show in which contestants sing along with a band and are fed a portion of the lyrics, but must finish the words on their own from memory.

At a Glance …

Born on June 2, 1972, in Orlando, FL; married Mandie Taketa, 1999 (divorced 2008); one child, Maile.

Career: Actor, comedian, and singer, 1990—; television host, 2003—.

Awards: Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding talk show, 2003, and outstanding talk show host, for The Wayne Brady Show, 2003, 2004; Emmy Award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for Whose Line Is It Anyway? 2003.

Addresses: Office—c/o Don't Forget the Lyrics, Fox Broadcasting Company, PO Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213.

After releasing several singles over the years, he recorded his first album, A Long Time Coming, which was released in September of 2008. Meanwhile, Brady continued to tour comedy clubs and did several performances per week of the live show Wayne Brady and Friends at the Venetian resort in Las Vegas.

Selected works

Television

Superboy, 1990.

I'll Fly Away, 1993.

In the Heat of the Night, 1993.

On Promised Land, 1994.

Vinyl Justice, 1998.

Whose Line is It Anyway?, 1998-2003.

Hollywood Squares, 1999-2003.

Wayne Brady Show (variety), 2001.

Wayne Brady Show (daytime talk), 2002-04.

Celebrity Duets, 2006.

Everybody Hates Chris, 2006, 2008.

Don't Forget the Lyrics, 2007—.

Film

(Animated) Clifford's Really Big Movie, 2004.

Roll Bounce, 2005.

Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild, 2005.

Crossover, 2006.

The List, 2006.

Albums

A Long Time Coming, Peak Records, 2008.

Sources

Periodicals

Advertising Age, March 1, 1999, p. 8.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 8, 2001, p. C10.

Denver Post, March 1, 2001, p. F5.

Entertainment Weekly, August 10, 2001, p. 57.

Interview, September, 2001, p. 132.

Jet, August 27, 2001, p. 62; September 24, 2001; February 10, 2003, p. 56; June 9, 2003, p. 34; May 5, 2008, p. 33.

Kansas City Star, September 27, 2007.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, August 7, 2001, p. K2667.

Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1999, p.6; April 27, 2000, p. F7; August 8, 2001, p. F4; August 15, 2001, p. F11.

Mediaweek, August 27, 2001, p. 8.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 14, 2001, p. 6.

New York Post, August 8, 2001, p. 70.

Orlando Sentinel, July 26, 2001.

People, June, 2000, p. 70; September 3, 2001, p. 95; February 24, 2003, p. 71.

The Record (Bergen County, NJ), May 9, 2008, p. G38.

San Francisco Chronicle, May 2, 2001, p. B1.

Seattle Times, September 1, 2006, p. E2.

Washington Post, September 4, 2001, p. C1.

Online

"Biography," Wayne Brady, http://www.waynebrady.com/_bin/biography.cfm (accessed November 12, 2008).

—Catherine Victoria Donaldson and Bob Jacobson

BRADY, Wayne 1972–

PERSONAL

Born June, 2, 1972, in Orlando, FL; son of Wayne Brady (a U.S. Army officer); married Mandie Taketa, April 3, 1999; children: Maile Masako. Education: Graduated from Dr. Phillips High School, 1990. Avocational Interests: Playing Sony PlayStation 2.

Addresses: Agent— William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager— Brillstein–Grey Entertainment, 9150 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 350, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Publicist— Bragman/Nyman/Cafarelli, 9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career: Actor, writer, and producer. Began doing comedy work at Sak Theatre, Orlando, FL, 1990; Houseful of Honkeys (stage improvisational group), member; appeared in numerous television commercials for Church's chicken (1999), Bud Light (1999), McDonald's (2002), Avaya Telecom Equipment (2002), International Delight non–dairy creamers (2003), and Avaya, Inc. (2003).

Awards, Honors: Rookie of the Year, Sak Theatre, 1992, for TheatreSports/Improv; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program, 2001, 2003, Emmy Award, outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program, 2003, all for Whose Line Is It Anyway?; Daytime Emmy Award, outstanding talk show host, 2003, for The Wayne Brady Show; Best Actor in a Musical Award, for Cotton Patch Gospel.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Himself, Kwik Witz (also known as Quick Witz ), 1996.

Himself, Whose Line Is It Anyway? (also known as Whose Line? ), ABC, 1998.

Himself, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Channel 4, 1998.

Officer Brady, Vinyl Justice, VH1, 1998.

Various characters, The Wayne Brady Show, ABC, 2001.

Host, The Wayne Brady Show, syndicated, 2002–2004.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Eli James, On Promised Land, The Disney Channel, 1994.

The magician, Geppetto, ABC, 2000.

Voice of Sly, the Electric Piper, The Electric Piper (animated), Nickelodeon, 2003.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade, ABC, 1998.

Reporter, Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade, ABC, 1999.

Host (Los Angeles), Safe Night USA, PBS and Black Entertainment Television, 1999.

Santa Tracker, Walt Disney World 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, ABC, 2000.

Cohost (Hollywood), Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2001, ABC, 2000.

The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Award, ABC, 2000.

Himself, The Second Annual TV Guide Awards, Fox, 2000.

The Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade, ABC, 2001.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2002, ABC, 2001.

The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, CBS, 2001.

VH1 Big in 2002 Awards, VH1, 2002.

Himself, Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (documentary), TV Land, 2002.

Himself, TV Guide 50 Best Shows of All Time: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, ABC, 2002.

Himself (host), Miss America Pageant, ABC, 2002.

Himself (host), Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, ABC, 2002.

Himself, The 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Fox, 2003.

Host, The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Presenter, The 17th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, The WB, 2003.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

John, "The Sons of Icarus," Superboy, syndicated, 1990.

Henry Ulmer, "Hatton's Turn: Parts 1 & 2," In the Heat of the Night, CBS, 1993.

(Uncredited) Pepe's pizza delivery man, "Editor in Chief," Clarissa Explains It All, Nickelodeon, 1993.

Himself/interviewee, The Martin Short Show, syndicated, 1999.

Wayne, "Drew Live," The Drew Carey Show, ABC, 1999.

Himself, Strassman, 2000.

Himself, "Frat Party," The Cindy Margolis Show, 2000.

Wayne, "Drew Live II," The Drew Carey Show, ABC, 2000.

Voice of Micron, "The Call: Parts 1 & 2," Batman Beyond (animated), The WB, 2000.

Guest, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 2001, 2002.

Himself, The View, ABC, 2002.

Himself, "Daredevilin," Player$, 2003.

Jackie Wilson, "The One," American Dreams, NBC, 2003.

Himself, "To Live and Diaper in L.A.," The Anna Nicole Show, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Also appeared as himself, The Hollywood Squares; guest host, Talk Soup, E! Entertainment Television; Damon, I'll Fly Away, NBC; waiter, The Home Court, NBC; judge, Star Search, CBS.

Television Work; Series:

Executive producer, The Wayne Brady Show, ABC, 2001.

Co–executive producer, The Wayne Brady Show, syndicated, 2002–2004.

Stage Appearances:

Blade to the Heat, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1996.

Also appeared in A Chorus Line; Fences; A Raisin in the Sun; Jesus Christ Superstar; I'm Not Rappaport; Cotton Patch Gospel, Edyth Bush Theatre; as Joe Grady, The Only Game in Town, Los Angeles.

Major Tours:

Toured in Wayne Brady and Friends (improv show), U.S. cities.

WRITINGS

Television Episodes:

The Wayne Brady Show, ABC, 2001.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Parade Magazine, August 31, 2003, p. 14.