Wayans, Keenen Ivory 1958- (Keenen Wayans)

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Wayans, Keenen Ivory 1958- (Keenen Wayans)

PERSONAL

Born June 8, 1958, in Harlem section of New York, NY; son of Howell (a supermarket manager) and Elvira (a homemaker) Wayans; brother of Damon Wayans (an actor, writer, and producer), Kim Wayans (an actress), Marlon Wayans (an actor), Dwayne Wayans (an actor), and Shawn Wayans (an actor); married Daphne Polk, June 16, 2001 (separated, 2004); children: Jolie Ivory Imani, Nala, Keenen, Jr., Bella, Daphne Ivory. Education: Attended Tuskegee Institute.

Addresses:

Office—Wayans Brothers Entertainment, 8730 West Sunset Blvd., Suite 290, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Agent—William Morris Agency, 1 William Morris Pl., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager—Lisa Suzanne Blum, Modus Entertainment, 8730 Sunset Blvd., Suite 290, West Hollywood, CA 90069.

Career:

Actor, director, writer, and producer. Wayans Brothers Entertainment, West Hollywood, CA, principal. Began career as a standup comedian, working at comedy clubs from the Improv in New York City to the Comedy Store in Los Angeles; appeared in commercials for KFC fried chicken restaurants, 1984, and Pepsi soft drinks, 1998. Worked as a manager at a McDonald's restaurant as a high school student.

Member:

Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America.

Awards, Honors:

Emmy Award (with others), outstanding variety, music, or comedy series, 1990, Emmy Award nominations (with others), outstanding writing in a variety or music program, 1990, 1991, 1992, Emmy Award nominations (with others), outstanding variety, music, or comedy series, 1991, 1992, Emmy Award nomination, outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program, 1991, and Nova Award, most promising producer in television, Golden Laurel Awards, Producers Guild of America, 1992, all for In Living Color; BET Comedy Awards, outstanding writing for a box office movie (with others) and outstanding directing for a box office movie, Black Entertainment Television, both 2004, for White Chicks.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Recruit Duke Johnson, For Love and Honor, NBC, 1983-84.

Host and member of ensemble, In Living Color, Fox, 1990-92.

Host, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, syndicated, 1997-98.

Judge, HGTV Summer Showdown, Home and Garden Television, 2008.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Motown Thirty: What's Goin' On!, CBS, 1990.

A Laugh, a Tear, syndicated, 1990.

Story of a People: The Black Road to Hollywood, syndicated, 1991.

A Comedy Salute to Michael Jordan (also known as Los Angeles and Chicago Salute to Michael Jordan), NBC, 1991.

The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime, HBO, 1991.

A Party for Richard Pryor, CBS, 1991.

The Real Malcolm X, 1992.

Comic Relief V, HBO, 1992.

In Censors We Trust, E! Entertainment Television, 1993.

(In archive footage) Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America, HBO, 1993.

Canned Ham: Scary Movie, Comedy Central, 2000.

Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television, TV Land, 2002.

Eddie Murphy: The Making of "Delirious," MyNetwork, 2007.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Ray Brewster, Irene, NBC, 1981.

Recruit Duke Johnson, For Love and Honor, NBC, 1983.

Host and member of ensemble, In Living Color, Fox, 1990.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(As Keenen Wayans) First customer, "Sam's Women," Cheers, NBC, 1982.

Roberts, "Meet the New Guy," CHiPS (also known as CHiPs Patrol), NBC, 1982.

Benson "Clete" Hawkins, "Summer of Discontent," Benson, ABC, 1986.

Raymond Jackson, "The Runner Falls on His Kisser," Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1987.

Professor Lawrence, "War of the Words," A Different World, NBC, 1987.

Soul Train, 1989.

Himself, "Darker than Me," The South Bank Show, 1994.

The Chris Rock Show, 1997.

"Talk Shows," Dennis Miller Live, HBO, 1998.

Ken Kyle, "A Little Romance," My Wife and Kids, ABC, 2001.

(In archive footage) "Ice Bullet, Exploding Toilet, Who Gets Wetter?," MythBusters, The Discovery Channel, 2003.

"The ‘Grammy’ Goes to Camp: You're a Star & Kids Are Helping Kids," In the Mix (also known as In the Cutz), Urban America Channel, 2006.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, NBC, 1983.

The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 1996, 2004.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1998.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001.

The Big Breakfast, Channel 4, 2001.

Sunday Morning Shootout (also known as Hollywood Shootout and Shootout), AMC, 2004.

Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

MTV's 1990 Video Music Awards, MTV and syndicated, 1990.

The 5th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1991.

Host, The American Music Awards, ABC, 1991.

The 43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Presentation, Fox, 1991.

Presenter, The 6th Annual Soul Train Awards, syndicated, 1992.

Presenter, The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Fox, 1992.

Presenter, Soul Train Comedy Awards, syndicated, 1993.

American Comedy Honors, Fox, 1997.

Presenter, The 1998 World Music Awards, ABC, 1998.

Presenter, 12th Annual American Comedy Awards, Fox, 1998.

Presenter, BET Comedy Awards, Black Entertainment Television, 2004.

2006 BET Awards, Black Entertainment Television, 2006.

Television Work; Series:

Creator, executive producer, and director, In Living Color, Fox, 1990-92.

Executive producer, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, syndicated, 1997.

Creator and executive producer, Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street, 2006.

Television Work; Pilots:

Creator and executive producer, In Living Color, Fox, 1990.

Executive producer, Hammer, Slammer, and Slade, ABC, 1990.

Creator and executive producer, The Life and Times of Marcus Felony Brown, VH1, 2008.

Television Work; Specials:

Producer, Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime, HBO, 1987.

Executive producer, The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime, HBO, 1991.

Film Appearances:

Comic, Star 80, Ladd Company/Warner Bros., 1983.

Donald/Jerry Curl, Hollywood Shuffle (also known as Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle"), Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1987.

Eddie Murphy Raw (also known as Raw and Raw: The Concert Movie), Paramount, 1987.

Jack Spade, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1988.

Shame, A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool), Buena Vista, 1994.

Mailman, Don't Be a Menace (also known as Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), Miramax, 1996.

Detective Jim Campbell, The Glimmer Man (also known as Glimmerman), Warner Bros., 1996.

Gunnery Sergeant James Dunn, Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997.

Amistad II Slave, Scary Movie, Dimension Films, 2000.

Cameo, Scary Movie 2 (also known as Scarier Movie), Dimension Films, 2001.

The Black List: Volume One, HBO Documentary Films, 2008.

Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy (documentary), Codeblack Entertainment, 2008.

Film Work:

Coproducer, Eddie Murphy Raw (also known as Raw and Raw: The Concert Movie), Paramount, 1987.

Director, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1988.

Director, A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool), Buena Vista, 1994.

Producer, Don't Be a Menace (also known as Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), Miramax, 1996.

Executive producer, Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997.

Director and (uncredited) producer, Scary Movie, Dimension Films, 2000.

Director, Scary Movie 2 (also known as Scarier Movie), Dimension Films, 2001.

Producer and director, White Chicks, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2005.

Producer and director, Little Man (also known as Perfect Gem & Valuable), Sony Pictures Releasing, 2006.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Appeared in the music video "Just the Two of Us" by Will Smith.

WRITINGS

Television Series:

In Living Color, Fox, 1990-92.

The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, syndicated, 1997.

Television Specials:

(With Townsend) Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime (comedy), HBO, 1987.

Television Pilots:

In Living Color, Fox, 1990.

Hammer, Slammer, and Slade (also based on his screenplay I'm Gonna Git You Sucka), ABC, 1990.

Screenplays:

(With Robert Townsend) Hollywood Shuffle (also known as Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle"), Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1987.

Opening sketch (with Eddie Murphy and Townsend), Eddie Murphy Raw (also known as Raw and Raw: The Concert Movie), Paramount, 1987.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1988.

(With Townsend) The Five Heartbeats, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991.

A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool), Buena Vista, 1994.

Most Wanted, New Line Cinema, 1997.

(With Xavier Cook, Andy McElfresh, and others) White Chicks, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2005.

(With brothers Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans) Little Man (also known as Perfect Gem & Valuable; also based on story by Wayans), Sony Pictures Releasing, 2006.