Kim Wayans
Encyclopedia
Kim Wayans is an American
actress, comedian
, producer
, writer
and director
. She is also a member of the Wayans family
.
, New York
, the daughter of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket
manager. Her family was involved in the Jehovah's Witnesses
religion. She and her family lived in New York
's Chelsea
neighborhood. She is sister of Keenan
, Dwayne
, Damon
, Nadia, Shawn and Marlon
. She graduated from Seward Park High School
and Wesleyan University
.
and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
(both directed by her brother Keenan), and had a starring role in the art film Talking About Sex and later co-starred in Juwanna Mann
. She starred with her siblings on the Fox
variety show In Living Color
. Her other television work includes regular appearances on the sitcom In the House with LL Cool J
and a recurring role on A Different World. Recently, she has worked as a story editor on her brother Damon
's sitcom My Wife and Kids
.
In 2008 she co-wrote a series of children's books with her husband Kevin Knotts entitled Amy Hodgepodge about a multiracial girl adjusting to life in public school after years of homeschooling.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. She is also a member of the Wayans family
Wayans family
The Wayans family is a family including many directors, screenwriters, comedians and actors. Their parents are Howell and Elvira Wayans. There are ten siblings in the first generation, with many children of their own....
.
Early life
Wayans was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the daughter of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
manager. Her family was involved in the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
religion. She and her family lived in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood. She is sister of Keenan
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Keenen Ivory Wayans is an American actor, comedian, director and writer known as the host and creator of the FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color, which also starred Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, brothers Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, sister Kim Wayans, David Alan Grier, Tommy...
, Dwayne
Dwayne Wayans
Dwayne Kim Wayans is an American writer and film score composer. He is a member of the Wayans Family.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager. His family was involved in the Jehovah's...
, Damon
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
, Nadia, Shawn and Marlon
Marlon Wayans
Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
. She graduated from Seward Park High School
Seward Park High School
Seward Park High School is a now-closed comprehensive high school which was located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The school began as P.S. 62 Intermediate, a intermediate school. In 1923 the school pursued an experimental path as a combined junior-senior high school...
and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
Career
In film she appeared in I'm Gonna Git You SuckaI'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do the Right...
(both directed by her brother Keenan), and had a starring role in the art film Talking About Sex and later co-starred in Juwanna Mann
Juwanna Mann
Juwanna Mann is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Jesse Vaughan. The movie stars Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Jamal Jeffries, a basketball star turned female impersonator after being banned from men's basketball. The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans,...
. She starred with her siblings on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
variety show In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
. Her other television work includes regular appearances on the sitcom In the House with LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
and a recurring role on A Different World. Recently, she has worked as a story editor on her brother Damon
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
's sitcom My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules...
.
In 2008 she co-wrote a series of children's books with her husband Kevin Knotts entitled Amy Hodgepodge about a multiracial girl adjusting to life in public school after years of homeschooling.
Characters
- Benita Butrell
- Cousin Elsee
- Laquita (I Love Laquita)
- Lil' Magic
- Mrs. Brooks
- Reesie (Cephus & Reesie)
Impressions
- LaToya Jackson
- Esther RolleEsther RolleEsther Rolle was an American actress. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom Maude and its spin-off series Good Times.-Biography:...
- Crystal WatersCrystal WatersCrystal Waters is an American dance music singer and songwriter.-Childhood and young adult life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Waters is the daughter of Betty and Junior Waters, a famed jazz musician; her great aunt, Ethel Waters, was one of the first African-American vocalists to appear in...
- Grace JonesGrace JonesGrace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
- LaWanda PageLaWanda PageLaWanda Page , born Alberta Peal, was an American actress and comedienne best known for her portrayal of Aunt Esther in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
- Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
- Tracy ChapmanTracy ChapmanTracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
- Della ReeseDella ReeseDelloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
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- Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
- Vanessa L. WilliamsVanessa L. WilliamsVanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
- Cree SummerCree SummerCree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian actress, musician and voice actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World...
- Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
- Sandra "Pepa" DentonSandra DentonSandra Denton, known as Pepa, is a Jamaican American rap/hip hop artist, actress, and a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa.-Biography:...
- Telma HopkinsTelma HopkinsTelma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hollywood Shuffle Hollywood Shuffle Hollywood Shuffle is a 1987 comedy film that satirizes the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadblocks he encounters, represented through a series of interspersed... |
Customer in Chair |
| 1987-1988 | A Different World (TV Series) | Allison |
| 1988 | China Beach China Beach China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans... (TV Series) |
Cameo Candette |
| I'm Gonna Git You Sucka I'm Gonna Git You Sucka I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes... |
Nightclub Singer | |
| 1990 | Dream On Dream On (TV series) Dream On is an American adult-themed situation comedy about single New Yorker, Martin Tupper. The show used a gimmick where old black and white clips were used to punctuate the main character's feelings or thoughts... |
Nicki |
| 1990-1993 | In Living Color In Living Color In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century... (TV Series) |
Various |
| 1991 | Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime | Various |
| 1994 | Talking About Sex | Andie Norman |
| Floundering Floundering Floundering is a 1994 comedy film set in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots of 1992. The film was directed and written by Peter McCarthy, starring James LeGros with appearances by John Cusack, Ethan Hawke, and Lisa Zane.-Plot summary:... |
Unemployment | |
| A Low Down Dirty Shame | Diane | |
| 1995-1998 | In the House In the House (TV series) In the House is an American sitcom that premiered on April 10, 1995 on NBC. The series moved to UPN after its second season where it remained for an additional three seasons until it was canceled on August 11, 1999. In the House starred LL Cool J and Maia Campbell.-Synopsis:Marion Hill is a former... (TV Series) |
Tonia Harris |
| The Wayans Bros. The Wayans Bros. The Wayans Bros. is a situation comedy that aired from 1995 to 1999 on The WB. The series starred real-life brothers Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. Both brothers were already well-known from the sketch comedy show In Living Color... (TV Series) |
Cousin Shelia | |
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do the Right... |
Mrs. Johnson |
| 1996-1997 | Waynehead Waynehead Waynehead was a Saturday morning animated series created by American actor Damon Wayans. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Nelvana. It ran on Kids' WB from 1996-1997. It is about a young boy named Damien "Damey" Wayne from a poor background with a club foot and was based on Wayans' own... (TV Series) |
Mom (voice) |
| 1997 | Critics and Other Freaks | Bettina |
| 1998 | Getting Personal (TV Series) | Rhonda |
| 2002 | Juwanna Mann Juwanna Mann Juwanna Mann is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Jesse Vaughan. The movie stars Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Jamal Jeffries, a basketball star turned female impersonator after being banned from men's basketball. The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans,... |
Latisha Jansen |
| 2006 | Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness (TV) | Momma/Joyce (voice) |
| Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street (TV) | Momma (voice) | |
| 2007 | What News? (TV) | Pearl "Lightning" Davis |
| 2009 | Dance Flick Dance Flick Dance Flick is a 2009 American comedy directed by Damien Dante Wayans, written by his uncles, the Wayans Brothers, and starring Damon Wayans, Jr., and Shoshana Bush. The film is a spoof of the popular dance film genre... |
Ms. Dontwannabebothered |
| 2011 | Pariah Pariah (2011 film) Pariah is a 2011 contemporary drama film written and directed by Dee Rees. It tells the story of Alike , a 17-year old African–American teenager embracing her identity as a lesbian.... |
Audrey |
External links
- http://amyhodgepodge.com/