Damon Wayans
Born in Harlem in New York City in 1960, to a supermarket manager father and a homemaker mother, Damon Wayans was one of ten children and suffered from a club foot as a child. Wayans graduated from Murry Bergtraum High School before beginning a career in standup comedy in 1982. Wayans had a cameo in the Eddie Murphy movie "Beverly Hills Cop" in 1984 and appeared on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-) on seven episodes between 1985 and 1986. His employment was terminated after improvised during a sketch. In 1990 he and his brother Keenen Ivory Wayans created the TV series "In Living Color" (Fox, 1990-94). The show was influential particularly to African-American comedians. Wayans himself departed the show in 1992 to focus on making movies. He starred in "Mo' Money" (1992), "Major Payne" (1995), "Celtic Pride" (1996), Bulletproof (1996), and "The Great White Hype" (1996). Wayans appeared in "Damon", (Fox, 1998) a comedy series he created wherein he portrayed a detective in Chicago. The show was cancelled after one season. In 2001 Wayans starred in "My Wife and Kids" (ABC, 2001-05), a sitcom about family life. While still pursuing standup on the side as his movie and television career developed, Wayans announced that he would retire from standup in 2015. In 2016 Wayans was cast in the TV adaptation of "Lethal Weapon" (Fox, 2016- ) as Roger Murtaugh, the role originated by Danny Glover in the film series.
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Damon Wayans
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
86% | No Score Yet | Cinnamon | Wally (Character) | - | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes | Willis (Character) | - | 2021 |
8% |
|
Marci X | Dr. S (Character) | $1.6M | 2003 |
53% |
|
Bamboozled | Pierre Delacroix (Character) | $2.2M | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Goosed | Dr. Steven Hamel (Character) | - | 1999 |
10% |
|
Harlem Aria |
Wes (Character), Executive Producer |
- | 1999 |
8% |
|
Bulletproof |
Rock Keats/ |
$21.3M | 1996 |
42% |
|
The Great White Hype | James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Character) | $7.8M | 1996 |
12% |
|
Celtic Pride | Lewis Scott (Character) | $9.2M | 1996 |
29% |
|
Major Payne |
Maj. Benson Payne (Character), Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
$29.4M | 1995 |
12% |
|
Blankman |
Darryl Walker (Character), Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
$7.4M | 1994 |
16% |
|
Mo' Money |
Johnny Stewart (Character), Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
$39.5M | 1992 |
46% |
|
The Last Boy Scout | Jimmy Dix (Character) | $57.9M | 1991 |
13% |
|
Look Who's Talking Too | Eddie (Voice) | $44.2M | 1990 |
68% |
|
Earth Girls Are Easy | Zeebo (Character) | $3.9M | 1989 |
77% |
|
Colors | T-Bone (Character) | $46.1M | 1988 |
88% |
|
Roxanne | Jerry (Character) | $34.8M | 1987 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
86% | 67% | Poppa's House |
Poppa (Character), Executive Producer, Writer |
2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Talk | Guest | 2017 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jennifer Hudson Show | Guest | 2024 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | 2021 |
89% | 76% | Lethal Weapon | Roger Murtaugh (Character) | 2016-2019 |
53% | 75% | Happy Together | Mike (Guest Star) | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2014 |
76% | 85% | Happy Endings | Francis Williams (Guest Star) | 2011 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wendy Williams Show | Guest | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rachael Ray | Guest | 2010 |
0% | No Score Yet | The Underground |
Unknown (Character), Director |
2006 |
No Score Yet | 72% | My Wife and Kids |
Michael Kyle (Character), Writer, Executive Producer |
2001-2005 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show | Guest | 1999 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Damon |
Damon Thomas (Character), Executive Producer |
1998 |
17% | No Score Yet | 413 Hope St. | Executive Producer | 1997-1998 |
No Score Yet | 57% | Saturday Night Live |
Unknown (Character), Host |
1985-1986 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In Living Color | Unknown (Character) | 1990-1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One-Night Stand | Unknown (Character) | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Different World | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1987 |