Kim Wayans

Sister to Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon, comic actress Kim Wayans came to prominence as one of the key cast members of her famous brothers' groundbreaking, sketch series "In Living Color" (Fox, 1990-94). Parodying stars like Grace Jones and Whitney Houston, Wayans stood out in an already scenery-chewing comic troupe. The majority of her work in the 1990s came courtesy of family projects like "A Low Down Dirty Shame" (1994), "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" (1996) and "The Wayans Bros." (The WB, 1995-99). The talented sister also appeared in non-family projects like "In the House" (NBC, 1995-96; UPN, 1996-99), but returned to the fold with writing, producing and directing duties on Damon's "My Wife and Kids" (ABC, 2001-05). In a switch from the norm, Wayans essayed a breakthrough performance in Dee Rees's drama "Pariah" (2011) playing the fierce mother of a Brooklyn teen who questions her sexuality. Although audiences enjoyed her traditional work with her family, Wayans proved that she was equally adept in drama as she was in comedy, paving the way for new career opportunities.