Biography
Who is Damon Wayans?
Early life and family background
Damon Wayans was born in New York City, United States. He was the fourth child born to Elvira Alethia and Howell Stouten Wayans. His mother was a singer and social worker, while his father worked as a supermarket manager. He grew up with nine siblings, including brothers Marlon, Keenen Ivory, Shawn, and Dwayne, and sisters Nadia and Kim. The family was raised as Jehovah's Witnesses.
Damon attended Murry Bergtraum High School before entering the entertainment industry. He was born with a club foot that required medical intervention. He has noted that this physical condition causes him ongoing pain, which he compared to a toothache in his foot. This personal detail was incorporated into his characters on television shows like My Wife and Kids and the cartoon series Waynehead.
Rise to comedy fame
Damon began his career in stand-up comedy in 1982. He made his first film appearance in the Eddie Murphy movie Beverly Hills Cop, where he played a hotel employee. He briefly worked on the NBC series Saturday Night Live as a featured player. He left the program after seven episodes due to creative differences regarding his performance style. He later appeared on the syndicated show Solid Gold.
He achieved significant fame by co-creating the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color with his brother Keenen. The series featured an almost entirely African-American cast and gained immense popularity. He left the show to pursue film acting.
Television and film projects
Throughout the 1990s, Damon acted in numerous films. His credits include The Last Boy Scout, Mo' Money, Last Action Hero, Major Payne, Celtic Pride, Bulletproof, and The Great White Hype. He also wrote and performed in the movie Blankman. He worked as an executive producer on the drama series 413 Hope St. In 1998, he starred in the Fox comedy series Damon.
He played the lead role in Spike Lee's film Bamboozled. He is perhaps best known for his role on the ABC sitcom My Wife and Kids, which aired from 2001 to 2005. He also co-created the ABC sitcom Rodney. He returned to network television in 2016 to play Roger Murtaugh in the series Lethal Weapon, which ran for three seasons. In 2024, he began starring in the CBS sitcom Poppa's House with his son, Damon Wayans Jr.
Personal life and writing
Damon was previously married to Lisa Thorner, and they have four children together. His children include Damon Wayans Jr., Michael, Cara Mia, and Kyla. He is also a grandfather and a great-grandfather. He is the uncle of several entertainers, including Damien Dante Wayans.
He has authored two books. His first, titled Bootleg, is a humorous collection of observations about his family. His second book, Red Hats, is a fictional novel about an older woman finding happiness. In 2013, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He later underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. Following his recovery, he announced his retirement from stand-up comedy. He continues to work in television and has developed various software applications through his company, MIMS.
Birthday and age
Damon Wayans was born on September 4, 1960, which makes Damon 66 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Damon shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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