The Wayans Family Tree Explained: Who's Who In The Show Business Family (2024)

The Wayans family tree is packed to the brim with talented actors and artists. Like other legacy families within the entertainment industry, such as the Coppolas and the Barrymores, the Wayans are an extensive family in which most members have been actively involved in Hollywood. Whether as an actor, a comedian, a director, or a screenwriter, each of the most famous and well-known members of the Wayans family has had their hand in the art and business of entertainment, and together they have contributed to several iconic movies and TV shows.

For example, the Wayans family is behind TV shows like In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. and movies such as Little Man, the Scary Movie franchise, and White Chicks. Additionally, outside the projects that they've created, the Wayans have also been prominently featured in a variety of other films and series. Ranging from big-budget action movies to popular mainstream sitcoms to even small arthouse indie films, the Wayans family has consistently proven to have not just a lot of talent, but range as well.

Howell And Elvira Wayans (Born 1936 And 1938)

Wayans Patriarch And Matriarch

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Howell and Elvira are the late patriarch and matriarch of the Wayans family. Unlike most of the other members of the Wayans family, Howell and Elvira Wayans have no personal connection with Hollywood. Instead, Howell Wayans was the manager of a supermarket and Elvira Wayans was a social worker (via The U.S. Sun). Sadly, both Howell and Elvira Wayans have passed away, with Elvira in 2020 and Howell in 2023.

Despite the fact that they did not share their children's and grandchildren's journey into show business, the Wayans family members have often acknowledged the influence their parents had on them growing up and how supportive they were of their careers. Growing up in a low-income area of Harlem, New York City, and raising 10 children, the parents left behind an amazing Hollywood legacy with their family.

Keenan Ivory Wayans (Born 1958)

Howell & Elvira Wayans' Son

Keenan Ivory Wayans is best known for creating, writing, and directing some of the most iconic movies and shows associated with the Wayans family. He is often seen as the one who opened the doors for his other family members to find success as well, giving them opportunities when he broke through. For example, he wrote, created, and starred in the predominately Black sketch comedy series, In Living Color.

The groundbreaking sketch comedy show helped launch Damon Wayans as one of its breakout stars alongside Jim Carrey and David Alan Grier. The show later went on to future his other siblings, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans. Keenan also helped the family break into the movie business, writing and directing the blaxploitation parody movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka which featured several of his siblings.

Keenan would go on to collaborate most often with his brothers Shawn and Marlon, directing their movies White Chicks, Little Man, and the first two Scary Movie films. He also wrote Dance Flick with brothers Shawn and Marlon and his nephew Damien Dante, which starred his other nephew Damon Wayans Jr., and appeared on Damon Wayans Sr.'s sitcom My Wife and Kids. In a rare project without his family members, Keenan starred alongside Steven Seagal in the action movieThe Glimmer Man.

Damon Wayans Sr. (Born 1960)

Howell & Elvira Wayans' Son

Damon Wayans Sr. quickly became the biggest star of the Wayans family in the early 1990s thanks to his standout part in the cast of In Living Color and his successful standup comedy career, and his was the first Wayans to break out with his own projects. Wayans Sr. both wrote and appeared in Major Payne as Major Benson Winifred Payne, Blankman as the titular superhero whose alter ego is Darryl Walker, and Mo' Money as Johnny Stewart.

He went on to appear in a number of buddy action movies with some big-name stars, such as Bulletproof with Adam Sandler and The Last Boy Scout with Bruce Willis. Later in his career, Damon Sr. made the switch to television, starring in the sitcom My Wife and Kids as Michael Kyle and the action series Lethal Weapon as Roger Murtaugh, and will return to the small screen in the sitcom Poppa's House alongside his son Damon Wayans Jr.

Damon Wayans Jr. (Born 1982)

Damon Wayans' Son

Damon Wayans Jr. has found great success within the world of TV, which started with an eight-episode appearance on his father's sitcom My Wife and Kids as John. Damon Jr.'s first-ever role was as a younger version of his father in Blankman. Damon Jr. found his first starring role in movies as the lead character, Thomas, in Dance Flick. This led to him finding movie roles outside of family collaborations, starring alongside Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell in The Other Guys as Detective Fosse and as the voice of Wasabi in the animated movie Big Hero 6.

However, Damon Jr. is likely best known for his other sitcom roles, playing Brad in the underrated Happy Endings as well as starring as Coach on New Girl for several seasons. While Damon Jr. has not collaborated with his family members in major ways for some time, appearing in his own projects like Let's Be Cops, The Harder They Fall, and Players, he will reunite with his father for the sitcom Poppa's House in which they will play father and son.

Kim Wayans (Born 1961)

Howell & Elvira Wayans' daughter

It seems as though the male Wayans get most of the attention, but Kim Wayans has been one of the most steadily working members of the family for the past several decades. Like the other first-generation performers of the Wayans family, Kim got her start on In Living Color as one of the sketch performers while she also starred with her brothers in their breakout movie, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.

She has followed family members to different projects, serving as one of the writers on Damon Wayans Sr.'s sitcom My Wife and Kids while also appearing in Dance Flick as Ms. Dontwannabebothered, which was directed by her son, Damien Dante Wayans. Outside of her collaborations with family members, Kim showcased her dramatic talent in movies and shows like Pariah as Audrey, Hawaii Five-0 as Diane, and Criminal Minds as Darlene Beckett.

Damien Dante Wayans (Born 1980)

Kim Wayans' Son

The son of Kim Wayans, Damien Dante Wayans first began his career as an actor by playing small roles in various Wayans family projects. His first notable role was in Major Payne, which starred his uncle Damon Wayans Sr., as Cadet Dwight "D." Williams. He secured his first major acting role apart from his family when he played Tec in the film Malibu's Most Wanted. He has also appeared on a number of television shows, from The Norm Show to NYPD Blue to House M.D.

Outside of acting, Wayans has also served as a writer and director in various other creative projects, most notably Damon Wayans' My Wife and Kids and the film Dance Flick, which was his directorial debut that he co-wrote alongside his uncles Keenan, Shawn, and Marlon.

Shawn Wayans (Born 1971)

Howell & Elvira Wayans' Son

While he also got his start on In Living Color, Shawn Wayans is best known for co-creating and starring in the sitcom, The Wayans Brothers, in which starred alongside his brother Marlon Wayans, as well as other actors and comedians like John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Horsford. This started an ongoing collaboration between him and Marlon, appearing as an onscreen duo in a number of projects they also wrote.

Shawn also co-wrote the screenplays for the first two Scary Movie films with Marlon, as well as playing the character Ray Wilkins in both movies. He also co-wrote and had starring roles in other productions with Marlon, like White Chicks as Kevin Copeland, Little Man as Darryl Edwards, and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood as Ashtray. Unlike his family members, Shawn hasn't had any notable projects outside of his family collaborations.

Marlon Wayans (Born 1972)

Howell & Elvira Wayans' Son

Marlon Wayans is best known for co-creating, co-writing, and co-starring many Wayans family-produced projects like The Wayans Bros as Marlon Williams, the first two Scary Movie films as Shorty Meeks, White Chicks as Marcus Copeland, and Little Man as Clavin "Babyface" Sims. He has maintained a strong working relationship with his brother Shawn throughout all of those projects. He also has a popular stand-up comedy career with his latest special, God Loves Me, released in 2023.

Additionally, outside these entertaining comedies that involve the Wayans family tree, Marlon Wayans has also had the opportunity to work with several critically acclaimed directors. He has appeared in films like Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream as Tyrone C. Love, the Coen Brothers' The Ladykillers as Gawain MacSam, Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks as Dean, and Ben Affleck's Air as George Raveling.