The second-youngest of ten siblings, many of them also in the entertainment business, Shawn Wayans made his feature debut in older brother Keenen's "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" (1989). On Fox's "In Living Color" (1990-93), he began as rapmaster SW-1, the classy, good-looking deejay and later became a featured performer, working with brothers Dwayne, Keenen (the show's creator), Damon, Marlon and sister Kim. Along with Marlon, Shawn Wayans created and starred in the sitcom "The Wayans Bros." (The WB, 1994-99) and co-wrote, co-executive produced and starred in the feature "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" (1996), in which Keenan also acted. Wayans guest-starred on episodes of "MacGyver" and "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" (both ABC) and provided the voice of Toof for the animated children's series "Waynehead" (The WB, 1996-97), based on brother Damon's real-life childhood experiences.
After a supporting stint in the little-seen gang drama "New Blood" (1999) Wayans' film fortunes increased dramatically when he co-starred with his brother Marlon in a hit film directed by their older brother Keenan: "Scary Movie" (2000), a wildly comic satire (which he also co-wrote) on the then-recent trend of horror films like "Scream." Wayans played the apparently closeted Ray Wilkins, a role he reprised for the similarly popular 2001 sequel "Scary Movie 2." He kept the familial team intact when he and Marlon starred in the Keenan-directed comedy "White Chicks" (2004), playing a pair of FBI agents forced to masquerade as a pair of spoiled white blonde heiress a la the Hilton Sisters. Shawn also received a share of story and screenplay credit on the film.
- Born:
January 19, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Series creator, Disc jockey, Producer, Screenwriter
Family
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Brother: Damon Wayans. born on September 4, 1960; born with a clubfoot and underwent several operations
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Brother: Dwayne Wayans. born c. 1957; production assistant and cast member for In Living Color
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Brother: Keenan Ivory Wayans. born on June 8, 1958
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Brother: Marlon Wayans. born on July 23, 1972; youngest of ten children
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Father: Howell Wayans. Jehovah s Witness
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Mother: Elvira Wayans.
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Sister: Diedre Wayans.
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Sister: Kim Wayans. born on October 8; moved to L.A. in 1987
Milestones
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1989 Made acting debut in brother Keenan Ivory Wayans feature I m Gonna Get You Sucka
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1990 Began as rapmaster SW-1 on Fox s In Living Color and later became a featured performer
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1991 Appeared as Robo in episode of ABC s MacGyver
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1993 Guest-starred in episode of ABC s Hangin with Mr. Cooper
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1996 Co-wrote and co-executive produced with brother Marlon the feature Don t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood , a parody of hood movies of the 1990s; brother Keenan also acted in film
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2000 Co-wrote and co-starred in Scary Movie
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2001 Returned to co-star with brother Marlon in Scary Movie 2
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2004 Co-wrote and starred with brother Marlon Wayans as FBI agents that go undercover as hotel heiresses in White Chicks directed by brother Keenen Ivory Wayans
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2006 Co-wrote and co-starred with brother Marlon in the comedy, The Little Man ; directed by brother Keenen Ivory Wayans
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2006 With brothers Keenen and Marlon created, Thugaboo, (Nickelodeon) a series of animated children s shows that follows the misadventures of nine kids growing up in the inner city
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Consultant, co-creator (with brother Marlon) and star of The WB sitcom The Wayan Bros.
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Provided the voice of Toof on The WB s animated children s series Waynehead , based on brother Damon s real-life childhood experiences