Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

, actor, and writer. He released a series of comedy albums starting in 1973 and has acted in film and television shows from the 1970s through the present, including as a primary character in the 1976 ensemble comedy ''

Car Wash A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of motor vehicle, cars. Car washes can be #Self-serve car wash, self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or #Autom ...

'' and a supporting role in

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...

's ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

'' (1978).

Life and career

Franklyn Ajaye Jr. was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, but raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

by a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

an father (Franklin Ajaye Sr.) and an American mother (Quetta Curtis). This makes Ajaye, as he likes to joke, a "true African-American". He has a brother. Ajaye attended

Dorsey High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School, commonly referred to as Dorsey High School, is a secondary public school located in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. History The school ...

in Crenshaw. He has released five comedy albums to date: ''Franklyn Ajaye, Comedian'' (1973), ''I'm a Comedian, Seriously'' (1974), ''Don't Smoke Dope, Fry Your Hair'' (1977), ''Plaid Pants and Psychopaths'' (1986), and ''Vagabond Jazz & the Abstract Truth'' (2004). The last two were recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. He made his network debut on ''

The Flip Wilson Show ''The Flip Wilson Show'' is an hour-long variety show that originally aired in the US on NBC from September 17, 1970, to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs ...

'' in 1973 and made his first appearance on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...

'' a year later. Ajaye emigrated to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

, in 1997 but returns to the United States periodically to do work on television. His last American television appearance was on

Paul Provenza Paul Provenza (born July 31, 1957) is an American television presenter, actor, radio panelist, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, and skeptic based in Los Angeles. He has appeared on several podcasts and in recent years has interviewed other stand-up c ...

's ''The Greenroom'' on Showtime in 2011. He is known in Australia for his appearances on '' The Panel'' and ''

Thank God You're Here ''Thank God You're Here'' is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on 5 April 2006 on Network 10, where it aired for the first three and from the fifth season onwards; the fourt ...

'' and for his popular one-man shows "Nothing But The Truth", "Talkin' Vagabond Jazz", and "Vagabond Jazz & The Abstract Truth" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He has worked as an actor, appearing in films such as '' Sweet Revenge'' (1976), ''

'' (1976), ''

'' (1978), '' Stir Crazy'' (1980), the 1980 version of ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'', '' Hysterical'' (1982), ''

Get Crazy ''Get Crazy'' is a 1983 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, and stars Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, and Ed Begley Jr. Plot It is December 31, 1982, and the Saturn Theater is preparing ...

'' (1983), ''

Fraternity Vacation ''Fraternity Vacation'' is a 1985 American sex comedy teen film starring Stephen Geoffreys as a nerdy pledge to the Theta Pi Gamma fraternity at Iowa State, with Tim Robbins and Cameron Dye as Theta Pi Gamma frat boys (or, as they are known ...

'' (1985), ''

Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...

'' (1987), ''

The Wrong Guys ''The Wrong Guys'' is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Danny Bilson. Plot Thirty years ago Louie Anderson was the leader of a group of Cub Scouts, Den 7: "The Owl Patrol", consisting of himself, neurotic Richard, ladies' man Belz, smoo ...

'' (1988), ''

The 'Burbs ''The 'Burbs'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Joe Dante and written by Dana Olsen. It stars Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Corey Feldman, Wendy Schaal, Henry Gibson, and Gale Gordon. The film pok ...

'' (1989), and ''

American Yakuza ''American Yakuza'' is a 1993 American crime film directed by Frank Cappello and starring Viggo Mortensen, Ryo Ishibashi, Michael Nouri, Franklyn Ajaye, Yuji Okumoto, Anzu Lawson, and Robert Forster. The screenplay by John Allen Nelson and Max S ...

'' (1993). He also appeared on an episode of ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'' as police-car thief Wendell Frasier in 1976. He has been seen more recently in the TV show ''

Deadwood Deadwood may refer to: Places Canada * Deadwood, Alberta * Deadwood, British Columbia * Deadwood River, a tributary of the Dease River in northern British Columbia United States * Deadwood, California (disambiguation), several communit ...

'' as

Samuel Fields Samuel Fields was a figure of the American Wild West and an active participant in the African-American community of Deadwood, South Dakota. Fields moved to Deadwood around 1876 to seek his fortune. He claimed to have been a General in the Uni ...

and reprised that role in 2019's '' Deadwood: The Movie''. In 2011, Ajaye had a small but memorable role in the box office hit ''

Bridesmaids Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party at some Western culture, Western traditional wedding ceremonies. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often the bride's close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a weddi ...

'', playing the father of Lillian (played by

Maya Rudolph Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...

), and in 2013 he played management guru Marvin Hudsfield in the Australian ABC sitcom ''Utopia''. He has been nominated twice for

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

s for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...

'' (1990) and ''

Politically Incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

'' (1997). He worked on the hit family comedy series created and executive-produced by Robert Townsend, ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

'' (January 1995 – July 1999); some of his credits on the show include acting as "executive consultant" with Barry "Berry" Douglas in season 1 episode 9 ("Trial by Jerri") and episode 11 ("Nice Guys Finish Last") and as a co-producer with Douglas for season 2 episode 2 ("A Kiss is Just a Kiss"). Ajaye is the author of ''Comic Insights: The Art of Standup Comedy'' (), which contains interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, Ellen DeGeneres, and other famous stand up comedians offering valuable advice for aspiring comedians.

Influence

On his stand-up television show ''

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' is a British comedy series created by and starring Stewart Lee and broadcast on BBC Two. It features stand-up comedy and sketches united by a theme for each episode. It was script-edited by Chris Morris and was ...

'' the British comedian used Ajaye's LP ''I'm a Comedian, Seriously'' as the basis of a routine.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Franklyn Ajaye
discography at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajaye, Franklyn 1949 births Living people Male actors from Brooklyn 20th-century African-American male actors American expatriates in Australia American male film actors American stand-up comedians American male television actors Comedians from Brooklyn 20th-century American male actors American people of Sierra Leonean descent American male comedians 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni