Kimberly Nichole Wayans (born October 16, 1961) is an American actress. She is the sister of Keenen Ivory, Damon Sr., Marlon, Shawn, and Nadia Wayans and aunt of Damien Dante among others. She is best known for her numerous roles on the Fox sketch comedy show ''

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 ...

'' (1990–94), and Tonia Harris on '' In the House'' (1995–98). Wayans has also directed episodes for several series, including '' Bunk'd'', '' The Neighborhood'', and '' My Wife and Kids''.

Early life

Wayans was born in New York City, the daughter of Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Stouten Wayans, a supermarket manager. Wayans is one of ten siblings, several of whom have become actors and comedians. She and her family lived in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, and were

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

. Wayans graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

, where she studied English.

Career

Wayans made her film debut in '' Hollywood Shuffle'' (1987). Her earliest roles on television included a guest appearance on '' China Beach'' and as Allison on ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'' during its first season. In film, she portrayed minor characters in '' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1989) and '' A Low Down Dirty Shame'' (1994). Both films were directed by her brother

Keenen Ivory Wayans Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, director and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch c ...

. She starred with her siblings on the Fox variety show ''

''. Wayans was a part of the cast at its outset in 1990, where she did celebrity impressions of

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

. Regarding original characters, one reviewer opined she was "hysterical" as Mrs. Brooks and another claimed Wayans played Benita Butrell "to perfection." She left the series along with her brothers Keenen Ivory and Damon in 1993, after a dispute between Fox and the three Wayanses regarding reruns and syndication. In 1996, Wayans joined the cast of sitcom '' In the House'' as Tonia. She provided the voice of Mrs. Wayne on short-lived cartoon '' Waynehead''. She appeared as Mrs. Johnson in ''

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood #REDIRECT Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood {{R from other capitalisation ...

'' (1996), and had a starring role in the art film ''Talking About Sex''. She also appeared in two episodes as Sheila on ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

'' starring her younger brothers Marlon and Shawn. Wayans co-starred in ''

Juwanna Mann ''Juwanna Mann'' is a 2002 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Vaughan, written by Bradley Allenstein, and produced by Bill Gerber. The film stars Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans ...

'' (2002) as basketball player Latisha Jansen. Wayans then worked as a story editor on her brother Damon's sitcom '' My Wife and Kids''. In 2008, she co wrote a series of children's books with her husband Kevin Knotts, titled ''Amy Hodgepodge'', about a multiracial girl adjusting to life in public school after years of homeschooling. Known predominantly as a comedian, Wayans claims to have struggled finding roles in other mediums. However, in 2011, she was cast as Audrey, a mother who struggles to understand her seventeen-year-old daughter in the drama film '' Pariah''. According to director

Dee Rees Diandrea Rees (born February 7, 1977) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films ''Pariah (2011 film), Pariah'' (2011), ''Bessie (film), Bessie'' (2015), ''Mudbound (film), Mudbound'' (2017), and ''The Last Thing ...

, Wayans was chosen in the role as she was the only actress to give Audrey "vulnerability" in her audition. Wayans was nominated for a

Black Reel Award The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

and

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

in 2012, both in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress. Following ''Pariah'', Wayans has acted in more dramatic fare, including guest spots on ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

'' and '' Hawaii Five-0''. Her turn on the former led to a regular role as paralegal Vi Briggs on '' Reckless''. She appeared as a doctor on '' The Soul Man'' and portrayed Susan on ''

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...

''. Wayans returned to sketch comedy, appearing in one episode of '' A Black Lady Sketch Show'' in 2021.

''In Living Color''

Impressions

* Altovise Davis *

La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons (TV ...

* Esther Rolle *

Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house music, house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman (Crystal Waters song), Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Cal ...

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

* LaWanda Page *

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995). She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

* Lynne Thigpen *

* Vanessa L. Williams *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

* Sandra "Pepa" Denton *

Telma Hopkins Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American actress and pop singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, who had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety show ''T ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

Characters

* Benita Butrell * Cousin Elsee * Laquita (''I Love Laquita'') * Lil' Magic * Mrs. Brooks * Reesie (''Cephus & Reesie'')

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wayans, Kim 1961 births American people of Malagasy descent Actresses from Manhattan Television producers from New York City American television writers Living people Kim Wesleyan University alumni American women television writers Film producers from New York (state) American impressionists (entertainers) 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American voice actresses American television actresses Screenwriters from New York (state) American women film producers People from Chelsea, Manhattan 20th-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses