Marlon Wayans
Birthdate: Jul 23, 1972
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Marlon Wayans (birthname: Marlon Lamont Wayans) is a highly regarded comic performer in a diverse range of forms—from the sketches of In Living Color (1992-1993) and The Wayans Bros. (1995-1999) to comedy standup specials via HBO and Amazon to movies, starting with a supporting role in brother Damon Wayans’s hit comedy-drama as star/writer, Mo’ Money (1992), with Stacey Dash and John Diehl under Peter Macdonald’s direction; followed by a role in director/co-writer/producer Jeff Pollack’s basketball drama, Above the Rim (1994), co-written by Barry Michael Cooper and producer Benny Medina, with Duane Martin, Leon, Tupac Shakur and Bernie Mac, and then Wayans’s first co-writer credit and first co-starring performance in the comedy, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), co-starring and co-written by brother Shawn Wayans, produced by brother Keenan Wayans, and directed by Paris Barclay, grossing $20 million (on a $4 million budget) for Miramax Films.
Wayans starred in the Disney/Touchstone Pictures college basketball comedy, The 6th Man (1997), with Kadeem Hardison, Kevin Dunn and David Paymer under Randall Miller’s direction, and then Wayans starred in the Miramax/Dimension Films buddy sci-fi comedy, Senseless (1998), with David Spade, Matthew Lillard, Brad Dourif, Tamara Taylor and Rip Torn under Penelope Spheeris’s direction.
Wayans dove into drama with director/co-writer Darren Aronofsky’s acclaimed, Oscar-nominated psychological drama, Requiem for a Dream (2000), based on co-writer Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel, starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leno, and Jennifer Connelly, premiering out of competition in the Cannes Film Festival and released unrated by Artisan Entertainment.
Wayans was co-star/co-writer (with co-star/co-brother Shawn) of the smash hit horror parody, Scary Movie (2000), with Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall and Cheri Oteri under Keenan Ivory Wayans’s direction and released by Dimension Films; followed by Wayans co-starring in the hit sequel, Scary Movie 2 (2001), again directed by brother Keenan and co-written/co-starring brother Shawn, with new cast members Christopher Kennedy Masterson, James Woods, Tim Curry, Tori Spelling and Chris Elliott; with co-writer/producer Wayans reviving his character of Shorty in Scary Movie 6 (2026) with co-star/co-writer/producer Shawn and co-writer/producer Keenan and directed by Michael Tiddes.
Marlon Wayans as co-lead shifted into fantasy adventure territory with director/producer Courtney Solomon’s movie version of the popular game, Dungeons & Dragons (2000), with Justin Whalin, Thora Birch, Lee Arenberg, Bruce Payn, and Jeremy Iro, and released to disappointing box office by New Line Cinema/J&M Entertainment. Wayans was cast by directors/writers/producers Joel and Ethan Coen opposite Tom Hanks and Irma P. Hall in the black comedy remake of the 1955 Ealing comedy, The Ladykillers (2004), with J.K. Simmons, Tzi Ma, and Ryan Hurst, and grossing over $76 million for lead producer Touchstone Pictures and distributor Buena Vista Pictures.
Wayans had a remarkable fifteen-year run (from 2004 to 2019) as actor/co-writer/producer of a string of comedies and parodies: director/co-writer/producer Keenan’s hit buddy comedy, White Chicks (2004), co-starring Shawn and grossing $113 million for Sony/Columbia Pictures; Wayans leading the cast (with co-lead Shawn) of the $104 million-grossing Columbia Pictures comedy directed by Keenan, Little Man (2006); Marlon played a supporting role in Paramount Pictures/MTV Films musical comedy, Dance Flick (2009), directed/co-written by brother Damien Dante Wayans, with Shoshana Bush, David Alan Grier, Chris Elliott and Amy Sedaris; A Haunted House (2013), Wayans’ extremely profitable spoof of the mock found-footage craze in horror movies which was directed by Michael Tiddes and co-written/co-produced by Rick Alvarez, with Essence Atkins and Cedric the Entertainer, grossing a knockout $60 million on a $2.5 million budget for distributor Open Road Films, which was followed by the successful sequel also directed by Tiddes, A Haunted House 2 (2014), with new cast members Jaime Pressly, Gabriel Iglesias, Missi Pyle and Dave Sheridan, grossing over $25 million on $4 million costs; another money-making, Tiddes-directed spoof (in this case, of Fifty Shades of Grey), Fifty Shades of Black (2016), again co-written/co-produced by Alvarez, with Kali Hawk, Affio Crockett, Jane Seymour, Florence Henderson, Fred Willard and Mike Epps, grossing over $22 million on a $5 million budget; Wayans then continued his collaboration with director Tiddes and writer/producer Alvarez with the comedies, Naked (2017) and Sextuplets (2019), both of which were released by Netflix on streaming only.
Marlon Wayans’s other movies as actor only during this extremely lucrative period included: the Eddie Murphy comedy, Norbit (2007), co-starring Thandie Newton, Eddie Griffin, Terry Crews and Cuba Gooding Jr. under Brian Robbins’s direction; the $302 million-grossing action sequel, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lee Byung-hun, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Jonathan Pryce, Said Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum and Dennis Quaid under producer Stephen Sommers’s direction; the big-screen version of Brad Anderson’s comic strip, Marmaduke (2010), starring Owen Wilson and George Lopez under Tom Dey’s direction for 20th Century Fox; and in a supporting role with stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in the Paul Feig-directed buddy cop comedy, The Heat (2013), grossing a strong $230 million (on $43 million costs) for 20th Century Fox.
Wayans co-starred with Bill Murray and Rashida Jones in director/writer/producer Sofia Coppola’s comedy-drama, On the Rocks (2020), with Jessica Henwick, Jenny Slate, and Barbara Bain, premiering at the New York Film Festival and released theatrically and digitally by A24/Apple TV+. Wayans co-starred with Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker in the long-in-development Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect (2021), with Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, and Mary J. Blige under Liesl Tommy’s direction and released by United Artists Releasing to poor box office ($33 million gross on $55 million costs).
Marlon Wayans joined another biopic project, portraying George Raveling in co-star/director/producer Ben Affleck’s engaging comedy-drama, Air (2023), co-starring Matt Damon (who also produced), Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker and Viola Davis, produced by Amazon Studios/Skydance Sports/Artists Equity/Mandalay Pictures and released by Amazon (U.S.)/Warner Bros. (international). Wayans then joined the world of Jordan Peele when he co-starred with Tyriq Withers in director/co-writer Justin Tipping’s sports horror movie, Him (2025), produced by Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions and released wide by Universal Pictures.
Personal life
Marlon Wayans was born and raised in New York City by his parents, Elvira (a social worker) and Howell (supermarket manager). Wayans has nine older siblings, including Dwayne, Keenan Ivory, Damon Sr., Kim, Devonne, Diedra, Elvira, Nadia, and Shawn. Wayans attended and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Wayans attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., but left after his sophomore year. Wayans was in a relationship with Angela Zackery from 1992 to 2013, though they never married; the couple has three children. Wayans has a child with his former girlfriend, Brittany Moreland. Wayans’s height is 6’½”. Wayans’s estimated net worth is $40 million.
Known For
White Chicks
(2004)
Little Man
(2006)
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
(1996)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
(2009)
Marlon Wayans Movies
actor
Upcoming (1)
- 2026 |
Previous (28)
- 2025 |
- 2024 | Marlon Wayans: Good Grief
- 2022 | Living with Chucky
- 2022 | The Curse of Bridge Hollowas Howard Gordon
- 2021 |
- 2020 | On the Rocksas Dean
- 2019 | Sextupletsas Alan
- 2017 | Nakedas Rob Anderson
- 2016 |
Fifty Shades of Black
asChristian Black
An inexperienced college student meets a wealthy businessman whose sexual practices put a strain on their relationship.
- 2014 |
A Haunted House 2
asMalcolm
Having exorcised the demons of his ex, Malcolm is starting fresh with his new girlfriend and her two children. After moving into their dream home, however, Malcolm is once again plagued by bizarre paranormal events.
- 2013 |
- 2013 |
A Haunted House
asMalcolm
Malcolm and Kisha move into their dream home, then learn that a demon also resides there. When Kisha becomes possessed, Malcolm--determined to keep his sex life on track--turns to a priest, a psychic, and a ghostbusting team for help.
- 2009 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobraas Ripcord
- 2009 |
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
asRipcord
An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.
- 2009 | Dance Flickas Mr. Moody
- 2006 | Little Manas Calvin
- 2004 | White Chicksas Marcus Copeland
- 2003 | Scary Movie 3
- 2001 | Scary Movie 2as Shorty
- 2000 | Dungeons & Dragonsas Snails
- 2000 |
Requiem for a Dream
asTyrone C. Love
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.
- 2000 | Scary Movieas Shorty
- 2000 |
Scary Movie
asShorty
A year after disposing of the body of a man they accidentally killed, a group of dumb teenagers are stalked by a bumbling serial killer.
- 1998 | Senselessas Darryl Witherspoon
- 1997 | The Sixth Manas Kenny Tyler
- 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hoodas Loc Dog
- 1994 | Above the Rimas Bugaloo
- 1992 | Mo' Moneyas Seymour Stewart
writer
Previous (1)
- 2013 |
Scary Movie V
A couple begin to experience some unusual activity after bringing their lost nieces and nephew home. With the help of home-surveillance cameras, they learn they're being stalked by a nefarious demon.
Facts About Marlon Wayans
Trans Child: Marlon Wayans has a transgender child named Kai, who was born a girl named Amai. Wayans has spoken out in support of the transgender community.
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