The Wayans family ( /ˈweɪ.ənz/) is a family including many directors, screenwriters, comedians and actors. Their parents are Howell and Elvira Wayans. There are ten siblings in the first generation, with many children of their own.

Damon Kyle Wayans, Jr. (born November 18, 1982) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, most widely known for starring as Brad Williams in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings. He is the oldest son of actor-comedian Damon Wayans.

Wayans is the son of Lisa Thorner and actor Damon Wayans. He is the eldest of four children: Michael Wayans, Cara Mia Wayans and Kyla Wayans.

Wayans made his film debut when he was cast in his father's 1994 feature film Blankman playing Young Kevin. He later appeared on his father's sitcom My Wife and Kids as John, one of Junior's friends. He later worked as a staff writer on the series. In fact, the character of Junior was loosely based on Wayans Jr. himself.^{[citation needed]} He appeared in and served as a writer on The Underground. Wayans, Jr. also surprised audiences when he garnered a standing ovation during his debut appearance on Def Comedy Jam. He starred in the Wayans comedy Dance Flick as the film's main character, Thomas.

Wayans currently stars as Brad Williams, one of the lead characters in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings, alongside Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, and Casey Wilson. The series was picked up for a third season on May 11, 2012. Wayans was nominated in the "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" category at the NAACP Image Awards for his work on season two of Happy Endings.

Damon Kyle Wayans ( /ˈdeɪmən ˈweɪ.ənz/; born September 4, 1960) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans family.

Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager. He has five sisters, Elvira, Vonnie, Nadia, Kim, Diedre, and four brothers, actors Marlon Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Dwayne Wayans. He had a clubbed foot as a child. This attribute would also be given to his character in My Wife and Kids and his character on the cartoon series Waynehead. Wayans attended Murry Bergtraum High School.

Damon started doing stand-up comedy in 1982. His earliest film appearance was a brief cameo as an effeminate hotel employee in the 1984 Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop. He was briefly on Saturday Night Live as a featured performer, before getting fired for playing his character as a flamboyant gay cop instead of a straight cop. He went against the script during the live performance. In the SNL book Live From New York, it was stated that Wayans did this largely due to growing frustrations that his sketches were not being considered for the show and increasing stress. He also appeared in the syndicated TV series Solid Gold during the 1980s as a stand-up comedian. After that, he went on to co-create and appear in the TV-show In Living Color from 1990 to 1992, part of a team that was nominated for Emmy Awards all three years.

Marlon L. Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988. He frequently collaborates with his brother Shawn Wayans, as he has on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. and in the comedic films Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick. However, Wayans had a dramatic role in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed Requiem for a Dream, which saw his departure from the usual comedies. In 2009, he appeared in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Wayans was born in New York, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager. His family was involved in the Jehovah's Witnesses religion. Marlon Wayans was raised in the housing projects of New York City, the youngest of ten siblings. He is the brother of Nadia Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Dwayne Wayans, and Kim Wayans; all celebrities in their own right. Wayans went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, the school made famous in Fame. He attended Howard University.

Shawn Mathis Wayans (born January 19, 1971) is an American actor, DJ, producer, writer and comedian who starred in In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. He is the brother of Keenen Ivory, Damon, Marlon, Kim and Nadia Wayans.

Wayans, second youngest of ten siblings, was born in New York, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager. His family were once Jehovah's Witnesses. Wayans grew up in the Fulton Houses in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea and is a 1989 graduate of the Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities.

Wayans made his feature debut in older brother Keenen's I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). On Fox's In Living Color, he began as DJ SW-1 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, 1995-99) 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 Keenen also acted. Wayans guest-starred on episodes of MacGyver and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and provided the voice of Toof for the animated children's series Waynehead (based on brother Damon's real-life childhood experiences).