Wayne Brady

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Wayne Brady

Image:Wayne Brady APLA.jpg
Brady at the AIDS Project Los Angeles' Annual AIDS Walk

Birth name

Wayne Alphonso Brady

Born

June 2 1972 (age 36)
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Orlando, Florida

Spouse(s)

Mandie Taketa
(1999-2007(Divorced)

Awards
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program 2003 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Host 2003 The Wayne Brady Show 2004 The Wayne Brady Show

Wayne Alphonso^[1] Brady (born June 2, 1972 in Orlando, Florida) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, singer and television personality, known for his role on the ABC television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his daytime talk show, The Wayne Brady Show. He is now the host of Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics!.

1 Biography
2 Public image and Chappelle's Show satire
3 Partial filmography
4 Singles
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Biography

Brady was born in Orlando, Florida and graduated from Dr. Phillips High School at the age of 16.^[2] His first job as an entertainer was playing Tigger at Walt Disney World. He began to perform at a central Florida comedy club called SAK Comedy Lab. He moved from Florida to Las Vegas, Nevada and then eventually on to Los Angeles, California in 1996, where he developed his acting skills. In Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which featured Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, and Colin Mochrie, Brady astounded viewers with his amazing singing, acting abilities, his dead-on impressions of various singers and his sense of humor. In 2003, Brady won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Series for his work on the show, the only person to win the award for a television series, as opposed to a special, since Dana Carvey in 1993. He went on to star in his own ABC variety show in 2001 called The Wayne Brady Show, which failed, and a daytime talk show of the same name in 2002, which lasted two seasons and won four Daytime Emmy Awards, two of which went to Brady for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Wayne Brady also guest-starred on The Drew Carey Show in 1999 and 2000 to take part in Drew Live and Drew Live II. On the show, Brady played several games taken from Whose Line Is It Anyway? for the two episodes with other characters. On Whose Line Is It Anyway?, he is noted not only for his improv skills as an actor, but as well his singing ability in various on the show, being the only known African-American regular, making fun of UPN, making fun of Gary Coleman, and impersonating African-American celebrities such as Billy Dee Williams, Don King, Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Louis Armstrong.

In 2004, Brady joined the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago, playing the role of lawyer Billy Flynn. He also appeared briefly in the final episode of the 2004 season of the comedy Reno 911!. Additionally, Wayne guest starred on the Sci Fi Channel's hit series show Stargate SG-1 as the first-prime of the Goa'uld System Lord, Ares.

Brady wrote and sang the theme song for Disney's popular animated series The Weekenders. In 2005, he sang and recorded Jim Brickman's original Disney song "Beautiful" (a cover of All-4-One's 2002 hit "Beautiful As U") and its Christmas version.^[3]

In 2006, Brady became the host of TV Land's That's What I'm Talking About, a talk show discussing the role of African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

From August 29 - September 29, 2006, Brady hosted the FOX show Celebrity Duets.

On November 27, 2006, Brady made a guest appearance on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, playing James, the homosexual brother of Neil Patrick Harris's character Barney. His character conflicts with Barney due to his choice to marry and adopt a baby.

He had also appeared as a guest star for the MTV show Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out. Brady also helps with Adult Swim TV show Robot Chicken.

Brady has also gone "north-of-the-border" and guest starred in Mocherie's CBC comedy, Getting Along Famously.

He has also appeared on the episode "You Don't Know Jack" on the television show Dirt and also guest starred on the show 30 Rock, where he played the role of Steven Black, Liz Lemon's date for the The Source Awards. Steven and Liz's relationship quickly ended when they discovered they had nothing in common and Liz accidentally shot him in the butt.

Brady was also the co-host of the short-lived VH1 show "Vinyl Justice" in 1998.

Brady revisited his Alma mater Dr. Phillips High School in Florida showcasing many of the impersonations, vocal gymnastics and outrageous creativity that has made him a star. Performing vocals with him in this event were singers Wendy Alane Wright and Connie Jackson.

Also in 2007, ABC Family premiered the movie called "The List" starring Wayne Brady. The List is about a man who proposes to his girlfriend. When she says no, he begins to make a list of qualities he believes his "Perfect Woman" should have.

Brady married his wife Mandie in 1999, but according to documents filed July 2, 2007, she filed for divorce from Wayne, citing irreconcilable differences. ^[4]

Brady guest starred as Julius Rock's gifted younger brother, Louis, in the television series, Everybody Hates Chris.

Wayne currently hosts a singing game show called Don't Forget the Lyrics! on FOX.

WayneBrady is also an avid World of Warcraft gamer. He is currently playing a hunter ( Profile ) in the raiding guild Arctic Wrath on Drenden.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Public image and Chappelle's Show satire

Wayne Brady has successfully carved out a career and public image through his various family-friendly projects and roles, and because of this, he has also sometimes been the subject of mocking satire and claims that he acts "too white".

In an episode of the Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show, cast member Paul Mooney mocked Brady in his "Negrodamus" sketch. In the sketch, Mooney's character "prophesied" that "White people love Wayne Brady, because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X"; a reference to the fact that many of Brady's fans are white Americans who enjoy the actor's family-friendly projects.

Show creator and star Dave Chappelle later called to apologize to Brady and offered him a guest spot on the show. In the episode, Brady is hired to host the series after Chappelle "quits" the series and later co-stars in a flashback sequence (which parodied the 2001 film Training Day), in which Wayne Brady reveals himself to be a violent, sociopathic pimp who torments Chappelle when the two spend the night together hanging out. Among the acts of depravity Brady commits is a drive-by shooting, the murder of a police officer, and forcing Chappelle to smoke PCP. Some of the lines from the sketch include Wayne Brady telling a prostitute who worked for him, "Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?", "This is not an option nigga, if you do not smoke this then we have a problem." (to Chappelle in reference to the PCP), "I don't give a fuck, they cancelled my show, and shit goes crazy!" (after murdering a police officer who pulled him over), and, later, "I'm Wayne Brady, bitch!" (after shooting Dave Chappelle in the leg), a reference to Chappelle's Rick James catch phrase, "I'm Rick James, bitch!"

[edit] Partial filmography

Dirt (TV series) (2007) - Hechman
30 Rock (2007) - Steven Black
Foodfight! (2007)
The List (2007)
How I Met Your Mother (2006) - James (Barney's brother)
Crossover (2006)
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2006)
It's Good to Be King (Stargate SG-1) (2005)
Roll Bounce (2005)
Going to the Mat (2004) - Mason Wyatt
Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004) - Shackelford
Geppetto (2000)
Batman Beyond (2000) - Micron

[edit] Singles

"Don't Stop" (2005) - Jamie Jones featuring Wayne Brady and William Carthright
"Beautiful" (2005) - Wayne Brady, accompanied on piano by songwriter Jim Brickman for the soundtrack of Cinderella.
"Unsung Heroes" (2004) - Wayne Brady