Wayne Brady


Actor, Comedian

About

Also Known As
Wayne Alphonso Brady
Birth Place
Columbus, Georgia, USA
Born
June 02, 1972

Biography

Wayne Brady was a widely popular American entertainer and TV host who appeared in numerous television shows and films over the course of his lengthy career. Born in Georgia and raised in Orlando, Florida, as a young boy Brady never dreamed of making it in Hollywood. In fact, his primary objective as a youngster was to join the military and spend the rest of his days serving his country. ...

Family & Companions

Mandie Brady
Wife
Dancer. Met in Hawaii in 1996 when both appeared in a musical revue; married in 1999.

Biography

Wayne Brady was a widely popular American entertainer and TV host who appeared in numerous television shows and films over the course of his lengthy career. Born in Georgia and raised in Orlando, Florida, as a young boy Brady never dreamed of making it in Hollywood. In fact, his primary objective as a youngster was to join the military and spend the rest of his days serving his country. That all changed however when, at the age of 16, Brady appeared in a high school play in Orlando. The experience was life-changing for the teenage Brady and from that moment on he decided to embark on a career as a professional entertainer. In addition to starring in numerous community plays throughout Florida, he also honed his improvisational comedy chops by joining Orlando's most prominent improv troupe SAK Comedy Lab. By the early 90s Brady was guest starring on TV shows, but knew that in order for his career to really take off he'd have to move to Hollywood, which he did in 1996. His first big break came in 1998 when he began appearing on the British improvisational comedy series "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Channel 4, 1988-99). The show was such a success that in 1998 it was picked up by the American network ABC, with Brady continuing to appear as a regular improviser. Brady's success on that show earned him the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host his very own variety show "The Wayne Brady Show" (ABC/Syndicated, 2001-04), which ran for three seasons and won numerous Daytime Emmy Awards. Throughout the 2000s Brady continued working at a furious pace, appearing on several TV shows yearly, including memorable roles on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 2005-2014) and Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" (Comedy Central, 2003-06), before he landed a game show hosting job for the reboot of "Let's Make a Deal" (CBS, 2009- ). The revived show began appearing on the CBS network in 2009. Despite the daily grind of hosting a game show, Brady continued appearing regularly in films and TV shows well into the 2010s. He also returned to the stage in 2017 when he began in the Chicago stage version of the smash hit Broadway musical "Hamilton." Brady played Aaron Burr in the production, which ran in Chicago from January to April of 2017.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013)
Brick Pimiento
The List (2007)
Crossover (2006)
Roll Bounce (2005)
Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004)
Voice Of Shackleford
Geppetto (2000)
Lazardo--The Magician

Cast (Special)

American Idol: The Phenomenon (2004)
Interviewee
The 35th Annual NAACP Image Awards (2004)
An Evening of Stars 25th Anniversary: Tribute to Lou Rawls (2004)
Special Appearance
A Merry Mickey Celebration (2003)
17th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (2003)
Presenter
The 26th Annual Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2003)
E! Entertainer of the Year 2003 (2003)
Celine Dion: One Year - One Heart (2003)
Narrator
The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2003)
Host
Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (2002)
Interviewee
VH1 Big in 2002 Awards (2002)
The Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (2001)
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2002 (2001)
The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2001)
Presenter
2nd Annual TV Guide Awards (2000)
Presenter
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2001 (2000)
Walt Disney World 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (2000)
The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2000)
Performer
Safe Night USA (1999)
Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (1999)
Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (1998)

Writer (Special)

The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2003)
Writer

Music (Special)

The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2003)
Song Performer
The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2000)
Song Performer
The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2000)
Theme Lyrics

Special Thanks (Special)

The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2003)
Writer

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Going to the Mat (2004)
On Promised Land (1994)
Eli James

Life Events

1998

Landed his breakout TV role as a regular performer on "Whose Line Is It Anwyay?"

2001

Hosted his own variety show "The Wayne Brady Show"

2004

Made a memorable appearance as himself on "Chappelle's Show"

2009

Started hosting the revived version of "Let's Make a Deal"

2013

Played a comedic version of himself on the comedy series "Real Husbands of Hollywood"

2017

Played Aaron Burr in "Hamilton" in Chicago

Family

Valerie Peterson
Grandmother
Born c. 1931; paternal grandmother; raised Brady.
Wayne Brady
Father
US Army officer.
Maile Masako Brady
Daughter
Born Feb. 3, 2003.

Companions

Mandie Brady
Wife
Dancer. Met in Hawaii in 1996 when both appeared in a musical revue; married in 1999.

Bibliography