Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He released a series of comedy albums starting in 1973 and has acted in film and television shows from the 1970s through the present, including as a primary character in the 1976 ensemble comedy Car Wash and a supporting role in Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978).
Life and career Franklyn Ajaye Jr. was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Los Angeles by a Sierra Leonean father (Franklin Ajaye Sr.) and an American mother (Quetta Curtis). This makes Ajaye, as he likes to joke, a "true African-American". He has a brother. Ajaye attended Dorsey High School in Crenshaw.
He has released five comedy albums to date: Franklyn Ajaye, Comedian (1973), I'm a Comedian, Seriously (1974), Don't Smoke Dope, Fry Your Hair! (1976), Plaid Pants and Psychopaths (1986), and Vagabond Jazz & the Abstract Truth (2004). The last two were recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.
He made his network debut on The Flip Wilson Show in 1973 and made his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson a year later. Ajaye emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1997 but returns to the United States periodically to do work on television. His last American television appearance was on Paul Provenza's The Greenroom on Showtime in 2011. He is known in Australia for his appearances on The Panel and Thank God You're Here and for his popular one-man shows "Nothing But The Truth", "Talkin' Vagabond Jazz", and "Vagabond Jazz & The Abstract Truth" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
He has worked as an actor, appearing in films such as Sweet Revenge (1976), Car Wash (1976), Convoy (1978), Stir Crazy (1980), the 1980 version of The Jazz Singer, Hysterical (1982), Get Crazy (1983), Fraternity Vacation (1985), Hollywood Shuffle (1987), The Wrong Guys (1988), The 'Burbs (1989), and American Yakuza (1993). He also appeared on an episode of Barney Miller as police-car thief Wendell Frasier in 1976. He has been seen more recently in the TV show Deadwood as Samuel Fields and reprised that role in 2019's Deadwood: The Movie. In 2011, Ajaye had a small but memorable role in the box office hit Bridesmaids, playing the father of Lillian (played by Maya Rudolph), and in 2013 he played management guru Marvin Hudsfield in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation sitcom Utopia. He has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program: In 1990 for In Living Color; and again in 1997 for Politically Incorrect. He worked on the hit family comedy series created and executive-produced by Robert Townsend, The Parent 'Hood (January 1995 – July 1999); some of his credits on the show include acting as "executive consultant" with Barry "Berry" Douglas in season 1 episode 9 ("Trial by Jerri") and episode 11 ("Nice Guys Finish Last") and as a co-producer with Douglas for season 2 episode 2 ("A Kiss is Just a Kiss").
Ajaye is the author of Comic Insights: The Art of Standup Comedy (), which contains interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, Ellen DeGeneres, and other famous stand-up comedians offering valuable advice for aspiring comedians.
Influence On his stand-up television show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle the British comedian used Ajaye's LP I'm a Comedian, Seriously as the basis of a routine.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1976Sweet RevengeEdmund1976Car WashThe Fly1978ConvoySpider Mike1980Stir CrazyYoung Man in Hospital1980The Jazz SingerBubba1980HystericalLeroy1983Get CrazyCool1985Fraternity VacationHarry1987Hollywood ShuffleBody Guard #11988The Wrong GuysFranklyn1989The 'BurbsDetective1993American YakuzaSam2001Brown Shoe PolishViennese Cake Shop OwnerShort film2002Queen of the DamnedFrench Dealer2011BridesmaidsLillian's Dad2015Too Hip for the RoomJoe Papy
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1975Barney MillerWendell FrazierEpisode: "You Dirty Rat"1977Saturday Night LiveHimselfHost: Ray Charles1978The Bionic WomanBennyEpisode: "All for One"1978Chico and the ManTony RogersEpisode: "Della and Son"1980The Cheap DetectiveElvisTV movie1983The New Odd CoupleHenryEpisode: "The Night Stalker"1984Hot FlashesWalter Conkrite5 episodes1987Glory YearsWilsonTV movie1989227PainterEpisode: "Tenants, Anyone?"1992The New WKRP in CincinnatiReggieEpisode: "Spies Like Us"1992Disney's Goof Troop(voice)Episode: "Cabana Fever"; credited as Frankin Ajaye1997Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildSporty the Cat (voice)Episode: "Pinocchio"1997FrontlineFranklyn AjayeEpisode: "The Code"2003Pirate IslandsFive Spice26 episodes2005–2006DeadwoodSamuel Fields11 episodes2014UtopiaMarvin HudfieldEpisode: "Then We Can Build It"2019Deadwood: The MovieSamuel FieldsTV movie
References
External links
Franklyn Ajaye discography at Discogs