Franklyn Ajaye

Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" for his distinctive jazz-inflected style of delivery, timing, and use of silence. 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).

Franklyn Ajaye
Ajaye in 1975
Born (1949-05-13) May 13, 1949
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active1973–present

Life and career

Ajaye was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Los Angeles by a Sierra Leonean father, after whom he is named, and an American mother (named Quetta), making Ajaye, as he likes to joke, a "true African-American". 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 (1977), Plaid Pants and Psychopaths (1986), and Vagabond Jazz & the Abstract Truth (2004). The last two were recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

Ajaye 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 ABC sitcom Utopia. He has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for In Living Color (1990) and Politically Incorrect (1997).[1]

He has 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 (ISBN 978-1-879505-54-4), which contains interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, Ellen DeGeneres, and other famous stand up comedians offering valuable advice for aspiring comedians. His comedic influences include Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Bill Cosby, and Nichols and May.[2]

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.[3][4]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1976 Sweet Revenge Edmund
1976 Car Wash The Fly
1978 Convoy Spider Mike
1980 Stir Crazy Young Man in Hospital
1980 The Jazz Singer Bubba
1980 Hysterical Leroy
1983 Get Crazy Cool
1985 Fraternity Vacation Harry
1987 Hollywood Shuffle Body Guard #1
1988 The Wrong Guys Franklyn
1989 The 'Burbs Detective
1993 American Yakuza Sam
2001 Brown Shoe Polish Viennese Cake Shop Owner Short film
2002 Queen of the Damned French Dealer
2011 Bridesmaids Lillian's Dad
2015 Too Hip for the Room Joe Papy

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1975 Barney Miller Wendell Frazier Episode: "You Dirty Rat"
1977 Saturday Night Live Himself Host: Ray Charles
1978 The Bionic Woman Benny Episode: "All for One"
1978 Chico and the Man Tony Rogers Episode: "Della and Son"
1980 The Cheap Detective Elvis TV movie
1983 The New Odd Couple Henry Episode: "The Night Stalker"
1984 Hot Flashes Walter Conkrite 5 episodes
1987 Glory Years Wilson TV movie
1989 227 Painter Episode: "Tenants, Anyone?"
1992 The New WKRP in Cincinnati Reggie Episode: "Spies Like Us"
1992 Disney's Goof Troop (voice) Episode: "Cabana Fever"; credited as Frankin Ajaye
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Sporty the Cat (voice) Episode: "Pinocchio"
1997 Frontline Franklyn Ajaye Episode: "The Code"
2003 Pirate Islands Five Spice 26 episodes
2005–2006 Deadwood Samuel Fields 11 episodes
2014 Utopia Marvin Hudfield Episode: "Then We Can Build It"
2019 Deadwood: The Movie Samuel Fields TV movie

References
  1. "Awards for Franklyn Ajaye", imdb.com; accessed February 15, 2015.
  2. "The Green Room 2.2 - Kathy Griffin, Dana Gould, Franklyn Ajaye, Greg Proops". YouTube. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  3. "Stewart Lee: Scrambled Egg". stewartlee.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. Logan, Brian (August 8, 2008). "Edinburgh festival: Stewart Lee". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
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