| Franklyn Ajaye | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1949 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Franklin Ajaye |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1973–present |
Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an American stand-up comedian. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" as he also played jazz for a time earlier in his entertainment career. His name is sometimes alternatively spelled Franklin Ajaye.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Los Angeles by a Sierra Leonan father and a Florida-born mother. Ajaye is, 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).
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. In 1977, he appeared in episode 5, during season 3 of Saturday Night Live.
Ajaye emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1997, but returns to the United States periodically to do stand-up at clubs or in television specials. He is known in Australia for his appearances on The Panel and Thank God You're Here. Recently he appeared in Bridesmaids as Maya Rudolph's father.
He has also worked as an actor, appearing in films such as Car Wash, Convoy, Stir Crazy, The 1980 version of The Jazz Singer, Hollywood Shuffle, and The Wrong Guys. He has been seen more recently in the TV show Deadwood. Ajaye has also been nominated twice for the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for In Living Color (1990) and Politically Incorrect (1997).[1]
On his stand-up television show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, British comedian Stewart Lee mocked Ajaye's LP I'm a Comedian, Seriously,[2] sarcastically questioning the track titles of "Homosexuals," "Girls With Big Breasts," and "Dick Caught In Zipper," in the context of the claim on the album sleeve that Ajaye was a deep thinker.[3]
On an episode of Thank God You're Here, Tony Martin showed Ajaye a copy of his comedy album Plaid Pants And Psychopaths which has his first name misspelled.
Ajaye is the author Comic Insights: The Art of Standup Comedy (ISBN 978-1-879505-54-4), which contains tips for aspiring comedians as well as interviews with comic legends.
In 2011, Ajaye had a small role in the box office hit Bridesmaids, playing the father of Lillian (played by Maya Rudolph).