Wanda Sykes Biography
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Wanda Sykes
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| Wanda Sykes | |||||||
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 Wanda Sykes, September 2004 |
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| Born | Wanda Sykes March 7, 1964 Portsmouth, Virginia, USA |
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| Occupation | Actress, comedian | ||||||
| Years active | 1987-present | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Dave Hall (1991-1998) | ||||||
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Wanda Sykes (born March 7, 1964), is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is known for her blunt observations on current events, the differences between the sexes and races, and life in general, as well as for her roles on The New Adventures of Old Christine as Barb, and on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm as herself. She was named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 25 funniest people in America in 2004.1
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Biography
Early years
Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. Her father was a US Army colonel employed at the Pentagon, and her mother, a banker. She attended Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland, and went on to graduate from Hampton University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing. After college, Sykes' first job was as a procurement officer with National Security Agency (NSA).2
Career
Not completely satisfied with her role with the NSA, Sykes began her stand-up career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, D.C., where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience.3 She continued to hone her talents at local venues while at the NSA until 1992 when she moved to New York City. Her first big break came when opening for Chris Rock at Caroline's Comedy Club. In 1997, she joined the writing team on The Chris Rock Show and also made many appearances on the show.3 The writing team was nominated for four Emmys, and in 1999 won for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special. Since that time, she has appeared in such films as Pootie Tang and on TV shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2003, she starred in her own short-lived Fox network sitcom, Wanda at Large. The same year, Sykes appeared in an hour-long Comedy Central special, Tongue Untied. That network also ranked her #70 on its list of the 100 greatest all-time standups. She served as a correspondent for HBO's Inside the NFL, hosted Comedy Central's popular show Premium Blend, and voiced a recurring character named Gladys on Comedy Central's puppet show Crank Yankers. She had a short-lived show on Comedy Central called Wanda Does It, where she tries out various careers. She frequently winds up choosing what career she will try out after scolding someone in an over-the-top fashion who does the particular job.
In addition to her film and television work, she is also an author. She wrote Yeah, I Said It, a book of humorous observations on various topics, published in September 2004.
In 2006, she landed a recurring role on the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine; she became a series regular in the second season. She also guest starred in one episode of Will & Grace, "Buy, Buy Baby" in 2006. She also provided voices for the 2006 films Over the Hedge, Barnyard, and Brother Bear 2. She had a part in My Super Ex-Girlfriend and after playing in Evan Almighty, had a bit part in License to Wed. Sykes' first HBO Comedy Special, entitled Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired, premiered on October 14, 2006. Her voice can be heard narrating the most recent Applebee's commercials as the talking apple, along with her infamous ending line, "Get it together, baby."
Sykes performed as part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008.
Personal life
Sykes was married to David Hall from 1991 to 1998.4 She remarried on 25 October 2008, and announced publicly on 15 November that she was a lesbian during a pro-gay marriage rally in Las Vegas telling the audience how excited she was about the presidential election of Barack Obama, but feeling "crushed" after the passage of California's Proposition 8, forbidding marriages of same-sex couples.56
Filmography
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Screenwriter
- The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997) (TV)
- The Chris Rock Show (1997) (TV)
- Best of Chris Rock: Volume 2 (2001)
- The Downer Channel (2001) (TV)
- The 74th Annual Academy Awards Show (2002) (TV)
- Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied (2003) (TV)
- Wanda at Large (2003) (TV)
- Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired (2006) (TV)
References
- ^ Aaron McGruder (19 March 2004). "The Best of the Rest", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 25 December 2008.
- ^ "Wanda Sykes Biography". Yahoo! Movies. AEC One Group Stop, Inc. (2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ a b "Wanda Sykes". The Notable Names Database (2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-29.
- ^ "Wanda Sykes: Summary". TV.com. CNET Networks. Retrieved on 16 November 2008.
- ^ Sarah Warn (15 November 2008). "Wanda Sykes Comes Out as Gay and Married", afterellen. Retrieved on 22 November 2008.
- ^ Christopher Lisotta; Corey Scholibo (15 November 2008). "Wanda Sykes Comes Out Amid Passing of Prop. 8", The Advocate. Retrieved on 17 November 2008.
