
Franklyn Ajaye
Department: Acting
Biography
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).
Known For

The Wrong Guys
1988

The 'Burbs
1989

Fraternity Vacation
1985

Convoy
1978

I Am Comic
2010

Get Crazy
1983

Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2009

Car Wash
1976

Hysterical
1982

Queen of the Damned
2002

Stir Crazy
1980

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 2
1988

Before They Die!
2008

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 1
1987

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 3
1989

Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 4
1989

Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales
1969

The Jazz Singer
1980

American Yakuza
1993

Sweet Revenge
1976

Hollywood Shuffle
1987

Bridesmaids
2011

Deadwood: The Movie
2019

Franklyn Ajaye: Upside Downunder
1990

Deadwood
2004

The Bionic Woman
1976

Barney Miller
1975

Saturday Night Live
1975

The Green Room with Paul Provenza
2010

Thank God You're Here
2006

Utopia
2014

Goof Troop
1992

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962

The New Odd Couple
1982