The African-American celebrity Franklyn Ajaye is a standup comedian, actor, and writer. He has been nicknamed "The Jazz Comedian" for his particular jazz-inflected delivery style, timing, and cunning use of silence.
Being one of the prominent comedians of the late 1990s, Franklyn significantly influenced the industry. Not only did he reshape the general look people had towards standup comedians, but he also helped inspire many young artists.
Today, we will take a brief look at Franklyn Ajaye's biography and understand how he could turn his childhood dream into a wealthy career path.
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Early Life And Family
On 13th May 1949, Franklyn Ajaye was born in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City. However, shortly after his birth, the Ajaye family relocated to Los Angeles, California.
Franklyn Ajaye grew up in a strict African-American household. Photo Source: Social Media.
Young Franklyn was born into an African-American household. His father, Franklyn Ajaye Sr., was Sierra Leonean by birth, while his mother, Quetta Ajaye, was a native of America. Furthermore, he has frequently stated that his father was extremely demanding with his education and grades.
Growing Up In Los Angeles
The American celebrity Franklyn Ajaye's parents raised him alongside his brother in the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles. At the time, the city was heavily influenced by Classical Hollywood cinema.
Franklyn was exposed to the stardom of Hollywood early on and was fortunate enough to witness the revolution in the film industry. Later on, he developed a humorous personality as a teenager.
Following his graduation, the young comic decided to make a name for himself in Hollywood. However, he did attend Columbia Law School in the early 1970s but dropped out.
Franklyn Ajaye's Prosperous Career
Franklyn Ajaye has shown extreme versatility throughout his career and successfully established himself as a comedian, actor, and writer.
Stellar Career As A Comedian
After graduating from law school, Franklyn made his first television appearance as a comedian on the variety show, The Flip Wilson Show, in 1973. The crowd loved his anecdotes about being African-American, which he delivered in a jazz-inflected style.
Afterward, Ajaye appeared as a guest performer on multiple popular shows between 1974 and 1980. Additionally, 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).
Let's have a look at footage where Franklyn makes an appearance as a guest speaker.
Franklyn's last known appearance as a guest comic was in 2011 on The Green Room with Paul Provenza. Besides, he has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards for his flourishing career as a comedian.
Franklyn Ajaye significantly influenced the next generation of comedians, such as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Stewart Lee, and Bill Cosby.
In addition, Franklyn is the author of Comic Insights: The Art of Standup Comedy, a collection of interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, and other well-known standup comedians who offer advice to aspiring comics.
Debut As An Actor
Alongside his career as a comedian, Franklyn has been fortunate enough to be part of multiple high-profile Hollywood projects. He first made his debut as an actor in front of the public in an American crime movie, Sweet Revenge, in 1976. In the same year, he appeared in the film Car Wash.
After that, Franklyn made numerous big-screen appearances in movies like Convoy, Stir Crazy, the 1980 version of The Jazz Singer, Get Crazy, Hysterical, Fraternity Vacation, Hollywood Shuffle, The Wrong Guys, The 'Burbs, and American Yakuza.
The African-American figure Franklyn last appeared in the TV movie Deadwood: The Movie as Samuel Fields, released in 2019.
Franklyn Ajaye Net Worth And Career
As one of the prominent comedians of the late 1990s, Franklyn Ajaye impressed his audience with his cunning sense of humor. Furthermore, he established himself as a notable TV star, appearing in many popular comic shows and movies over the decades.
As a result, thousands of fans worldwide are curious to find out about all the fortunes Franklyn has gathered in his career. Franklyn Ajaye's net worth primarily consists of his earnings as a comedian and actor.
Earnings As A Comedian
In his career, spanning more than three decades, Franklyn Ajaye appeared as a guest comic on many well-known shows, like Cotton Club '75, Keep on Truckin', Dinah!, The Midnight Special, Saturday Night Live, etc.
Between 1974 and 1990, Franklyn appeared as a guest comic on 19 episodes of The Tonight Show, Starring Johnny Carson. Although his income from these shows is unspecified, we can safely assume he got paid some serious cash for his work.
The African-American comedian and actor, Franklyn Ajaye, has been able to amass a massive fortune thanks to his prosperous career. Photo Source: Social Media.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual wage of a standup comedian is around $35,000. However, Franklyn Ajaye's salary must have been less than the aforementioned sum considering his prime time was during the late 1990s.
Earnings As An Actor
Besides his comic career, Franklyn has collected decent revenue as an actor. He has accumulated over 30 acting credits to his name and has been part of several note-worthy TV series and movies.
Consequently, Franklyn Ajaye's net worth is heavily influenced by all the funds he amassed as an actor. Thus, even though there is no credible information about Franklyn's assets, we are confident he got paid thousands of dollars for his amazing acting skills.
Who Is Franklyn Ajaye's Wife?
Over multiple decades, Franklyn Ajaye has served as an idol for many young aspiring standup comedians. Furthermore, he is credited with heavily influencing the comic industry and attracting other up-and-coming artists towards the field.
As a result, fans everywhere are eager to find out more about his life including who Franklyn Ajaye's wife and children are. But, unfortunately, Ajaye has not commented anything on his love life and affairs. Moreover, there is no information regarding his personal life on any part of the internet.
The TV personality Ajaye is infamous for keeping his romantic life private. He has not spoken about his previous and current partners and romantic relationships. Additionally, he has been able to lead a quiet life away from the attention of the media.
The popular comedian of the late '90s, Franklyn Ajaye, has not revealed much about his relationships and dating experiences. Photo Source: Social Media.
There's a lot of haze surrounding Franklyn's love life. Time and again, it has been speculated that the comedian might be unmarried. Moreover, queries regarding his sexual orientation keep circulating the social media.
Nevertheless, we hope that Franklyn is happy with his professional achievements and is enjoying his life away from the limelight. But let's hope we get to know more about him in the future.
Fun Facts And Trivia
- Before starting his career as a comedian, Franklyn was a law student.
- Franklyn relocated to Australia after retiring as a comedian and now spends the majority of his time there.
