Wanda Sykes Actress Date of Birth: 05.03.1964 Country: USA

1. Biography of Wanda Sykes
2. Early Life and Career
3. Success as a Comedian and Actress

Biography of Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes is an American actress, best known for her Emmy-award winning work as a stand-up comedian. She gained fame for her direct, sharp, and sometimes vulgar observations about current events, gender and racial differences, and life in general.

Early Life and Career

Wanda Sykes was born on March 7, 1964, in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. She is the daughter of a former Pentagon employee and banker. She graduated from Hampton University and became a certified specialist. Sykes was also a member of the women's association Alpha Kappa Alpha.

She began her comedy career in 1987 when she performed in a talent competition in Washington, D.C. Although she did not win, Wanda discovered her passion for comedy. While honing her acting skills, she also worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency.

In 1992, Wanda moved to New York and had a breakthrough appearance at the Caroline's Comedy Club, where she caught the attention of Chris Rock. In 1997, she joined the team of "The Chris Rock Show," which was nominated for Emmy awards four times and won one in 1999. Since then, Wanda's popularity soared, and she appeared in the musical "The Ten Tenors" and various TV shows, such as "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Success as a Comedian and Actress

In 2003, Wanda starred in her own situational comedy series, "Wanda at Large," and had an hour-long special, "Tongue Untied," which aired on Comedy Central. She ranked 70th on the list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians. Wanda also worked as a correspondent for HBO's "Inside the NFL," hosted the show "Premium Blend" on Comedy Central, and voiced the character Gladys in the animated series "Crank Yankers." She was also a participant on "Wanda Does It."

As an actress, Wanda appeared in TV shows like "The Drew Carey Show," "Will & Grace," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and "Back at the Barnyard." She starred in films such as "Date Night," "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," "Evan Almighty," and "Monster-in-Law." Wanda also lent her voice to animated movies like "The Adventures of Brer Rabbit," "Over the Hedge," "Barnyard," and "Brother Bear 2."

Apart from her television and film work, Wanda Sykes also wrote the book "Yeah, I Said It," a collection of humorous essays on various topics, which was published in September 2004. She has also served as a writer for projects like "Best of Chris Rock: Volume 2" and "The 74th Annual Academy Awards."