About Wayne

Wayne T. Stevens (Jr.) was born and raised in Long Island, where his passion for the performing arts began at the age of 11. Shortly after, Wayne landed the role as the Tin Man in his school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Inspired by the previous year’s play, “Rags to Riches,” Wayne spent months rehearsing in the mirror—mimicking his favorite television characters and unknowingly laying the foundation for a lifelong calling.

After relocating to Jamaica, Queens in 1992, Wayne devoted much of his teenage and early-adult years to football, a secondary passion that he jokingly refers to as his “mistress.” He played throughout high school and into his sophomore year at St. John’s University. But the pull of acting never left him. Even without training or representation, Wayne booked multiple background roles while still a full-time student. Despite his efforts, he struggled to break into principal work and eventually returned to semi-pro football while beginning his professional career and becoming a father.

In 2008, Wayne enlisted in the U.S. Army and served one tour overseas from 2013–2014. By then, he was married and the father of seven children. After sometime idling away from the industry, in March 2017, during a conversation about the dreams he had set aside, a close friend told him, “It’s never too late to reignite the fire.” Those words did exactly that, and reignited the drive to continue his pursuit of becoming a leading man. That very day, Wayne applied to the MFA Theatre program at Long Island University. He auditioned and was accepted, completing 24 credits and performing in “Twelfth Night”Off-Broadway—his first professional credit. With the support of his professors and a renewed sense of purpose, Wayne stepped away from the program after one year to pursue his career full-time. On July 3, 2019, he proudly became a member of SAG-AFTRA.

In December 2020, shortly after Wayne was quickly gaining momentum, he faced one of the greatest battles of his life: a stroke that caused temporary loss of sight and gait, four days of hospitalization, and months of speech therapy to relearn how to speak. The experience reshaped him—not as a setback, but as a profound testament to resilience. His recovery strengthened his dedication to his craft, deepened his emotional range as an actor, and reaffirmed the urgency of living his purpose.

Today, Wayne resides in Long Island with his wife, and now eight children. Driven by discipline, faith, and an unshakable love for his craft, he works daily toward building a long, impactful career in film and television. The fire is lit—and is incapable of being put out!

Stay tuned…