Marlon was born on the 23rd of July, 1972 in New York City, United States of America. He was born into a normal family, to working class parents of mixed ethnicity. He was born as one of the ten children born to father Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager and mother Elvira Wayans who was a house wife. He was raised in New York City’s housing projects and had a fairly smooth childhood. He recalls his younger days as “we would all be in that big room and lived together. Of course, we didn’t have everything we needed; but it was not bad at all”.

His brothers, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Sr., Shawn Wayans and others are all celebrities in their own ways and most of them are performers. From a very young age, he and his brothers were all very interested in music and they would perform together in many events. Having got all support from their parents to follow their dream; he went to study at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, in New York City. He was a regular in his school’s drama team and also performed on stage as a musician after he learned to sing. After graduating in 1990, he attended the Howard University and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts.

His first ever role as an actor came in a small role of a pedestrian in the 1988 show I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Between then and 1992, he appeared in a couple of other shows before getting his first major role in In Living Color, a TV show that he played along with his brothers. He was also the first choice to play Robin in Batman Returns (1992), but since that character was omitted in the film, he was paid certain penalty for not being played in the film. Having produced the Thugaboo cartoon in Nickelodeon, he has also directed many movies as well as TV shows, and had also been a guest judge in America's Got Talent, 2015. He has gained a noticeable stardom and success and has got many fans from around the world.