Biography

Wayne Bryan was born and raised in Southern California, graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and serving as a U.S. Naval Officer (1968-73). While stationed in San Diego, he began his professional career acting at the Old Globe Theatre, and appearing in local TV commercials and nightclubs. After his military service, Wayne moved to Los Angeles where he appeared on "MASH" and worked in commercials and daytime dramas. Hired for the Broadway revival of the collegiate musical "Good News," Wayne spent the next few years performing in New York, in such shows as "Rodgers and Hart," "Tintypes," and the national tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Returning to California as a director for the Old Globe Theatre, his varied career has included television appearances as host of the GED training series on American History, starring as Mack Sennett in the PBS / A&E musical "Keystone," and playing the Nazi Youth Leader in the 1978 TV film "Ring of Passion." Since 1988 he has served as producing artistic director for Music Theatre Wichita, where Midwestern TV appearances have included a four year stint as host of "Wichita Arts," and appearances in numerous training and promotional films. Wayne Bryan, actor and director, is not related to tennis champion and media spokesperson Wayne Bryan.
- IMDb mini biography by: Wayne Bryan

Gary Pearle and Wayne Bryan received Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for "Best Direction of a Revue" for the Travel Light production of "Tintypes," starring Ross Lehman, Audrie Neenan, Nedra Dixon, and Maureen McNamara.

He and Gary Pearle were nominated for a 1982 Joseph Jefferson Award for Director of Revue for "Tintypes", at the Travel Light Productions Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Wayne Bryan's numerous awards include the Old Globe's Atlas Award for Best Actor ("Feiffer's People"), two Los Angeles Drama-Logue Awards (as actor and director for "Where's Charley?"), two Dean Goodman Awards for directing in San Francisco ("On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" and "Once Upon a Mattress"), over a dozen of Wichita's Mary Jane Teall Awards as actor, director and producer at Music Theatre Wichita, and the Kansas Governor's Arts Award as outstanding individual artist.

Wayne Bryan and Mark Madama co-authored a revised version of the collegiate musical "Good News!" which debuted at Music Theatre Wichita in 1993, and has now become the standard licensed version (through Tams-Witmark) with over 400 productions worldwide. Jay Records recorded the cast album, starring Kim Huber, Michael Gruber, Ann Morrison, Linda Michele, and Hal Davis, with Wayne re-creating his Broadway role as Bobby Randall. Other cast albums in which Wayne has been involved include the American cast album of "Honk!" (which Wayne directed at Music Theatre Wichita) and the cast album of "Festival" (an original musical Wayne directed at New York's City Center).

Father, with Kathy Bryan, of twin sons Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan.