Damon Wayans on “Poppa's House”

Damon Wayans knows Paramount Pictures far better than most; There he delivered mail to all the big stars. And now, of course, him Is one. He's a dad with attitude in his new comedy “Poppa's House,” premiering tomorrow night on CBS. The chemistry with his co-star feels natural because it is — his son is played by his real-life son, Damon Wayans Jr.

They both agreed that their goal was to make each other laugh. “That's really the ultimate goal, to make people you respect laugh,” said Damon Jr. “If I can get my dad to break in in one scene, it just gives me more energy for the next take.”

And for 64-year-old Damon Sr., comedy is both a career and a legacy. For nearly four decades, Damon Wayans has created some of television and film's edgier characters, from the Marine instructor in “Major Payne” to the angry clown named Homey in “In Living Color.”

He says people are still calling Hey, Homey! on the street. It makes him smile: “It’s beautiful. It's like, does a woman ever get tired of being told she's beautiful? Never, right?”

And this little slice of TV immortality is even sweeter for someone who was just struggling to survive as a child.

Damon Wayans was born in a less glamorous part of New York City, one of ten children who all lived in a cramped apartment. “There were four of us in a room,” he said.

How close did this come to all of you? “Sleeping with my foot up someone's butt is pretty much my childhood!” he laughed.

It also helped make them funny: Wayans says his siblings (including Keenan, Shawn and Marlon) all found a way to turn difficult childhoods into fuel for comic fire. “In my stand-up I talk about how my mother said to us, ‘There is no food; Everyone can have a little bit of toothpaste to give them something to put in their stomach.' This is real.”

In 1982, he had followed his older brother Keenan to Hollywood, where he performed stand-up comedy at night and, with his wife and new baby at home, delivered mail all day at Paramount Studios. “It was great because I saw Eddie Murphy on the ground, I saw Henry Winkler and Leonard Nimoy,” he said.

And as an aspiring person, what did he think when he saw these people? “I hope I didn't mess up your mail!” he laughed.

He laughs now, but it wasn't an easy task. In fact, even walking was a challenge. He has a club foot. “I've had operations, but I'm still in pain. I'm just walking around with a toothache in my foot. That’s a constant.”

At some point, broke and desperate, he gave up his postal job in frustration. And then, he says, he got a sign that changed his life: “I go for a walk and talk to God. And I told him, 'If you help me, I promise I'll never put my family in this.' this position again.' (Because we had no food, no milk, no diapers.) And I walk and talk, I cry to God. And there's a man walking in front of me and I see something fall out of his pocket. And he comes around the corner, I pick it up.

Was it like an answered prayer? “Absolutely,” he said. “But the next day I had to beg to get my job back.”

His first real break came with a brief but memorable role in Eddie Murphy's film Beverly Hills Cop. This led to him being cast on Saturday Night Live, essentially following in Murphy's footsteps.

Wayans said Murphy gave him some advice on “SNL”: “He said, ‘Write your own sketches. Otherwise you'll do things for white people and you'll hate it.' And he was right.

Wayans struggled to find his footing on “SNL” and was fired after his first season. But just a few years later, Wayans and his characters found a home on Fox TV's sketch show “In Living Color,” created by his brother Keenan. The show also featured his siblings Shawn and Kim – a real family affair.

His family has long been an inspiration for his work, such as the hit series My Wife and Kids. For Wayans, working on this show was a form of therapy. “People don't know that I got divorced in 2000 when we started 'Wife and Kids,'” he said.

Wasn't that painful? “No. This is what comedians live for,” he replied. “It's like I'm in a car accident and I go on stage and talk about how my neck hurts and people laugh, but my neck doesn't hurt that much.”

It's a formula that has taken Damon Wayans from the depths of despair to the top of his life. He started a family, had grandchildren and found peace along the way. “I’ve reached an age where I’m happy,” he said.

And what makes him happy? “Well, I was tired of being happy. Because happiness is fleeting. There is nothing I need except my health and well-being. And guess what? Happy moved in next to me. Now every day is simply a blessing.” Ten grandchildren, one great-grandchild.

“The life. Will it get better? It doesn’t!”

To watch a teaser for “Poppa's House,” click the video player below:

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The story was produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.