Marlon Wayans shares throwback photo of his young parents and a heartfelt tribute to them

Marlon Wayans recently took to Instagram with a photo of his parents from many years ago and penned a heartfelt note to the duo.

The picture, believed to have been taken at Marlon’s fifth-grade graduation ceremony, showed the actor/comedian standing between both parents in his white shirt, blue pants, and matching tie.

Marlon’s father, Howell Wayans, looked equally dapper in a suit and his mom, Elvira Wayans, wore a red wrap dress.

In his caption, the “Woke-ish” star wrote:

“With this kind of love I was destined for greatness. So proud of them. They did the damn thing!!! #loveyoumomandad #salutatorian #fifthgradegraduation.”

Marlon’s love for his parents can be traced to his early days, growing up with nine siblings in the Fulton housing projects on the West Side of Manhattan where they had to struggle to feed.

“We called my dad an entre-poor-neur,” Marlon once said.

Today, the Wayans family is a part of the successful Hollywood story, but growing up, the siblings had to make do with bare necessities.

Howell and Elvira were devout members of Jehovah’s Witnesses and kept their kids from playing with other children in the neighborhood.

“When it came to budgeting and getting through the system, my mother was a genius.”

That reality forced the Wayans children to develop ways of entertaining each other, something that would eventually make them aware of their talents.

Marlon’s siblings- Keenen Ivory, Damon, Dwayne, Kim, Elvira, Nadia, Deidre, Vonnie, and Shawn- have all made a mark, to various degrees, as actors, comedians, writers, directors, and composers.

It was Keenen who first became a recognized name in Hollywood and paved the way for all his siblings to exhibit their talents for success.

“Scary Movie,” the 2000 film that shot Marlon to the limelight was directed by Keenen. At the time, “Scary Movie” became the highest-grossing film ever directed by an African-American after it raked in a profit of $138 million.

But all the fame and success wouldn’t have been possible without Howell and Elvira looking out and making sacrifices for their kids.

Marlon revealed last year that his father was responsible for keeping their family close till this day, and during a 2013 feature on “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” Keenen said of their mom:

“When it came to budgeting and getting through the system, my mother was a genius.”

Last year, Marlon, 46, also penned a lengthy Mothers' Day tribute to Elvira, who he called “the queen of queens.” He also regularly posts photos of his dad on social media.

Today, Marlon himself is a father to 18-year-old daughter, Amai and 16-year-old son, Shawn. Despite being divorced from their mother, family is still uppermost in his mind.

The “White Chicks” star admitted in September that he was feeling nostalgic after not seeing his kids for two weeks due to work demands.

“Excuse all of the nostalgia but It’s been two weeks since I seen my kids,” Marlon wrote. “I guess I miss them. Love you son. #daddysboy”