| Keegan-Michael Key | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1971 Southfield, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, presenter |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia Blaise |
Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American comedian and actor, best known for his appearance on MADtv. He first appeared on the show as a featured player during the 2003-04 season and was subsequently promoted to a regular cast member in the 2004-05 season. He has also become known for his role as the exuberant valet on a Yukon Denali commercial series. Key is entering his sixth season of MADtv.
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Biography
Early years
Key was born in Southfield, Michigan and raised in Detroit. His father is African-American and his mother is Caucasian. He is a graduate from Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan (class of 1989). He attended the University of Detroit as an undergraduate and a member of Phi Kappa Theta, and earned his Master of Fine Arts at the Pennsylvania State University School of Theatre.
Career
MADtv
Keegan joined the cast of MADtv midway into the ninth season. He was groomed to be the next only black male cast member to be chosen over Jordan Peele. But the latter created memorable characters, and had the most chemistry with Key in sketches, including one where both played jinx-breaking radicals called "The Superstitious Knights". Both were promoted to repertory player status during season 10.
Keegan's characters include the semi-psychotic Coach Hines, who threatens students and others at school assemblies (who, on the penultimate episode of MADtv, revealed that he is the long-lost heir to the Heinz Ketchup company and only became a Catholic school coach to help delinquent teenagers like Yamanashi [Bobby Lee]). During seasons 9 and 10, Key appeared as "Dr. Funkenstein" in blaxploitation parodies, with Jordan Peele playing the monster. Key also portrayed various guests on Real **********ing Talk - the strong African Rollo Johnson and blind victim Stevie Wonder Washington. He often goes "backstage" as Eugene Struthers, an always-ecstatic water- or flower-delivery man who accosts celebrities. Struthers' catch-phrase is "takin it to a 'ho 'nutha levo." There is also "Jovan Muskatelle", a shirtless man with a jheri curl and a shower cap who interrupts live news broadcasts by a reporter (always played by Ike Barinholtz), annoying him with rapid fire accounts of events that have happened frequently exclaiming "It was crazy as hell!" Like Saturday Night Live castmembers, Darrell Hammond, Maya Rudolph, and Fred Armisen, Key plays many different races (mostly Hispanic and Arab) and can play both male and female characters (cf. Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis on a "Desperate Housewives" parody). Key has also done well with celebrity impersonations, including Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Phylicia Rashād, Matthew Lillard, Bill Cosby, Al Roker, Terrell Owens, Tyler Perry, Robin Antin, Chris Brown, Eddie Murphy (as his character James "Early" Thunder from the movie Dreamgirls), Sherman Hemsley (as his character George Jefferson on The Jeffersons), Charles Barkley, Sendhil Ramamurthy (as Mohinder Suresh), Tyson Beckford, Seal, Sidney Poitier, Lionel Richie, Barack Obama, Usain Bolt, and Kobe Bryant.
Keegan is in his 6th season on MADtv as of 2008-2009 season.
MADtv characters
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Other work
Keegan was one of the founders of Hamtramck, Michigan's Planet Ant Theatre, and was a member of the Second City Detroit's mainstage cast before joining the Second City e.t.c. theater in Chicago.
Keegan is also the current host of Animal Planet's The Planet's Funniest Animals. He made a cameo in
During the 2008 NBA finals, Keegan was featured in a series of GMC Denali commercials playing an overzealous attendant in a parking garage.
Keegan is currently host of GSN's "Big Saturday Night", and has been tapped to co-star in Gary Unmarried on CBS for the fall 2009 season.
Keegan has been in several episodes of Reno 911! as the "Theoretical Criminal".[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Wild Bunch | Grape Vine | In Production |
| 2008 | MADtv | Himself-Various | 2004-2009 |
| Chocolate News | Woodsy | guest | |
| Role Models | Duane | ||
| Reno 911! | Theoretical Criminal | ||
| Talkshow with Spike Feresten | Himself | Guest-starred | |
| 2007 | Sucker For Shelley | Michael | |
| Frangela | Deshawn | ||
| 2006 | Al TV | segment 'White & Nerdy' | |
| Grounds Zero | Arch | ||
| Alleyball | Curt Braunschweib | ||
| 2005 | The Planet's Funniest Animals | Himself-Host | Host 2005-Present |
| 2004 | I'm With Her | Orderly | |
| 2003 | Uncle Nino | Airport Stranger | |
| 2001 | ER | Witkowski | |
| 2000 | Garage: A Rock Saga | TV Studio Manager | |
| 1999 | Get the Hell Out of Hamtown | J |
See also
References
- ^ School of Theatre (2005). "Penn State Alum, Keegan-Michael Key, Lands Starring Role as Host of Planet's Funniest Animals". Penn State. Archived from the original on 2007-11-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20071120135528/http://www.theatre.psu.edu/ourstory/news/111105_key.html. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Theoretical criminal (Character) from "Reno 911!"". The Internet Movie Database. 2008. http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0062381. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
External links
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