Keegan-Michael Key
Birthdate: Mar 22, 1971
Birthplace: Southfield, Michigan, USA
Keegan-Michael Key is a brilliant comic performer and writer, and a partner with longtime collaborator and filmmaker, Jordan Peele, in the comedy sketch group, Key and Peele. In the early phase of his comedy career, Key appeared in small roles in several little-seen movies, until he landed a supporting role in the money-losing Touchstone Pictures baseball comedy, Mr. 3000 (2004), starring Bernie Mac, Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Michael Rispoli, and Angela Bassett.
Key then had a small role in one of the decade’s best comedies, co-writer/director David Wain’s Role Models (2008), with Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jane Lynch, which earned a terrific $92.4 million for Universal Pictures. Filmmaker Todd Phillips then cast Keegan-Michael Key in a small role in the $211-million-grossing black comedy, Due Date (2010), co-starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, and Jamie Foxx, and released by Warner Bros.
The next hit comedy in which Key had a supporting role was the Adam Sandler comedy, Just Go With It (2011), a remake of the 1969 screwball comedy, Cactus Flower, and co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Dratch, and Kevin Nealon, and grossing $215 million for Columbia Pictures/Sony. After another supporting under Wain’s direction in the tepidly-received comedy, Wanderlust (2012), with Rudd and Aniston, Key earned his biggest role to that time in the horror-comedy, Hell Baby (2013), with Rob Corddry and Leslie Bibb, and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, as did writer-director Joey Soloway’s Afternoon Delight (2013), in which Key appeared alongside co-stars Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, and Jane Lynch.
Key did his first animated film voice performance in the brilliant Phil Lord/Christopher Miller comedy, The Lego Movie (2014), with a vocal cast featuring Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman, and grossing $468 million.
Keegan-Michael Key had his first big-screen starring role in writer-director Jason Strouse’s well-reviewed though little-seen mockumentary, Teacher of the Year (2014), and then scored a supporting role in the hit cop comedy from director-writer-producer Luke Greenfield, Let’s Be Cops (2014), starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans, Jr., Rob Riggle, and Andy Garcia, earning a solid $138 million for 20th Century Fox.
Key’s growing rep as a talented comedy performer continued with his supporting turn in writer-director Sean Anders’ $107-million-grossing sequel for New Line Cinema/Warner Bros., Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), with Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, and Christoph Waltz. Key made brief appearances in more hit movies, including the big-grossing sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), with Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Elizabeth Banks, and then co-starred in the indie comedy written and directed by Oliver Thompson, Welcome to Happiness (2015), with Olivia Thirlby and Nick Offerman.
Key then appeared in his first non-comedy, writer-director Brad Bird’s costly sci-fi drama, Tomorrowland (2015), starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Tim McGraw, and Kathryn Hahn, losing money for Disney with a poor $209 million gross (barely above costs).
Keegan-Michael Key was cast in support in another successful comedy, Vacation (2015), co-written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley for Warner Bros., and then Key delivered his second voice performance for an animated feature, Sony Animation’s monster comedy sequel, Hotel Transylvania (2015), with fellow vocal actors Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, and Mel Brooks, grossing a big $475 million worldwide; Key returned doing the voice of Murray in the subsequent sequels, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) and Hotel Transylvania: Transformation (2022).
After featuring in the zombie/alien comedy, Freaks of Nature (2015), Key co-starred (and produced) with his regular comedy partner, Jordan Peele, in the buddy comedy, Keanu (2016), directed by Peter Atencio and co-written by Peele and Alex Rubens, and which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Key began a remarkable run of voice performances in 13 animated features in eight years (many of them animal and bird characters!); these included: The Angry Birds Movie (2016), Storks (2016), The Star (2017), Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 (2019), the Jon Favreau-directed The Lion King remake (2019), Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022), Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio (2022), Henry Selick’s and Jordan Peele’s Wendell & Wild (2022), The Super Mario Bros. (2023), Migration (2023), and Transformers One (2024), in which Key voices the character of Bumblebee opposite Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, and Chris Hemsworth, as well as untitled animated feature set for 2024 in which Key joined the star-studded cast of Jonah Hill, Miranda Richardson, Janelle Monae, Wanda Sykes, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX, and Lizzo.
Keegan-Michael Key’s live-action movies since 2016 included his starring role in filmmaker-actor Mike Birbiglia’s comedy-drama, Don’t Think Twice (2016), premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival, as well as his supporting role in director/co-writer John Hamburg’s successful, $118-million-grossing buddy comedy, Why Him? (2016), co-starring James Franco, Bryan Cranston, and Megan Mullaly and produced by Shawn Levy, Ben Stiller, and Jonah Hill.
After an uncredited cameo in Jordan Peele’s breakout feature directorial debut, Get Out (2017) and a credited cameo in Franco’s acclaimed black comedy, The Disaster Artist (2017), Key co-starred in a rare sci-fi movie, co-writer/director Shane Black’s The Predator (2018) for 20th Century Fox, with Trevante Rhodes, Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Munn, and Thomas Jane, and which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Key enjoyed a top co-starring role opposite Eddie Murphy in the Craig Brewer-directed movie about filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite Is My Name (2019), with Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Wesley Snipes, receiving a theatrical release from Netflix after a Toronto festival premiere.
Keegan-Michael Key co-starred with John Cena in Paramount’s $68-million-grossing family comedy, Playing with Fire (2019), with John Leguizamo, Dennis Haysbert, and Judy Greer, followed by Key’s supporting role in producer-director Ryan Murphy 'ss musical comedy, The Prom (2020), with Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Tracy Ullman, and Kerry Washington, released by Netflix in a very limited theatrical release.
Key had a major co-starring role opposite star Timothée Chalamet, with newcomer Calah King, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, and Olivia Colman, in Warner Bros.’ $125-million Willy Wonka musical origin story, Wonka (2023). Key co-starred with Jack Black in the dark Christmas comedy, Dear Santa (date to be announced), from directors-writers-producers Bobby and Peter Farrelly and distributor Paramount Pictures.
Personal Details
Keegan-Michael Key was born in Southfield, Michigan, to birth parents Leroy McDuffie and Carrie Herr. Key was put up for adoption by his birth parents when he was very young, and then adopted by Michael Key and Patricia Walsh (both of them were social workers). Key had two late paternal half-brothers, including comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie. Key was raised in the Catholic Church. After graduating from Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, Key majored in theater at the University of Detroit Mercy, from which he graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Key then attended Pennsylvania State University, from which he graduated in 1996 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater. Key was married to dialect coach and actor Cynthia Blaise from 1998 to their divorce in 2017, followed by their separation in 2015. Key has been married to director-producer Elle Pugliese since 2018; the couple has no children. Key’s height is 6’ 1”. Key’s estimated net worth is $12 million.
Filmography
actor
Previous (15)
- 2024 | Transformers OneasB-127
Transformers One
The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but who once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
- 2023 |
- 2023 |
- 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. MovieasToad
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A plumber named Mario travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi, trying to save a captured princess.
- 2019 | The Star: 2019 Re-releaseasDave
The Star: 2019 Re-release
A small but brave donkey and his animal friends become the unsung heroes of the first Christmas.
- 2019 | Playing with FireasMark
Playing with Fire
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
- 2019 | The Lion KingasKamari
The Lion King
After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
- 2019 | Toy Story 4asDucky
Toy Story 4
When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
- 2018 | The PredatorasCoyle
The Predator
When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled scientist can prevent the end of the human race.
- 2018 | Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer VacationasMurray
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Count Dracula and company participate in a cruise for sea-loving monsters, unaware that their boat is being commandeered by the monster-hating Van Helsing family.
- 2017 |
- 2016 |
- 2016 |
- 2016 |
- 1997 |
Some Facts About Keegan-Michael Key
Mixed: Keegan-Michael Key’s birth parents as well as his adoptive parents were mixed-race couples—both Black fathers and Anglo mothers.
Philanthropist: Key has given his support to fundraisers for the Young Storytellers Foundation and the Jazz Foundation of America.
Multi-Faith: Keegan-Michael Key was raised as a Catholic, but has also practiced numerous other faiths, including Christian Evangelicalism and Buddhism.
