Updated May 31, 2023
About Keegan Michael Key
Keegan-Michael Key is one of the prominent actors in Hollywood and has also made his name as a screenwriter, comedian, and producer. The actor is prominently known for his role in Key and Peele, a sketch series on Comedy Central. Throughout this journey in the industry, Keegan has banked ten nominations and has won one out of those.
Personal Biography
| Full Name | Keegan-Michael Key |
| Date of Birth | 22nd March 1971 |
| Place of Birth | Southfield, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Producer, Screenwriter, Comedian, Actor |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Elisa Pugliese (2018) Cynthia Blaise (1998-2017) |
| Parents | Leroy McDuffie & Carrie Herr |
| Relative(s) | Dwayne McDuffie |
| Height | 6′ 11″ |
| Weight | 159 lbs. |
| Eye Color | Dark brown |
| Hair Color | Bald |
| Shoe Size | 11 U.S. |
| Debut Movie | Get the Hell out of Hamtown – 1999 |
| Debut Series | ER (2001) |
| Net Worth | USD 7 Million |
| Award | Emmy for Key & Peele |
| School | Royal Oak’s Shrine Catholic High School |
| College | BFA from the University of Detroit
MFA from Pennsylvania State University |
Early Life
Keegan-Michael Key’s birthday is 22nd March 1971, and his place of birth is Southfield, Michigan. His parents were Leroy McDuffie and Carrie Herr. But soon, he was adopted by a Detroit couple – Patricia Walsh and Michael Key. Both of them were social workers. His biological parents had two kids; one was Dwayne McDuffie, a comic book writer. Keegan met his half-brothers after the death of their biological parents.
The actor and comedian were raised Catholic and went to the University of Detroit. He got a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1993 and then studied Master of Fine Arts. The Pennsylvania State University assessed the second degree.
Career Timeline
- Keegan’s Hollywood journey began in 1999, but the real stardom didn’t start before Mad TV.
- Keegan-Michael Key entered Mad TV in 2004 when the show was in its 9th season. The series pitted him against Jordan Peele due to their comedy chemistry. Keegan played multiple characters on that show, but “Coach Hines” took away the spotlight.
- During the 9th and 10th seasons of Mad TV, Key also portrayed the character of “Dr. Funkenstein.” There he played the role of a monster.
- Key has portrayed many characters in the show, including Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Bill Cosby, Tyler Perry, Eddie Murphy, and Terrell Owens.
- After the show, Key and Pelee began their comedy sketch series for five seasons (2012-15).
- Key has also portrayed the main lead in “Friends from College”: a Netflix comedy show. The series is about a group of friends from Harvard University and how their lives have changed in their 30s. In this comedy, he plays an award-winning fictional writer.
- Key has been a part of the famous comedy standup – Whose Line Is It Anyway? as a member of the rotating chair.
Unique Roles Over Time
- Keegan-Michael Key has given his voice to several famous animated movies, including the Hotel Transylvania series, The Lego Movie, The Angry Birds Movie, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, and Pinocchio.
- He made his debut on Broadway with Meteor Shower in 2017. It was a comedy by Steve Martin.
- He hosted SNL (Saturday Night Live) on 15th March 2021. It made him the first cast member of Mad TV to host the show.
- He hosts a fun science show on National Geographic – Brain Games.
- He played a crucial role in collecting emergency funds for COVID-19 by hosting an online event in 2020.
Movies by Keegan-Michael Key
| Year | Movie | Character |
| 2008 | Role Models | Duane |
| 2011 | Just Go with It | Ernesto |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Marcys Flunkie |
| 2014 | Let’s Be Cops | Pupa |
| 2014 | Horrible Bosses 2 | Mike |
| 2015 | Freaks of Nature | Mr. Keller |
| 2019 | Playing with Fire | Mark Rogers |
Series by Keegan-Michael Key
| Year | Series | Character |
| 2004-09 | Mad TV | Various Characters |
| 2005-08 | ThePlanet’sFunniest Animals | Host |
| 2012-15 | Key & Peele | Key |
| 2014-17 | Playing House | Mark Rodriguez |
| 2015-19 | SuperMansion | Voices |
| 2017-19 | Friends from College | Ethan Turner |
| 2019-22 | Green Eggs and Ham | Narrator |
| 2022-present | Reboot | Reed Sterling |
Nominations
- 2013: Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series
- 2014: NAACP Image Award for Variety in Series or Special
- 2014: American Comedy Award for Best Comedy Series, Best Actor, Best Writing
- 2014: Primetime Emmy Award for Writing
- 2015: NAACP Image Award for favorite sketch, outstanding comedy, actor, and variety
- 2015: Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding writing, supporting actor, and short-format program
- 2016: NAACP Image Award for outstanding comedy and writing
- 2016: Award from the Screen Actors Guild for outstanding performance
- 2016: Writers Guild of America Award for portraying best comedy
- 2016: Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding writing, supporting actor, and voice-over
All these nominations were for Key & Pelee except for 2016’s voice-over nomination for his voice in SuperMansion.
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