Keegan-Michael Key facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keegan-Michael Key
Key in 2024
Born	(1971-03-22) March 22, 1971 (age 54) Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Other names	Keegan Key
Alma mater	University of Detroit Mercy (BFA) Pennsylvania State University (MFA)
Occupation	Actor comedian producer writer
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Cynthia Blaise ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2017)​ Elisa Pugliese ​ (m. 2018)​
Relatives	Dwayne McDuffie (half-brother)

Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is a super talented American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He's famous for his amazing work in comedy shows and movies. You might know him from the hilarious sketch series Key & Peele, which he created and starred in with his friend Jordan Peele. He also appeared in Mad TV and many other popular TV shows and films.

Keegan-Michael Key is also well-known for his voice acting. He has lent his voice to many animated characters in movies like The Lego Movie, Toy Story 4, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He's a very versatile performer who can make people laugh and bring characters to life.

Early Life and Education

Keegan-Michael Key was born in Southfield, Michigan, on March 22, 1971. His birth father was African-American, and his birth mother had Polish and Flemish roots. When he was very young, he was adopted by Michael Key and Patricia Walsh. They were both social workers from Detroit. His adoptive parents were also a Black man and a white woman.

Keegan-Michael later found out he had two half-brothers through his biological father. One of them was the comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie. Sadly, Key learned about his half-siblings only after they had both passed away.

He grew up Catholic. For college, he went to the University of Detroit Mercy. There, he earned a degree in theater in 1993. After that, he continued his studies at Pennsylvania State University. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater in 1996.

Becoming a Comedian and Actor

Key in 2012

Keegan-Michael Key started his career in comedy and acting in the late 1990s. He was one of the people who helped start the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, Michigan. He also performed with famous improv groups like Second City Detroit and Second City e.t.c. in Chicago.

He also helped create the Detroit Creativity Project. This project teaches improv skills to students in Detroit. It helps them improve their communication. Key also performed with an improv group called The 313. This group was made up of former Detroit residents.

Mad TV Fun

In 2004, Key joined the cast of the comedy show Mad TV. He quickly became a fan favorite. He played many different characters on the show. One of his most famous characters was "Coach Hines." This coach often interrupted and joked with students and teachers.

He also played characters like "Dr. Funkenstein" in funny movie parodies. Key was great at impersonating famous people too. He played stars like Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Bill Cosby, Al Roker, and even Barack Obama. He could even play female celebrities like Phylicia Rashād.

Key & Peele Success

After Mad TV, Keegan-Michael Key teamed up with his friend and fellow castmate Jordan Peele. They created their own sketch comedy series called Key & Peele on Comedy Central. The show started in 2012 and ran for five very successful seasons until 2015.

Key & Peele became incredibly popular. It was known for its smart and funny sketches. Key and Peele often explored topics like race, culture, and everyday life in a humorous way. The show earned Key many awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award.

A memorable moment happened in 2015. Key appeared at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. He played Luther, President Barack Obama's "anger translator," a popular character from Key & Peele. This showed how famous and impactful their comedy had become.

Friends from College

Key also starred in the Netflix comedy series Friends from College. He played Ethan Turner, a main character in the show. Ethan was an award-winning writer. The show was about a group of friends who had graduated from Harvard University. They were now in their late 30s and living in New York City.

Voice Acting Roles

Keegan-Michael Key is a very busy voice actor. He has voiced many beloved characters in animated movies.

• He was the voice of Frank the Foreman in The Lego Movie (2014).
• He voiced Murray the Mummy in the Hotel Transylvania movies (2015–2022).
• He played Alpha Wolf in Storks (2016).
• He was Judge Peckinpah in The Angry Birds Movie (2016).
• He voiced Dave in The Star (2017).
• In Disney films, he voiced Ducky in Toy Story 4 (2019). He also voiced Kamari in The Lion King (2019).
• He was Honest John in the live-action Pinocchio (2022).
• He voiced Wendell in Wendell & Wild (2022).
• He played Toad in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
• He was Delroy in Migration (2023).
• In 2024, he voiced Slime in IF and B-127 / Bumblebee in Transformers One.

Movies and Other Work

Barack Obama and Keegan-Michael Key at White House Correspondents' Association Dinner 2015

Key has appeared in many movies, often in supporting roles. These include Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Don't Think Twice (2016), and The Prom (2020). In 2023, he played the Police Chief in the musical film Wonka.

In 2016, Key and Peele produced and starred in the action-comedy film Keanu. Key also made his Broadway debut in 2017 in the play Meteor Shower.

He has hosted several TV shows. He hosted The Planet's Funniest Animals from 2005 to 2008. He also hosted Game On! in 2020. Currently, he hosts the popular science show Brain Games on National Geographic.

Key has also appeared in music videos. He made a cameo in "Weird Al" Yankovic's video "White & Nerdy" with Jordan Peele. He also played Mahatma Gandhi and Michael Jordan in episodes of Epic Rap Battles of History.

Key at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con

Key has portrayed and rapped as Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi (left) and American basketball player Michael Jordan (right) for Epic Rap Battles of History.

Personal Life and Interests

Keegan-Michael Key was married to actress Cynthia Blaise from 1998 to 2017. He then married producer and director Elisa "Elle" Pugliese on June 8, 2018.

Key is a Christian. He has explored different faiths in the past, including Buddhism, Catholicism, and Evangelicalism. Being biracial has often inspired his comedy. He once said that he and Jordan Peele became actors because they learned to "code-switch" while growing up. This means they could easily adapt their behavior and language to different social situations.

He is a big fan of soccer. He supports the English Premier League club Liverpool. He also cheers for the NFL team, the Detroit Lions.

Helping Others

Keegan-Michael Key is also involved in charity work. He has worked with the Young Storytellers Foundation. This organization helps young people develop their writing and storytelling skills. He has performed as an actor for their annual fundraising events.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Get the Hell Out of Hamtown	J
2000	Garage: A Rock Saga	TV Studio Manager
2003	Uncle Nino	Airport Stranger
2004	Mr. 3000	Reporter
2006	Alleyball	Curt Braunschweib
	Grounds Zero	Arch	Short film
2007	Sucker For Shelley	Michael
2008	Yoga Matt	Matt
	Role Models	Duane
	Land of Arabia	Dwayne	Short film
2010	Welcome to the Jungle Gym	Mike McKenzie
	Due Date	New Father
2011	Just Go with It	Ernesto
	Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star	Guinness Man
2012	Wanderlust	Marcys Flunkie
2013	Hell Baby	F'Resnel
	Afternoon Delight	Bo
2014	The Lego Movie	Frank the Foreman (voice)
	Teacher of the Year	Ronald Douche
	Let's Be Cops	Pupa
	Horrible Bosses 2	Mike
2015	Pitch Perfect 2	Sammy
	Welcome to Happiness	Proctor
	Tomorrowland	Hugo Gernsback
	Vacation	Jack Peterson
	Hotel Transylvania 2	Murray the Mummy (voice)
	Freaks of Nature	Mr. Keller
2016	Keanu	Clarence, Smoke Dresden	Also producer
	The Angry Birds Movie	Judge Peckinpah (voice)
	Don't Think Twice	Jack
	Storks	Alpha Wolf (voice)
	Why Him?	Gustav
2017	Get Out	NCAA Prospect	Uncredited cameo
	Win It All	Gene
	The Disaster Artist	Himself	Cameo
	The Star	Dave (voice)
2018	Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation	Murray (voice)
	The Predator	Coyle
2019	Toy Story 4	Ducky (voice)
	The Lion King	Kamari (voice)
	Dolemite Is My Name	Jerry Jones
	Playing with Fire	Mark Rogers
2020	All the Bright Places	Embry
	Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey	Gustafson
	The Prom	Tom Hawkins
2022	Hotel Transylvania: Transformania	Murray (voice)
	The Bubble	Sean Knox/Colt Rockwell
	Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers	Bjornson the Cheesemonger / Frog co-worker (voice)
	Pinocchio	Honest John (voice)
	Wendell & Wild	Wendell (voice)
2023	The Super Mario Bros. Movie	Toad (voice)
	Wonka	Police Chief
	Migration	Delroy (voice)
2024	IF	Slime (voice)
	Transformers One	B-127 (voice)
	Dear Santa	Dr. Finklman
TBA	Play Dirty		Post-production

Television

Stage

Video games

Music videos

Podcasts

Books

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Keegan-Michael Key para niños