Keegan-Michael Key was born on March 22, 1971 in Detroit, Michigan. He studied theatre and graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy with a bachelor's degree in 1993. He continued his studies at the Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a master of fine arts degree in theatre in 1996.
Having primarily worked in television, Key's first major breakthrough came in 2004 when he joined the cast of MADtv. He played various roles for a total of 107 episodes, remaining with the show until 2009. Key joined the TV series at the same time as castmate Jordan Peele, who would become a longtime comedy partner.
Key & Peele — a comedy sketch series by the duo on Comedy Central — ran for five seasons from 2012 to 2015, ultimately taking home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series at the 2016 ceremony. Key had previously earned Emmy Award nominations for the show in both acting and writing categories in 2014 and 2015. In total, Key & Peele earned seven Emmy Award nominations and one win.
Over the course of his TV & film career, Key has accumulated a wide variety of notable credits including the role of Ethan Turner in Friends from College (2017), the role of Mark Rodriguez in Playing House (2014-2017), FBI Agent Pepper in Fargo (2014), Joe in Parks and Recreation (2014-2015), Pupa in Let's Be Cops (2014), Hugo in Tomorrowland (2015), as well as appearances in Keanu (2016), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), and the 2020 film adaptation of the musical The Prom. He also made regular appearances on Whose Line is it Anyway?
His work as a voice actor includes a 2016 Emmy-nominated performance in SuperMansion, as well as characters in The Lego Movie, Hotel Transylvania 2, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Storks, The Angry Birds Movie, and The Simpsons.
Key made his Off-Broadway debut as Horatio in The Public Theater's revival of Hamlet alongside Oscar Isaac in June to September 2017.
He made his Broadway debut as Gerald in the Broadway premiere of Steve Martin's new comedy Meteor Shower alongside Amy Schumer, Laura Benanti, and Jeremy Shamos on November 1, 2017 and played his final performance on January 21, 2018.
Nov 1, 2017 - Jan 21, 2018
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