Keith David
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"I usually play a positive black man who is about something and has a strong sense of himself. There are some roles I won't do; the ones that perpetuate the same old stereotypes." --David quoted in New York's DAILY NEWS, November 1, 1994
Biography
Actor Keith David was born Keith David Williams in Harlem, in New York City in 1956, and grew up in Corona, Queens. David attended New York's High School of Performing Arts, and later attended Julliard School's Drama Division. After graduation David toured with John Houseman's "The Acting Company" in a number of productions including "Waiting for Godot" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Only two years later he was cast in John Carpenter's "The Thing". He worked consistently after that, appearing in the movies "Platoon" (1986), "Road House" (1989), "Always" (1989) and "Stars and Bars" (1988) during the 1980s. In the 90s he appeared in acclaimed films "Clockers" (1995), "Requiem for a Dream"(1999), "Dead Presidents" (1995), and "There's Something About Mary" (1998). In addition to his onscreen work David was also a prominent voice actor. He voiced Goliath in "Gargoyles" (Disney, 1994-97), and was featured in "Princess Mononoke" (1997). He also provided narration for a number of Ken Burns documentaries. He also narrated documentaries for WWE, Major League Baseball, History Channel and PBS. David was also known for his work in the theater and was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in 1992's production of "Jelly's Last Jam."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Music (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1979
Made stage debut in the Public Theatre production of "Coriolanus"; also starred Christopher Walken
1980
Made Broadway debut in Edward Albee's "The Lady From Dubuque"
1982
Cast in "The Thing"
1986
Appeared in "Platoon"
1988
Co-starred in "They Live"
1992
Played featured role in the Broadway production of "Jelly's Last Jam"
1995
Returned to Broadway to play the leading role in August Wilson's "Seven Guitars"
1997
Voiced Apollo in the Disney animated feature "Hercules"
1998
Appeared as an Army general in sci-fi blockbuster "Armageddon"
1998
Played golf great Tiger Woods' father Earl Woods in "The Tiger Woods Story" (Showtime)
1998
Played Cameron Diaz's stepfather in "There's Something About Mary"
2000
Starred as Leontes in the Central Park staging of "The Winter's Tale"
2001
Played the title role of "Othello" in a New York Shakespeare Festival staging
2001
Had pivotal role as a drug dealer in "Requiem for a Dream"
2002
Played 'The Sheriff' in the off-kilter thriller "29 Palms"
2002
Appeared as part of the acclaimed ensemble in "Barbershop"
2003
Cast as the CIA director in the youth-skewing action-comedy "Agent Cody Banks"
2003
Played Harrison Ford's boss in action-comedy "Hollywood Homicide"
2004
Reprised role as the CIA Director in "Agent Cody Banks 2"
2005
Cast opposite Jason Statham in "The Transporter 2"
2006
Co-starred with Cuba Gooding Jr. in crime drama "Dirty"
2007
Co-starred in the comedy "Delta Farce"
2009
Voiced the villain Doctor Facilier in Disney animated feature "The Princess and the Frog"
2009
Appeared in the comedy "All About Steve" with Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper
2010
Acted opposite Ice Cube and Bow Wow in the comedy feature "Lottery Ticket"
2012
Played multiple roles in "Cloud Atlas," based on David Mitchell's 2004 novel; film co-directed by Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Bibliography
Notes
"I usually play a positive black man who is about something and has a strong sense of himself. There are some roles I won't do; the ones that perpetuate the same old stereotypes." --David quoted in New York's DAILY NEWS, November 1, 1994
