Keith David

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Born
June 4, 1956 (69 years old)
Place of Birth
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Popular Genres
Action Comedy Thriller
Career Span
– Present

Keith David

4 wins
592 nominations
4 Oscars
225 credits

Keith David (born June 4, 1956) is an American film, television, and voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work. He has also had memorable roles in numerous cult favorites, including John Carpenter's films The Thing (as Childs) and They Live (as Armitage), the Riddick films Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick (as the Imam), the General in Armageddon, King in Oliver Stone's Platoon, and Big Tim in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream. David is also well known for his voice over career, primarily his Emmy winning work as the narrator of numerous Ken Burns films. Characters that he has voiced include Goliath on the Disney series Gargoyles, the Arbiter in Halo 2 and Halo 3, David Anderson in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, the Decepticon Barricade in Transformers: The Game, Julius Little in Saints Row and Saints Row 2, Sgt. Foley in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog, and Chaos in Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.

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Personal Info

Born
Jun 4, 1956
From
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Known For
Acting
Career
– Present

Award Recognition

4
Wins
592
Nominations
4
Oscars

Complete Filmography

2025

Sneaks as O.G. (voice)
The Gettysburg Address as Frederick Douglass (voice)
Shelby Oaks as Morton Jacobson
Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox as The Simulator
Finding Faith
Portal to Hell as Mr. Bobshank

2024

Mufasa: The Lion King as Masego (voice) Award
The Prank as Principal Henderson
Betty & Blue as Willie 'Blue' Watson

2023

From the Shadows as Dr. Leonard Bertram
American Fiction as Willy the Wonker
Heist 88 as Buddha Ray
A Snowy Day in Oakland as Mr. Monroe
Parallel Worlds: A Psychedelic Love Story as Jerry

2022

Nope as Otis Haywood Sr. Award
DC League of Super-Pets as Dog-El (voice) Award
Catwoman: Hunted as Tobias Whale / Morax (voice)
Entergalactic as Mr. Rager (voice)
Unplugging as Gil
The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse as Narrator (voice)
1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! as Self
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story as Ink Williams
A Miracle Before Christmas as David
In Search of Tomorrow as Self - Interviewee
Shut Up and Ride as Narrator (voice)

2021

The Gateway as Terry
Black as Night as Babineaux
Pups Alone as The Wise Bartender
The Seventh Day as Father Louis
Insight as Captain Duke
Biography: 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper as Self
Mr. Nelson on the North Side as Self

2020

The 420 Movie as Chief Ironweed
Good as Gregory Devereaux
Horizon Line as Freddy Wyman
In Search of Darkness: Part II as Self
Most Guys Are Losers as Al
Cuba's Cancer Hope as Narrator (voice)

2019

21 Bridges as Deputy Chief Spencer Award
The Wedding Year as Preston
You Might Be the Killer as Sheriff James
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror as Self
In Search of Darkness as Self

2018

Night School as Gerald
Tales from the Hood 2 as Portifoy Simms
Love Jacked as Ed
American Dresser as Charlie
Sharon 1.2.3. as Tyrone
Ray Meets Helen as Harve
F. You All: The Uwe Boll Story as Self
Brothers in Arms as Self

2017

Savage Dog as Valentine
Not a War Story
The '91 Falcons as Narrator (voice)

2016

The Nice Guys as Older Guy Award
Range 15 as Colonel Holloway
Nina as Clifton's Father
Dirty Lies as Doc
The North Star as Frederick Douglass
Blue: The American Dream as Terry Venable
School of Rickey as Narrator (voice)
Service to Man as Dean Holmes
The Last Punch as Don King

2015

If I Tell You I Have to Kill You as Detective Harris
Field of Lost Shoes as Old Judge
Boiling Pot as Agent Long
Kids vs Monsters as Barry
Secrets of the Magic City as Mr. Daniels
Union Furnace as Pin Stripe
Dutch Book

2014

Remaking the Legend: Halo 2 Anniversary
Creature Feature: 60 Years of the Gill-Man as Narrator

2013

Free Birds as Chief Broadbeak (Voice)
Assault on Wall Street as Freddy
Don't Pass Me By as David Knox
Frog Kingdom as Frog King (voice)
Sons of Liberty as Nathan Reynolds
Black Asylum as Agent Davis

2012

Cloud Atlas as Kupaka / Joe Napier / An-kor Apis / Prescient Award
Smiley as Diamond
AniMen: The Galactic Battle as Sergeant Brass
Christmas in Compton as Big Earl
Highway as Mustafa
The Undershepherd as Brother Wilks
The Last Fall as Sydney Bishop
Double or Nothing as Homeless Dude

2011

The Greening of Whitney Brown as Clerk
Hopelessly in June as Dalbert Myers
Samuel Bleak
No Saints for Sinners
The Inheritance as Uncle Melvin

2010

Death at a Funeral as Reverend Davis
Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming as Terry
Lottery Ticket as Sweet Tee
Chain Letter as Det. Jim Crenshaw
Meet Monica Velour as Claude
Chasing 3000 as Officer L.
Something Like A Business as Sebastian
Baseball: The Tenth Inning as Narrator
New York Street Games as Self
Africa's Lost Eden as Narrator (voice)

2009

Coraline as The Cat (voice) Award
The Princess and the Frog as Dr. Facilier (voice) Award
Gamer as Agent Keith
All About Steve as Corbitt
Pastor Brown as Pastor Brown
Behind Enemy Lines III: Colombia as Commander Scott Boytano
The Butcher as Larry Cobb
Charlie Valentine as Sal
Against the Dark as Lt. Waters
Don McKay as Otis Kent
Beautiful Loser as Morgan - Adult
Blue as Terry Venable

2008

Superhero Movie as The Chief of Police Award
My Mom's New Boyfriend as FBI Chief Conrad
Justice League: The New Frontier as The Centre (voice)
The Sensei as Minister
First Sunday as Judge B. Bennet Galloway
S.I.S. as Joseph Armstrong
The Fifth Commandment as Max 'Coolbreeze' Templeton
No Bad Days as Terrence
The Candlelight Murders as Pastor Bob

2007

The Last Sentinel as Colonel Norton
Delta Farce as Sgt. Kilgore
If I Had Known I Was a Genius as Dad
The Color Purple: The Color of Success as Narrator (voice)

2006

ATL as John Garnett
Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil as MCPO Scott Boytano
Forbidden Fruits as Rev. Walters
Dirty as Captain Spain
The Oh in Ohio as Coach Popovitch
Working with a Master: John Carpenter as Self

2005

Mr. & Mrs. Smith as Father Award
Transporter 2 as Stappleton Award
Crash as Lt. Dixon Award
The Proud Family Movie as Bebe Clone (voice)

2004

The Chronicles of Riddick as Abu 'Imam' al-Walid
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London as CIA Director
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson as Narrator (voice)
Beef II as Narrator (voice)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury as Abu 'Imam' al-Walid (voice)
Creature Feature: 50 Years of the Gill-Man as Narrator (voice)
Last Stand of the Great Bear as Narrator (voice)

2003

Agent Cody Banks as CIA Director
Head of State as Bernard Cooper
Hollywood Homicide as Leon
Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked as Narrator (voice)
Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip as Narrator (voice)
The Shakespeare Sessions
Inside Mecca as Narrator (voice)
Nubia: The Forgotten Kingdom as Narrator (voice)

2002

Barbershop as Lester Wallace
29 Palms as The Sheriff
Ultimate Fights from the Movies as Frank (They Live) (archive footage)
Mark Twain as Narrator (voice)
Stalking Leopards as Narrator (voice)

2001

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as Council Member (voice)
Novocaine as Detective Lunt
Semper Fi as Gunnery Sgt. Brinkloff
Pretty When You Cry as Detective Charles Desett
Egypt's Golden Empire as Narrator
Boxing: In and Out of the Ring as Narrator (voice)
Home Invaders as Matador

2000

Requiem for a Dream as Big Tim Award
The Replacements as Lindell
Pitch Black as Abu 'Imam' al-Walid
Where the Heart Is as Moses Whitecotten
Innocents as Detective Davis

1999

ATF as FBI Director Richard Long
The Grizzlies of Siberia as Narrator (voice)

1998

Armageddon as General Kimsey Award
There's Something About Mary as Charlie Jensen Award
The Tiger Woods Story as Earl Woods

1997

Hercules as Apollo the Sun God (voice) Award
Volcano as Lt. Ed Fox
Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest as Algric Bartles
Don King: Only in America as Herbert Muhammad
Executive Target as Lamar
Flipping as Leo Richards, Gang Leader

1996

Eye for an Eye as Martin
Larger Than Life as Hurst
The Grave as The Priest
Gargoyles: The Heroes Awaken as Goliath (voice)
Johns as Homeless John
Never Met Picasso as Larry

1995

The Quick and the Dead as Sgt. Clay Cantrell
Clockers as André the Giant
Dead Presidents as Kirby
Blue in the Face as Jackie Robinson

1994

Reality Bites as Roger
The Puppet Masters as Alex Holland
Jewels of the Caribbean Sea as Narrator (voice)

1993

The Last Outlaw as Lovecraft
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Mystery of the Blues as King Oliver
Hallelujah as Big Willie
Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music as Self - Host
There Are No Children Here as John Paul Rivers
Lions Of Darkness as Narrator (voice)

1992

Final Analysis as Detective Huggins
Article 99 as Luther Jermoe
Nails as Noah Owens

1991

Hallelujah Anyhow as Will

1990

Marked for Death as Max
Men at Work as Louis Fedders
Murder in Black and White as Martin

1989

Road House as Ernie Bass
Always as Powerhouse

1988

They Live as Frank Armitage Award
Braddock: Missing in Action III as Embassy Gate Captain
Bird as Buster Franklin
Off Limits as Maurice
Stars & Bars as Eugene Teagarden
Ladykillers as Abe
Christmas in Tattertown as Saxophone (voice)
The Making of 'They Live' as Self

1987

Hot Pursuit as Alphonso

1986

Platoon as King Award
The Whoopee Boys as Washington Square Peddler

1982

The Thing as Childs Award

1980

The Pirates of Penzance as Pirates and Police

1979

Coriolanus as Aedile / Roman Citizen / Volscian Citizen

ATL 2: The Homecoming as John Garnett
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice as Sosa
The Thing Expanded as Self
Worst. Detectives. Ever. Making The Nice Guys as Self

Photos & Videos

Featured in Trailers

Mufasa: The Lion King
The Thing
Coraline
Platoon
From the Shadows
The Princess and the Frog
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Armageddon
Nope
Hercules

Career Statistics

Roles by Genre
Genre Evolution