Biography

Keith David was born in Harlem and he first knew he was going to become an actor after playing the Cowardly Lion in a school production of "The Wizard of Oz" and went on to study at Manhattan's School of Performing Arts. David later honed his craft touring the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company in productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Samuel Beckett's "Waiting For Godot." Less than two years later, he went on to star as Childs opposite Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's THE THING, and his lengthy on-screen career had begun. He went on to appear in films such as THEY LIVE (reuniting with his THING director, John Carpenter), ROAD HOUSE, MEN AT WORK, MARKED FOR DEATH, STARS AND BARS, and Oliver Stone's PLATOON. He played the character of Kirby, the one legged war veteran, in the acclaimed Hughes Brothers film DEAD PRESIDENTS and 1995 Spike Lee's film CLOCKERS and followed this up with roles in big films such as VOLCANO, ARMAGEDDON, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, PITCH BLACK, BARBERSHOP, AGENT CODY BANKS, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, and most recently in the award-winning CRASH and the film ATL.

He has also appeared in numerous independent films including the critically-acclaimed REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, playing the role of Big Tim and speaking the famous line "I know it's pretty baby, but I didn't take it out for air" to a desperate Jennifer Connelly. He has also appeared extensively in TV productions since the 1980s and as a regular character Lieutenant Williams on the TV series "The Job." Although known for his roles in films and TV, he has also done extensive voice-acting work, and is noted for his deep, commanding voice. Most recently, he won an Emmy for his narration for the documentary "The War" by Ken Burns.