Keke Palmer
Birthdate – August 26, 1993 (31 Years Old)
Birthplace – Harvey, Illinois, USA
Actor-singer Keke Palmer (birthname: Lauren Keyana Palmer) has fluidly balanced her acting and singing careers, devoting much of her feature film work to voice-acting for major animated movies, including Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear (2022), with Taika Waititi, Chris Evans, Dales Soules, and Peter Sohn.
Soon after appearing in a local Chicago stage production of The Lion King, Keke Palmer scored her first screen credit at ten years old in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, followed in 2006 by the starring role in Doug Atchison’s Akeelah and the Bee and a member of the ensemble in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion. She joined Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, and Eva Mendes in Renny Harlin’s Cleaner (2007), and co-starred with Ice Cube in The Longshots (2008). Palmer’s many voice-acting credits in animation include Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare (2008), the two Ice Age sequels Continental Draft (2012) and Collision Course (2016), as well as Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom (2012) and Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure (2013).
Keke Palmer was able to combine her acting and singing chops in Todd Graff’s Gospel-styled musical, Joyful Noise (2012), with Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, and Courtney B. Vance. Palmer co-starred in Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (2014), winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival audience award. Palmer joined producer Queen Latifah for Jamal Hill’s ensemble drama, Brotherly Love (2015), and continued her starring involvement in movies by independent filmmakers with Christine Crokos and her Pimp (2018). Palmer gained more fame as a co-star with Jennifer Lopez in Lorene Scafaria’s crime thriller, Hustlers (2019).
A busy 2022 for Keke Palmer the movie star was led by her role as Jill in Jordan Peele’s science fiction/horror/thriller/Western, Nope, with Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun; as the voice of Izzy in Lightyear; and as the title role in the slave drama (set in the 1970s!), Alice, with Common and Jonny Lee Miller. Palmer was set to co-star with Bill Murray and Seth Rogen in Aziz Ansari’s Being Mortal (2023) for Searchlight, though production was suspended in April 2022 because of a complaint of inappropriate behavior against Murray.
Videos
Personal Details
Born in the Chicago southside community of Harvey, Keke Palmer was raised by teacher Sharon Palmer and father Lawrence Palmer, who works in a factory and volunteers as a Catholic deacon. Her parents, who met each other in drama school, encouraged daughter Keke’s interests in singing and acting. Palmer has identified herself as sexually and gender fluid. She reported in 2020 that she suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome. Her height is 5’ 6”.
Filmography
Joyful Noise
Olivia Hill (2012)
Alice
Alice (2022)
Lightyear
Izzy Hawthorne (2022)
Nope
Emerald Haywood (2022)
Hustlers
Mercedes (2019)
One of Them Days
Dreux (2025)
Some Facts About Keke Palmer
Theater Landmark: Keke Palmer is not only the youngest woman to perform Cinderella on Broadway, but she was also the first Black woman to do so.
Preparation: In preparation for The Longshots (2008), Palmer trained for seven weeks with pro quarterbacks.
Try, Try Again: Determined to land the role of a spelling bee champ, Keke Palmer auditioned five times for Akeelah and the Bee until she got the part.
Recording Star: As a recording artist, Palmer has created two albums and 28 singles.
Awards
Winner, Best Actress in Comedy or Drama, Emmy Awards (2021); Nominee, Best Female Actor in TV movie/miniseries, Screen Actors Guild (2005).
