Keke Palmer
- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer was born on August 26, 1993 in Harvey, Illinois and raised in Robbins, Illinois to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former actors. Palmer showed vocal promise as a five-year-old, when she
belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir. A year later the
singer-actress had a solo in her kindergarten play but, to her mom's
dismay, the mike had not been adjusted to suit her daughter's height.
Without missing a beat, Palmer lowered the mike and moved the crowd
with her heavenly voice. At that very moment, her family knew there was
something special about Keke (a nickname given to her by her sister).
Although music was still her passion, Palmer's first big break came via
her acting skills, making her big-screen debut in
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) as Queen Latifah's niece. Immediately
recognizing her star potential, the film's producers encouraged her
parents to take their daughter to California to explore other acting
opportunities. Relocating required that Palmer's parents leave behind
the security of their jobs, a newly purchased home and uproot their
other three children. However, it didn't diminish the family's support
of Palmer's aspirations.
Once settled on the West Coast, Palmer did not waste any time. Within
six weeks she had booked an episode of the critically acclaimed CBS
series Cold Case (2003), a national
K-Mart commercial and was chosen from a nationwide search to play
opposite William H. Macy in a TNT movie,
The Wool Cap (2004). Her
performance was so amazing that it earned her a Screen Actors Guild
nomination--to date, she is the youngest actress (then at age ten) ever
to receive a nomination in a Lead Actress Category.
In 2006 Palmer appeared as the lead character "Akeelah Anderson" in the
critically acclaimed, award-winning film
Akeelah and the Bee (2006).
The film, about a young South Los Angeles girl who attempts to win a
national spelling bee, won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Her
breakthrough performance has received praise from many film critics and
organizations. Among the list of nominations received, "Akeelah and the
Bee" was listed as one of NBR's 2006 Top Independent Films of the Year,
as well as four nominations from the NAACP Image Awards. Palmer, alone,
won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion
Picture, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture by the
Black Movie Awards. She has also received nominations for Most
Promising Newcomer by the Chicago Film Critics, Best Actress by the
Black Reel Awards, and Best Young Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics
Association. Keke held her own in scenes with veteran co-stars
Angela Bassett and
Laurence Fishburne.
That very same year, Palmer appeared in
Tyler Perry's
Madea's Family Reunion (2006),
which was #1 at the box office for two consecutive weeks. Palmer went
on to win a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion
Picture for her breakout role in "Akeelah and the Bee". She also
received a ShoWest Award for Rising Star of the Year. Shortly after,
Palmer lit up the small screen starring in the Disney Channel's hit
movie, Jump in! (2007). This
one-two punch of big-screen success coupled with small screen ratings
power made Keke Palmer a household name in Hollywood.
Palmer contributed her first recording, which was featured on the
"Akeelah and the Bee" soundtrack, titled "All My Girlz", and followed
it up with the ever popular "My Turn Now" on the "Jump In!" soundtrack.
As if two soundtracks were not enough, she was also asked to sing
"Tonight", an end title song from the smash-hit
Ben Stiller movie,
Night at the Museum (2006).
Her Atlantic Records debut album, "So Uncool", is jammed with up-tempo
R&B tracks, inspirational moments, and love songs. In 2008, Palmer
starred in the Weinstein Co. feature,
The Longshots (2008). The film was
based on the true story of a young female quarterback, played by
Palmer, that makes Pop Warner history; she starred opposite
Ice Cube, for first time director and
Limp Bizkit front man,
Fred Durst.
Palmer also starred as the title character in the hit Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP (2008), for 68 episodes. She played a high-school student who becomes the head of a major fashion label. In the fall of 2008, "True Jackson" bowed with over 4.8 million viewers, setting a record for Nickelodeon's largest audience for a live-action premiere. She has received four NAACP Awards for Best Actress in Children's Television for her role as "True Jackson". In 2011, Keke joined the voice cast of Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2004). She played Aisha, the Fairy of Waves. For her voice work on Winx Club, she received another NAACP Award nomination, this time for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special.
Keke starred in the movie,
Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012),
for the Lifetime Network. She had a voice role in the 20th Century Fox
animated film,
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012),
as the character "Peaches". Her co-stars include
Ray Romano,
John Leguizamo,
Denis Leary,
Jennifer Lopez and
Queen Latifah.
Palmer was seen on the big screen in the Alcon/Warner Bros movie,
Joyful Noise (2012), singing
alongside legendary Queen Latifah and
Dolly Parton, however, it was Palmer who
the critics singled out for her "young and inspiring" rendition of the
Michael Jackson song, "Man in
the Mirror".
Palmer resides in Los Angeles, CA.
belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir. A year later the
singer-actress had a solo in her kindergarten play but, to her mom's
dismay, the mike had not been adjusted to suit her daughter's height.
Without missing a beat, Palmer lowered the mike and moved the crowd
with her heavenly voice. At that very moment, her family knew there was
something special about Keke (a nickname given to her by her sister).
Although music was still her passion, Palmer's first big break came via
her acting skills, making her big-screen debut in
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) as Queen Latifah's niece. Immediately
recognizing her star potential, the film's producers encouraged her
parents to take their daughter to California to explore other acting
opportunities. Relocating required that Palmer's parents leave behind
the security of their jobs, a newly purchased home and uproot their
other three children. However, it didn't diminish the family's support
of Palmer's aspirations.
Once settled on the West Coast, Palmer did not waste any time. Within
six weeks she had booked an episode of the critically acclaimed CBS
series Cold Case (2003), a national
K-Mart commercial and was chosen from a nationwide search to play
opposite William H. Macy in a TNT movie,
The Wool Cap (2004). Her
performance was so amazing that it earned her a Screen Actors Guild
nomination--to date, she is the youngest actress (then at age ten) ever
to receive a nomination in a Lead Actress Category.
In 2006 Palmer appeared as the lead character "Akeelah Anderson" in the
critically acclaimed, award-winning film
Akeelah and the Bee (2006).
The film, about a young South Los Angeles girl who attempts to win a
national spelling bee, won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Her
breakthrough performance has received praise from many film critics and
organizations. Among the list of nominations received, "Akeelah and the
Bee" was listed as one of NBR's 2006 Top Independent Films of the Year,
as well as four nominations from the NAACP Image Awards. Palmer, alone,
won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion
Picture, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture by the
Black Movie Awards. She has also received nominations for Most
Promising Newcomer by the Chicago Film Critics, Best Actress by the
Black Reel Awards, and Best Young Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics
Association. Keke held her own in scenes with veteran co-stars
Angela Bassett and
Laurence Fishburne.
That very same year, Palmer appeared in
Tyler Perry's
Madea's Family Reunion (2006),
which was #1 at the box office for two consecutive weeks. Palmer went
on to win a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion
Picture for her breakout role in "Akeelah and the Bee". She also
received a ShoWest Award for Rising Star of the Year. Shortly after,
Palmer lit up the small screen starring in the Disney Channel's hit
movie, Jump in! (2007). This
one-two punch of big-screen success coupled with small screen ratings
power made Keke Palmer a household name in Hollywood.
Palmer contributed her first recording, which was featured on the
"Akeelah and the Bee" soundtrack, titled "All My Girlz", and followed
it up with the ever popular "My Turn Now" on the "Jump In!" soundtrack.
As if two soundtracks were not enough, she was also asked to sing
"Tonight", an end title song from the smash-hit
Ben Stiller movie,
Night at the Museum (2006).
Her Atlantic Records debut album, "So Uncool", is jammed with up-tempo
R&B tracks, inspirational moments, and love songs. In 2008, Palmer
starred in the Weinstein Co. feature,
The Longshots (2008). The film was
based on the true story of a young female quarterback, played by
Palmer, that makes Pop Warner history; she starred opposite
Ice Cube, for first time director and
Limp Bizkit front man,
Fred Durst.
Palmer also starred as the title character in the hit Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP (2008), for 68 episodes. She played a high-school student who becomes the head of a major fashion label. In the fall of 2008, "True Jackson" bowed with over 4.8 million viewers, setting a record for Nickelodeon's largest audience for a live-action premiere. She has received four NAACP Awards for Best Actress in Children's Television for her role as "True Jackson". In 2011, Keke joined the voice cast of Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2004). She played Aisha, the Fairy of Waves. For her voice work on Winx Club, she received another NAACP Award nomination, this time for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special.
Keke starred in the movie,
Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012),
for the Lifetime Network. She had a voice role in the 20th Century Fox
animated film,
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012),
as the character "Peaches". Her co-stars include
Ray Romano,
John Leguizamo,
Denis Leary,
Jennifer Lopez and
Queen Latifah.
Palmer was seen on the big screen in the Alcon/Warner Bros movie,
Joyful Noise (2012), singing
alongside legendary Queen Latifah and
Dolly Parton, however, it was Palmer who
the critics singled out for her "young and inspiring" rendition of the
Michael Jackson song, "Man in
the Mirror".
Palmer resides in Los Angeles, CA.
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