Quick Facts
Biography
Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele and for his five seasons as a cast member on MADtv. In 2014, he also had a recurring role in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo. His feature directorial debut, Get Out is set to be released on February 24, 2017.
Early and personal life
Peele was born in New York City, New York. His father is black, and his mother, Lucinda Williams, is white. He attended the Computer School in I.S. 44 for Junior High School and went on to attend The Calhoun School for high school, graduating in 1997. He then went on to attend Sarah Lawrence College as a member of the class of 2001.
Peele began dating Chelsea Peretti in 2013. They became engaged in November 2015. On April 26, 2016, Peretti announced on her Instagram that she and Peele had eloped.
Career
Peele regularly performed at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and The Second City in Chicago. He and Nicole Parker were well known for their musical duets at Boom Chicago. He portrayed a popular character called "Danish Supermodel Ute" during his time at Boom Chicago and hosted MTV's Comedy Weekend in 2002.
Peele appeared on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast as disqualified American Idol singer Jermaine Jones alongside Gillian Jacobs of Community.
MADtv
In 2003, Peele joined the cast of MADtv for its ninth season. Around the time Keegan-Michael Key joined the cast as a featured performer, it was assumed that Key would be chosen over Peele. The two of them ultimately were cast together after showing great comedic chemistry. Peele performed celebrity impersonations, which included favorites Caroll Spinney (as the voice of Big Bird), Ja Rule, James Brown, Flavor Flav, Justin Guarini, Montel Williams, Morgan Freeman, and Forest Whitaker.
Peele was absent for unknown reasons from the first four episodes of his second season on MADtv. He made a cameo in "Weird Al" Yankovic's video "White & Nerdy" with MADtv co-star Keegan-Michael Key.
Peele was nominated for a 2008 Emmy for his song "Sad Fitty Cent," a music video parody about 50 Cent lamenting over his rivalry with Kanye West. The lyrics were, according to the music video, written by Peele, and he was involved in arranging its music.
Peele appeared in a viral video titled "Hillary vs Obama" (which was shown as a MADtv sketch) where he and a Hillary Clinton supporter (played by short-term castmember Lisa Donovan) argue over whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would make a better president, only to get upstaged by a Rudy Giuliani supporter (played by Donovan's brother, Ben). Peele auditioned to be a castmember for Saturday Night Live when SNL producers were looking for someone to play Barack Obama (around the time when SNL and MADtv — and other scripted shows — were put on hiatus due to the 2007-2008 Writers' Guild of America strike). Peele remained at MADtv, and the role went to Fred Armisen until September 2012, when Jay Pharoah took over the role.
After five seasons on MADtv, Peele left the cast at the end of the 13th season.
Career after MADtv
In 2010, Peele co-starred in the FOX comedy pilot The Station and appeared with a recurring role in the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He had a supporting role in the David Wain-directed comedy Wanderlust, which was released on February 24, 2012.
Peele and his former MADtv castmate and friend Keegan-Michael Key starred in their own Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele, which began airing in 2012 and ended in 2015. In 2016, the pair starred in and produced their first film, Keanu.
Peele and Key have starred in two episodes of Epic Rap Battles of History. The first featured Peele as Martin Luther King Jr and Key as Mahatma Gandhi, while the second featured Peele as Muhammad Ali and Key as Michael Jordan.
Peele also appeared in a parody music video with Jane Lynch for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, playing the role of "state" in process of breaking up with Lynch's "church". Together with Key, he played an FBI agent in a recurring role in the 2014 FX crime drama Fargo. In an interview with People magazine, Peele stated that he wanted both his and Key's roles to add comic relief to the show.
Key and Peele will be working with Judd Apatow on a feature-length film for Universal Pictures.
Characters
| Character | Sketch | First appearance | Catch Phrase | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dontel LaMontrose | Inside Looking Out | "Mmm, mmm, mmm" "I love this woman!" | He is married to a white wife who makes racially insensitive remarks. | |
| Funkenstein's Monster | Dr. Funkenstein | |||
| Killbrain the Fury | Astroman & Killbrain | "ASStroman!" | The arch enemy of Astroman who has to take on demeaning jobs because his elaborate plans fail. | |
| Larvelle Dupree | Real Mother****ing Talk | He is one of Dollar Bill Montgomery's talk show guests. | ||
| Marcus Macleod | Scottish Warlord | He is a Scottish warlord who was violated by the English troops. | ||
| Melvin Dufrane | 911 Police Report | |||
| Noodles | Clownin' and Krumpin | "Krumping!!!" | He is an abusive krump dancer | |
| Stingray | Abercrombie and Fitch | Season 10 | He is an African American version of the Abercrombie and Fitch models/salesmen. | |
| Ty Gray | The Superstitious Knights | "Man up!" | ||
| Tyrone Conkling | Holly Meadow Estates | |||
| Leandro Kezeele | Fashion Surprise |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Boner Boyz! | D-Rock Peppers | Short film |
| 2010 | Little Fockers | EMT | |
| 2010 | 3B | Rob | Short film |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Rodney | |
| 2013 | The Sidekick | Sidecar Willy | Short film |
| 2016 | Keanu | Rell/Oil Dresden | Also writer and producer |
| 2016 | Storks | Beta Wolf (voice) | |
| 2017 | Get Out | — | Director and writer |
| 2017 | Captain Underpants | Melvin Sneedly (voice) | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2008 | MADtv | Various | 94 episodes Also writer |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Three-Card Monte Guy | Episode: "Extradition to Thailand" |
| 2009 | The Station | Joe | TV movie |
| 2010–2015 | Childrens Hospital | Dr. Brian | 10 episodes |
| 2011 | Love Bites | Eli | Episode: "Too Much Information" |
| 2012–2015 | Key & Peele | Himself / Various | 54 episodes Also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2013 | The Mindy Project | Nick | Episode: "Mindy's Minute" |
| 2013 | Workaholics | Mark | Episode: "The Worst Generation" |
| 2013 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Tan Fu | Episode: "Andy Samberg Wears a Plaid Shirt & Glasses" |
| 2013 | Axe Cop | Super Axe (voice) | Episode: "Super Axe" |
| 2013 | Modern Family | Derrick | Episode: "A Fair to Remember" |
| 2013–2014 | Kroll Show | Ref Rondy / Various Characters | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Bob's Burgers | Fanny / Sandy / Horace / Don (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Fargo | Special Agent Webb Pepper | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Drunk History | Percy Julian | Episode: "Montgomery, AL" |
| 2014 | Robot Chicken | Various voices | Episode: "Walking Dead Lobster" |
| 2015–2016 | Life in Pieces | Chad | 3 episodes: "Pilot", "Prison Baby Golf Picking", "Ponzi Sex Paris Bounce |
| 2015 | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Alan | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Big Mouth | (voice) |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "White & Nerdy" | Black gangster | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
| 2006 | "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" | Clown | "Panic! At The Disco" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | MADtv for "Sad Fits Cent" | Nominated |
| 2013 | Writers Guild of America Award | Best Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series | Key & Peele | Nominated |
| Won | ||||
| 2014 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Variety – Series or Special | Nominated | |
| American Comedy Award | Best Alternative Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Best Comedy Writing – TV | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | People's Choice Award | Favorite Sketch Comedy TV Show | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Sketch Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special | Key and Peele Super Bowl Special | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program | Key & Peele Presents Van and Mike: The Ascension | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Key & Peele | Nominated | |
| 2016 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Sketch Series | Won | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Nominated | |||