| Birth date | August 12, 1979 (age 47) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University (BFA) |
| Spouse | Jill Knox (m. 2013) |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Keith Powell (born August 12, 1979)[1] is an American television actor, writer, director, and web series creator, known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on 30 Rock, and for creating and starring in the web series Keith Broke His Leg, for which he won several Indie Series Awards in 2016.
Early life and education
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Powell later moved to California before graduating from St. Mark's High School in Wilmington, Delaware.[2][3] Powell then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2001.[4]
Career
Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware.[5] His producing credits include New York productions of The Mouse That Roared, Enter Pissarro, Indra & Agni Collide and a workshop of Kidding Jane with Ellen McLaughlin and William Charles Mitchell. Powell was the resident director for Equalogy, a professional touring company promoting social change, for which he directed two plays by August Schulenberg, Four Hearts Changing and One Night.
His other directing credits include Dutchman, Quality of Silence, The Visit and Enter Pissarro. As an actor, Powell has appeared in numerous national network commercials. His theatre credits include Romeo & Juliet (The Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, D.C.), Kidding Jane (Portland Stage Company), Macbeth (Pittsburgh Public Theater), As Bees in Honey Drown (Hangar Theater, Ithaca, New York), and The French (HB Playwrights Foundation, NYC) among others.[1]
In the spring of 2007, while working as a recurring character on 30 Rock, he shot an ABC pilot called Judy's Got A Gun.[6] It was not picked up for the Fall 2007 season, and Powell returned to 30 Rock, where he was promoted to a series regular. In October 2008, Powell launched and starred in a self-funded web series called Keith Powell Directs a Play (co-written and directed by Patrick Flynn[7]), chronicling Powell's foray into directing Uncle Vanya at a fictional repertory theatre group.[8] In 2009, Powell was a guest commentator on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s, and also played a Tuskegee Airman in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
In 2014, Powell began a recurring role on the television series About a Boy as Richard, Will's workaholic friend, accountant, and business manager.[9]
Powell recurred on the final season of The Newsroom.[10] He appeared in the feature film My Name Is David. In 2015, he created, wrote, directed, and starred in the web series Keith Broke His Leg. The series went on to win several Indie Series Awards, including Best Comedy Series and Best Actor in a Comedy.[11]
Powell began his television directing career in March 2018 with the season three episode "Amnesty" of the NBC television series Superstore.[12] He has since directed episodes of Dickinson, Single Drunk Female, Interview with the Vampire, and So Help Me Todd.
Personal life
In October 2013, Powell married visual artist Jill Knox.[13][14] They had a son who was stillborn. In 2019, Powell and Knox announced the birth of their daughter.[15] In 2021, they welcomed a boy.[citation needed] Powell and Knox live in Los Angeles.[citation needed]
Filmography
Film
Actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | Tuskegee Airman #1 | |
| 2010 | Armless | Hotel Receptionist | |
| 2013 | Syrup | Cameron | |
| 2015 | Train Baby | David | |
| 2016 | Odd Squad: The Movie | Weird Keith | |
| 2019 | The Way We Weren't | Dan | |
| 2019 | Lying and Stealing | Mike Williams | |
| 2020 | To the Beat! Back 2 School | Mr. Richards | |
| 2021 | Marvelous and the Black Hole | Leo | |
| 2021 | The Beta Test | Terrance | |
| 2022 | Spoonful of Sugar | Dr. Welsh |
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nate & Abe | Short |
| 2014 | People We Meet | Short |
| 2019 | Sophie's Quinceañera | Short |
| 2019 | Convenience | Short |
| 2020 | Dosed | Short |
| 2021 | In White Places | Short |
| 2026 | Buttercup Pudding Pie | Short |
Television
Actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Gregg Monroe | Episode: "Blink" |
| 2005 | Law & Order | Mike | Episode: "Ain't No Love" |
| 2006–2013 | 30 Rock | James "Toofer" Spurlock | 130 episodes |
| 2007 | Judy's Got a Gun | Brad Wilkes | Television film |
| 2008–2009 | Keith Powell Directs a Play | Keith Powell | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Innocent Black Man | Episode: "Wiegel's Couple's Therapy" |
| 2012 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Robert Pierce | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 2014 | The Newsroom | Wyatt Geary | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | About a Boy | Richard | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Deadbeat | Cashier / Lonathan | Episode: "Medieval Dead" |
| 2018 | Cape Kids | Acer | Episode: "Ignite Good to Help the Environment" |
| 2019 | Better Things | Keith Powell | Episode: "The Unknown" |
| 2019 | The Room Actors: Where Are They Now? | Norman | Episode: "Stay at home Dan" |
| 2020 | Grace and Frankie | Jordan | Episode: "The Tank" |
| 2020 | Connecting | Garrett | 8 episodes |
| 2020 | 30 Rock: A One-Time Special | James "Toofer" Spurlock | Television special |
| 2020, 2021 | This Is Us | Dr. Vance | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Little Demon | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2023-present | Shrinking | Mark | 4 episodes |
| 2026 | R.J. Decker | Bob Vernon | Episode: "In Vanity Veritas" |
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Keith Powell Directs a Play | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Keith Broke His Leg | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | Superstore | Episode: "Amnesty" |
| 2021 | A Holiday in Harlem | TV movie |
| 2021 | Dickinson | Episode: "Sang from the Heart, Sire" |
| 2022 | Single Drunk Female | Episode: "New York" |
| 2022 | Interview with the Vampire | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | So Help Me Todd | Episode: "Let the Wright One In" |
| 2022 | Home Economics | Episode: "Wheel of Vegan Brie, $24" |
| 2022 | Big Sky | Episode: "Where There's Smoke There's Fire" |
| 2023 | Young Rock | Episode: "Going Heavy" |
| 2023 | Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. | Episode: "I'm Just a Mom" |
| 2023–present | Keith vs | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Not Dead Yet | Episode: "Not in the Game Yet" |
| 2024–present | Will Trent | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Clean Slate | Episode: "Chrome Jesus" |
References
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (March 29, 2005). "Wilmington's Contemporary Stage Lures Richard Easton and Keith David, for Restoring the Sun and Harlem-Set Fourposter". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
...Powell, the 25-year-old African-American actor-producer...
- ^ Virtel, Louis (December 2, 2010). "Keith Powell on the 30 Rock Writers Room, Tina Fey's Rise to Fame and the Science of Cheers" (interview). MovieLine
- ^ TV.com. "Keith Powell". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
- ^ Reinhardt, Ciarán & Cummins, Ian (August 4, 2010). "Keith Powell Interview" (interview). Pop Culture Monster
- ^ Stowe, Brook (30 January 2019). New York Theater Review. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781411664838. – via Google Books.
- ^ "Rants & Reviews - The Futon's First Look: "Judy's Got a Gun" (ABC) - TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com
- ^ "30 Rock's Keith Powell Directs a Play". Tubefilter. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Stidham, Lindsay (2008-10-08). "30 Rock's Keith Powell 'Directs a Play'… For Real!". Tubefilter News. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ Gelman, Vlada (March 3, 2014). "TVLine Items: Justified Fave Joins CBS Drama, Orphan Black's Latest Killer Promo and More". TVLine. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ "India Ennenga Joins A&E's 'The Returned', Keith Powell Added To 'The Newsroom'". Deadline Hollywood. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "7th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Indieseriesawards.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (18 March 2018). "Love in the time of late capitalism: how Superstore revived will-they/won't-they romance". Vox
- ^ Eggenberger, Nicole (18 July 2012). "30 Rock's Keith Powell Is Engaged to Jill Knox". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ Oliveira, Denise (October 18, 2013). "A Shy and Logical Guy Finds His Open and Wild Match". The New York Times
- ^ Ali, Rasha. "'After 5 years of trying' Keith Powell and wife Jill Knox announce birth of baby girl". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-17.