Keith Powell (born 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.
Keith Powell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) |
| Alma mater | New York University (BFA) |
| Spouse | Jill Knox (m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
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, chronicling Powell's foray into directing Uncle Vanya at a fictional repertory theatre group.[7] 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.[8]
Powell recurred on the final season of The Newsroom.[9] 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.[10]
Powell began his television directing career in March 2018 with the season 3 episode "Amnesty" of the NBC television series Superstore.[11]
Personal life
In October 2013, Powell married visual artist Jill Knox.[12][13] In 2019, Powell and Knox announced the birth of their first child, a daughter.[14] Powell and Knox live in Los Angeles.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Dog Eat Dog | Raleigh Fitzsimmons | short |
| 2003 | Law and Order: Criminal Intent | Gregg Monroe | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Jargon | Our Hero | short |
| 2005 | Law & Order | Mike | 1 episode |
| 2006-2013 | 30 Rock | Toofer | 130 episodes |
| 2007 | Judy's Got a Gun | Brad Wilkes | TV movie |
| 2008 | Last Comic Standing | Talent Scout | 1 episode |
| Best Week Ever | Himself | 1 episode | |
| I Love the New Millennium | Himself | 8 episodes | |
| 2009 | Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | Tuskegee Airman #1 | |
| Black to the Future | Himself | ||
| The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Armless | Hotel Receptionist | ||
| Reno 911! | Innocent Black Man | 1 episode | |
| 2012 | House Hunters | Himself[15] | |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | Robert Pierce | 1 episode | |
| 2013 | Syrup | Cameron | |
| 2014 | About a Boy | Richard | 6 episodes |
| The Newsroom | Wyatt Geary | 2 episodes | |
| 2015 | My Name Is David | David | |
| Keith Broke His Leg | Himself | 10 episodes | |
| 2016 | Deadbeat | Lonathan | 1 episode |
| Odd Squad: The Movie | Weird Team member | ||
| 2018 | Superstore | Director | |
| 2019 | Lucifer | 1 episode | |
| Better Things (TV series) | 1 episode | ||
| Grace and Frankie | Jordan | 1 episode |
References
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Rants & Reviews - The Futon's First Look: "Judy's Got a Gun" (ABC) - TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- ^ Stidham, Lindsay (2008-10-08). "30 Rock's Keith Powell 'Directs a Play'… For Real!". Tubefilter News. 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.com. 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. "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.
- ^ "New Coast, New House, New Kitchen". House Hunters. Season 1. Episode 10. HGTV. Retrieved January 6, 2013.