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Keke Palmer

Acting

Born August 26, 1993 · Harvey, Illinois, USA

Also known as کیکی پالمر · Lauren Keyana Palmer

Biography

Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (/ˈkiːki/ KEE-kee; born August 26, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Time magazine included her on its list of most influential people in the world in 2019. Palmer debuted as a child with roles in the films Barbershop 2: Back in Business and The Wool Cap (both 2004) before achieving her breakthrough role as Akeelah Anderson in the drama film Akeelah and the Bee (2006). Her career progressed with roles in films such as Madea's Family Reunion (2006), Jump In! (2007), The Longshots (2008), and Shrink (2009), and the release of her debut studio album So Uncool (2007). She rose to prominence on Nickelodeon, playing the title character in the sitcom True Jackson, VP (2008–2011), providing the voice of Aisha in the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club (2011–2014), and headlining the television film Rags (2012). Palmer transitioned to mainstream roles with the VH1 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013) and afterwards made her Broadway debut as Ella in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (2014–2015). She has since starred in the Fox satirical horror series Scream Queens (2015–2016), the Epix drama series Berlin Station (2017–2019), and the slasher series Scream (2019). Her film roles include Animal (2014), Pimp (2018), Hustlers (2019), Nope (2022), and One of Them Days (2025), with the last two earning her critical attention. As a singer, Palmer has released five extended plays. In addition to acting, she has hosted the talk shows Just Keke (2014) and Strahan, Sara, and Keke (2019–2020) and the game show Password since 2022. In 2024, she released her second book, Master of Me, a hybrid memoir and self-help manual. Description above from the Wikipedia article Keke Palmer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special · 2012
  • NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special · 2011
  • NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special · 2010
  • NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special · 2009
  • NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Motion Picture · 2007
Show all 8 awards →
  • Young Artist AwardBest Performance in a TV Series - Leading Young Actress · 2007
  • Chicago Film Critics Association Awards · 2006
  • Young Artist AwardBest Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Leading Young Actress · 2005 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Grey's Anatomy

2005as Sheryll Jeffries

Star

2016as Gigi

Celebrity Family Feud

2015as Self

True Jackson, VP

2008as True Jackson

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999as Tasha Wright

Scream Queens

2015as Zayday Williams

Cold Case

2003as Arlene (1939)

ER

1994as Janell Parkerson

MTV Video Music Awards

as Self - Host

Key and Peele

2012as Malia's Anger Translator

Abducted: The Carlina White Story

2012as Carlina White

Big Mouth

2017

Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story

2013as Rozanda 'Chilli' Thomas

Bubble Guppies

2006as Stylee (voice)

Degrassi

2001as Keke Palmer

Explained

2018as Narrator (voice)

What the Fit

as Self

Strong Medicine

2000as Sarina

Family Guy

1999as Pam (voice)

Under the Boardwalk

2023as Ramona (voice)

Rags

2012as Kadee Worth

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

2012as Self - Guest Judge

Berlin Station

2016as April Lewis

The Afterparty

2022as 'Danner'

Insecure

2016as Kira

Grease Live

2016as Marty

Hot Ones

2015as Self - Guest

Masters of Sex

2013as Coral

Akeelah and the Bee

2006as Akeelah Anderson

Brotherly Love

2015as Jackie Taylor

Good Fortune

2025as Elena

Lightyear

2022as Izzy Hawthorne (voice)

Scream: The TV Series

2015as Kym

Good Mythical Morning

2012as Self

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Host

Halftime

2022as Self

Nope

2022as Emerald Haywood

One of Them Days

2025as Dreux

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy

2024as Dr. Klak (voice)

American Idol

as Self - Guest Judge/Mentor

Human Resources

2022as Rochelle Hillhurst (voice)

2 Minutes of Fame

2020as Sky

Imperial Dreams

2014as Samaara

Hustlers

2019as Mercedes

The Longshots

2008as Jasmine

Not So Pretty

as Narrator (voice)

The Pickup

2025as Zoe

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self - Guest

Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade

2016as Peaches (voice)

Ice Age: Continental Drift

2012as Peaches (voice)