Keith Powell

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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
Born1979 (age 44–45)
Alma materNew York University (BFA)
SpouseJill Knox (m. 2013)
Children1

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 1 episode
Grace & Frankie 1 episode

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ TV.com. "Keith Powell". TV.com.
  4. ^ Reinhardt, Ciarán; Cummins, Ian (August 4, 2010). "Keith Powell Interview" (interview). Pop Culture Monster.
  5. ^ Stowe, Brook (30 January 2019). "New York Theater Review". Lulu.com – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Rants & Reviews - The Futon's First Look: "Judy's Got a Gun" (ABC) - TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
  7. ^ Stidham, Lindsay (2008-10-08). "30 Rock's Keith Powell 'Directs a Play'… For Real!". Tubefilter News. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "India Ennenga Joins A&E's 'The Returned', Keith Powell Added To 'The Newsroom'". Deadline.com. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  10. ^ "7th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Indieseriesawards.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  11. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (18 March 2018). "Love in the time of late capitalism: how Superstore revived will-they/won't-they romance". Vox.
  12. ^ Eggenberger, Nicole. "30 Rock's Keith Powell Is Engaged to Jill Knox". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Oliveira, Denise (October 18, 2013). "A Shy and Logical Guy Finds His Open and Wild Match". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Ali, Rasha. "'After 5 years of trying' Keith Powell and wife Jill Knox announce birth of baby girl". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  15. ^ "New Coast, New House, New Kitchen". House Hunters. Season 1. Episode 10. HGTV. Retrieved January 6, 2013.