Keke Palmer Biography

Lauren Keyana Palmer, better known as 'Keke', is an American actress, singer and television personality. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and other facts related to her life.

Quick Facts

Birthday: August 26, 1993

Nationality: American

Famous: Black Women Black Actresses

Age: 26 Years, 26 Year Old Females

Sun Sign: Virgo

Also Known As: Lauren Keyana Palmer, Lauren 'Keke' Palmer, Lauren Keyana

Born in: Harvey, Illinois, United States

Famous as: Actress

Height: 5'6" (168 cm), 5'6" Females

Family:

father: Larry Palmer

mother: Sharon Palmer

siblings: Lawrence Palmer, Lawrencia Palmer, Loreal Palmer

U.S. State: Illinois

Continue Reading Below

Recommended For You

Identify These Actors

Lauren Keyana Palmer, better known as 'Keke', is an American actress, singer and television personality. She has been passionate about both singing and acting since she was a child. Starting with a small role in the film 'Barbershop 2: Back in Business' at the age of nine, she went on to appear in a host of films and television shows. She took the entertainment world by storm with her performance in 'The Wool Cap' and 'Akeelah and the Bee'. She played the lead role in the TV series 'True Jackson, VP' and is currently a main cast of another show, 'Scream Queens'. She is the voice of a main character in the 'Ice Age' animated movie series. As a singer, she has sung a number of songs in her shows and films, and has released two studio albums, two EPs, and three mixtapes. A philanthropist, Keke Palmer works to raise awareness about education among young children as part of the charity program 'Cool To Be Smart'. To combat bullying and abuse worldwide, she has also worked with 'Saving Our Daughters' & the YWCA.

Image Credit

Recommended Lists:

African American Women

African American Actress

Continue Reading Below

Keke Palmer

Image Credit

Childhood & Early Life

Keke Palmer was born on August 26, 1993, in Harvey, Illinois, to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former professional actors. Her father works for a polyurethane company, while her mother is a high school teacher working with autistic children.
As a child, she urged her mother to let her sing solo in the church choir. At the age of five, she surprised everyone with her rendition of 'Jesus Loves Me'. At the age of six, she gave a solo performance in her kindergarten play and moved the audience with her voice.
When she was nine, she auditioned for the stage production of 'The Lion King'. She was not selected as she was too young for the role, but the casting director had praised her talents.
During this time she begged her family to move to Los Angeles (LA), so that she can seek more acting opportunities. Her parents were convinced that she has a future in show business after they realized that casting directors were eager to cast her.
Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

Top

Career

Even though Keke Palmer was very passionate about singing since she was a child, she got her first break in 2004 as an actor, in 'Barbershop 2: Back in Business'. She played the niece of the character played by Queen Latifah.
Six weeks after relocating to LA, she booked a role in an episode of the CBS series 'Cold Case' (2004). Within a year, she appeared in a national K-Mart commercial and was selected via a national search program to play opposite William H. Macy in the movie, 'The Wool Cap'. Her performance in the movie earned her critical acclaim.
During this time, in an attempt to establish herself as a singer, she participated in the 'American Idol' spin-off series 'American Juniors', which was later cancelled. In 2005, she was signed by Atlantic Records and released her debut single, 'All My Girlz', which was later included in the soundtrack of 'Akeelah and the Bee'.
In 2005, she appeared in the television film 'Knights of the South Bronx'. The same year, she also made guest appearances on three TV series, 'Second Time Around', 'ER' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
In 2006, she was cast in the lead role of 'Akeelah Anderson' in the award-winning film 'Akeelah and the Bee'. She charmed critics and the audience with her portrayal of a poor bright girl who attempts to win 'Scripps National Spelling Bee'. The same year, she got a supporting role in the film 'Madea's Family Reunion'.
She performed in front of thousands of people for the first time in November 2006, in Carson, California for VH1's 'Save the Music' Battle of the High School Marching Bands competition. Later, she also featured in the music video for the song 'Runaway Love' by Ludacris and Mary J. Blige. The same year, her song 'Tonight' was featured as the first song in the end credits of the movie 'Night at the Museum'.
In 2007, she got the lead role of Mary in the Disney Channel Original Movie 'Jump In!', which featured her songs 'It's My Turn Now' and 'Jumpin''. She also played a supporting role in the thriller 'Cleaner', alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes.
Continue Reading Below
Her debut album, 'So Uncool' was released on September 18, 2007, led by the single 'Footworkin''. Despite positive reviews, the album performed poorly on the 'Billboard' charts.
In 2008, she was cast in the lead role in the Nickelodeon sitcom 'True Jackson, VP'. Palmer also performed the theme song for the show. The same year, she played lead roles in the films 'The Longshots' and 'Shrink'.
She moved from Atlantic Records to Interscope Records in 2010. The next year, she released her first mixtape, 'Awaken', containing the single 'The One You Call'. Her self-titled second mixtape was released in 2012.
From 2011 to 2014 she had a main voice role in the Nickelodeon series 'Winx Club'. She also lent her voice to the character Peaches in the 2012 animation movie 'Ice Age: Continental Drift'. That year she once again acted alongside Queen Latifah in the film 'Joyful Noise' and also produced and starred in the Nickelodeon musical 'Rags'.
One of her recent big roles has been in the Fox horror series 'Scream Queens'. She has been portraying the main character of Zayday Williams for two seasons since 2015.

Recommended Lists:

Top

Major Works

Her portrayal of the lead character in 'Akeelah and the Bee' gave Keke Palmer recognition early on in her career. While some critics compared the film to 'Rocky', others commented that Palmer stole the movie from star actors Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.
The Nickelodeon show 'True Jackson, VP' is considered one of her major works. During the series, she became the fourth highest paid child actor on TV, with $20,000 salary per episode.

Recommended Lists:

American Actresses

Actresses Who Are In Their 20s

American Women Singers

Women Film & Theater Personalities

Top

Awards & Achievements

Keke Palmer's performance in the movie 'The Wool Cap' earned her a 'Screen Actors Guild' nomination in 2004. At the age of ten, she was the youngest actress ever to receive a nomination in a 'Lead Actor' category, and she still holds the record.
For her role in 'Akeelah and the Bee', she has received a number of awards, including 'NAACP Image Awards', 'Chicago Film Critics Association Awards', 'Black Movie Awards' and 'Young Artist Award'. She has also received four 'NAACP Image Awards' for 'True Jackson, VP'.

Recommended Lists:

American Film & Theater Personalities

American Female Film & Theater Personalities

Virgo Women

Top

Personal Life & Legacy

Keke Palmer dated Rodney King for three years from 2010 to 2013. She had a crush on him since she saw him on the set of 'True Jackson, VP' in 2008.
She has been dating actor Quincy Brown since October 2013. However, it has been reported that she is currently single.

Top

Trivia

During the audition of 'Akeelah and the Bee', it took Keke Palmer five attempts to convince the director. For her role in 'The Longshots', she had to train with a professional quarterback for 7 weeks.

Top

Keke Palmer Movies