KEKEPalmer

KEKE Palmer
BIOGRAPHY
As an actress, Keke Palmer has already established herself as one of the fasted rising young stars of her generation. Her talents span
film, television, and music alike.
Palmer was the title character in the Lions Gate Films/Starbucks Entertainment sleeper hit Akeelah and the Bee, opposite actor
Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. In the movie, Palmer plays Akeelah Anderson, an eleven year-old girl who participates in the
Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her breakthrough performance has received praise from many film critics and organizations. Among
the list of nominations received, Akeelah and the Bee was listed as one of NBR’s 2006 Top Independent Films of the Year as well as
four nominations from the NAACP Image Awards. Palmer alone won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Motion Picture as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture by the Black Movie Awards. She has also received nominations
for Most Promising Newcomer by the Chicago Film Critics, Best Actress by the Black Reel Awards, and Best Young Actress by the
Broadcast Film Critics Association.
On the small screen, Palmer starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In! in January of 2007. The premiere broke the
network records for an original television movie premiere with 8.2 million viewers and stood as basic cable’s most-watched program for
the entire day. Palmer is also featured on the movie’s sound track and is the only artist with two songs on the album. The sound track
landed at the top of the charts as the third best selling album in its first week of release and remained in the top 10 for over a month.
In 2007, Palmer’s debut pop/R&B alum So Uncool dropped for Atlantic Records. In support of the release, she embarked on a twelve
city tour with the WNBA where she performed songs from her debut album So Uncool as the half-time special entertainment as well as
headlining Disney’s 2007 Jingle Jam Tour. Palmer also signed a music publishing deal with Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company,
Inc. In 2007 as well as signing on to headline Sanrio Inc.’s official Hello Kitty CD with the track Come On, Come On released in late
2008.
Keke starred opposite Sam Jackson and Eva Mendes in The Cleaner. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film
Festival to strong reviews. In 2008, Miss Palmer received rave reviews for her performance in The Longshots, a true story about the
first female to quarterback an all boys football team to Pop Warner Nationals.
Palmer began her career with a small role in the feature film Barbershop 2: Back in Business at the age of nine, opposite Queen
Latifah. That role led to a series of guest-starring roles on television shows like Strong Medicine, Cold Case, ER, and Law & Order.
She later went on to star in the Emmy-Nominated made for TV movie The Wool Cap, opposite William H. Macy. Her performance in
The Wool Cap earned her a NAACP Image Award as well as a devoted Screen Actors Guild nomination in the Best Leading Actress
category, alongside Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, Glen Close, and Patricia Heaton. This nomination put Palmer in the record books
as the youngest actor to ever be nomination by the Guild in a Lead Actor category.
Her other film and TV credits include co-starring in the made for television movie Knights of the South Bronx with Ted Danson, a pilot
for her own show on Disney Channel, Keke & Jamal, and the Lionsgate film Medea’s Family Reunion starring Tyler Perry, Cicely Tyson,
and Dr. Maya Angelou.
Keke can be seen as the star of her very own hit television show, True Jackson, V.P. on the Nickelodeon Network. It’s about a fifteenyear old girl named True Jackson (Palmer) who becomes a vice president at a billion doller fashion company. When it debuted in
November 2008, over 5 million tuned in to watch, making it the largest debut in Nickelodeon’s 29 year history! Recently, Keke was
honored with a NAACP Image Award as Best Actress in a Children’s Program for her role as True Jackson. Miss Palmer can also be
seen on the big screen playing opposite Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams in the feature film Shrink which was a croud pleaser at
Sundance.
Being a humanitarian is nothing new to Palmer, dating back to her critically acclaimed performance as Akeelah Anderson, she has
always been associated with organizations that work to bring awareness and social change to improvised communities throughout the
world. Starting this fall of 2011, Keke will be working side by side with Saving Our Daughters & the YWCA USA to help combat bullying
& abuse worldwide.
MOVIES
FILM
ROLE
STUDIO
Joyful Noise
Olivia
Alcon/Warner Brothers
Ice Age 4
Peaches
Fox
Rags
Kadee
Nickelodeon
Shrink
Jemma
Lionsgate
The Longshots
Jasmine Plummer
Dimension/MGM
Cleaner
Rose Cutler
Anonymous Content
Akeelah and the Bee
Akeelah Anderson
Lionsgate
Madea’s Family Reunion
Nikki
Lionsgate
Jump In
Mary Thomas
Disney Channel
Knights of the South Bronx
Kenya Russell
A&E
Wool Cap
Lou
TNT/Paramount
Barber Shop 2
Gina’s Niece
MGM
ACTORS/ACTRESSES KEKE HAS FILMED ALONGSIDE
Kevin Spacey
Robin Williams
Samuel L. Jackson
Ed Harris
William H. Macy
Don Rickles
Ned Beatty
Queen Latifah
Catherine O’Hara
Laurence Fishburne
Angela Bassett
Ted Danson
Tyler Perry
Cicely Tyson
Ice Cube
Maya Angelou
Mariska Hargitay
Dolly Parton
KEKE Palmer
AWARDS
Screen Actors Guild, Nominated Best Actress for Wool Cap, 2006, youngest person every nominated in a lead category by the Guild
Chicago Film Critics, Nominated Best Performance for Akeelah and the Bee, 2007
NAACP Award, Best Actress for Akeelah and the Bee, 2007
Sho West Convention, Rising Star of the Year, 2007
Broadcast Film Critics, Nominated Best Actress for Akeelah and the Bee, 2007
NAACP Award, Best Actress for True Jackson, V.P., 2009, Children’s Program
Kid’s Choice Nomination: “Favorite TV Actress,” 2010
NAACP Award, Best Actress for True Jackson, V.P., 2010, Children’s Program
MUSIC
2007
Signed to Atlantic Records at age twelve, released first album a year later So UnCool. Bottoms Up, a song off the album,
became a hit in the UK after being featured in the movie Make It Happen.
2007
Recorded two songs for Jump In sound track sold 800,000 copies.
2007
Recorded Tonight, which appeared at the end credit song for the blockbuster movie Night At The Museum.
Currently signed with BMG Music Publishing.
Currently signed with Interscope Records. New album coming Q1 2012.
SONGWRITING CREDITS WITH
Rodney Jerkins
Toby Gad
Mathew Gerrard
Robbie Nevil
TELEVISION CREDITS
Rags - Made for television movie/musical - Lead Role and Producer, airing 2012
True Jackson, V.P. series filmed 68 episodes on Nickelodeon 2009 - 2011, Lead Role
The Cleveland Show
Guest Star
Fox
Cold Case
Guest Star
CBS
Law and Order SVU
Guest Star
NBC
Strong Medicine
Guest Star
Lifetime
ER
Guest Star
NBC
Second Time
Guest Star
CW
House Of Payne
Guest Star
TNT
Keke & Jamal Pilot
Lead
Disney
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KEKE Palmer