Keith Powell

Keith Powell (born 1979)[1] is an American television actor, writer, director, and web series creator, who is 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.

Career

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[2] Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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 the movie 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/business manager.[6]

Powell recurred on the final season of The Newsroom.[7] He appeared in the feature film My Name Is David.[8] 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.[9]

Powell began his television directing career in March 2018 with the season 3 episode "Amnesty" of the NBC television series Superstore.[10] The episode was critically well received, specifically for juggling the various love story plot points of the major characters.[11]

Biography

Powell was born in West Philadelphia and later moved to California.[12] Powell graduated from St. Mark's High School in Wilmington, Delaware and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2001.[13]

In October 2013, he wed visual artist Jill Knox.[14][15]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002Dog Eat DogRaleigh Fitzsimmonsshort
2003Law and Order: Criminal IntentGregg Monroe1 episode
2004JargonOur Heroshort
2005Law & OrderMike1 episode
2006-201330 RockToofer130 episodes[16]
2007Judy's Got a GunBrad WilkesTV movie
2008Last Comic StandingTalent Scout1 episode
Best Week EverHimself1 episode
I Love the New MillenniumHimself8 episodes
2009Night at the Museum: Battle of the SmithsonianTuskegee Airman #1
Black to the FutureHimself
The Morning Show with Mike and JulietHimself1 episode
ArmlessHotel Receptionist
Reno 911!Innocent Black Man1 episode
2012House HuntersHimself[17]
NCIS: Los AngelesRobert Pierce1 episode
2013SyrupCameron
2014About a BoyRichard6 episodes
The NewsroomWyatt Geary2 episodes
2015My Name Is DavidDavid
Keith Broke His LegHimself10 episodes
2016DeadbeatLonathan1 episode
Odd Squad: The MovieWeird Team member
2018SuperstoreDirector

References

  1. 1 2 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. ↑ http://www.tv.com/people/keith-powell/
  3. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=aP0Y6QtM_UAC&pg=PA342&lpg=PA342&dq=keith+powell+%22contemporary+stage+company%22&source=bl&ots=dsa9EZprbB&sig=qnr5nycDRblxtqQdS117i7Nkk4A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-xOrakN3WAhVnjlQKHSkYB8c4ChDoAQgnMAA#v=onepage&q=keith%20powell%20%22contemporary%20stage%20company%22&f=false
  4. ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/reviews/2007/07/17/the-futons-first-look-judys-got-a-gun-abc-24976/20070717_judysgotagun/
  5. ↑ Stidham, Lindsay (2008-10-08). "30 Rock's Keith Powell 'Directs a Play'… For Real!". Tubefilter News. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "India Ennenga Joins A&E's 'The Returned', Keith Powell Added To 'The Newsroom'". Deadline.com. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "My Name Is David (2015/I)". IMDb. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "7th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Indieseriesawards.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  10. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7728420/reference
  11. ↑ https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/18/17130452/superstore-episode-15-recap-amnesty-nbc-mateo-jeff
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Reinhardt, Ciarán; Cummins, Ian (August 4, 2010). "Keith Powell Interview" (interview). Pop Culture Monster.
  14. ↑ Eggenberger, Nicole. "30 Rock's Keith Powell Is Engaged to Jill Knox". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  15. ↑ Oliveira, Denise (October 18, 2013). "A Shy and Logical Guy Finds His Open and Wild Match". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ Profile, imdb.com; accessed January 5, 2017.
  17. ↑ "New Coast, New House, New Kitchen". House Hunters. Season 1. Episode 10. HGTV. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
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