T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
Encyclopedia
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh is an American
actress, writer
, director
, producer
, singer, and comedian
. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox
sketch comedy series In Living Color
, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS
sitcom Cosby
, and as Tanya Baxter on the Disney Channel
sitcom That's So Raven
.
, Illinois
, from the age of three, Keymáh enjoyed entertaining her family—singing, dancing, and reciting original poems and stories. She wrote her first play and her first song in elementary school. She performed with Ali LeRoi
and Lance Crouther in the Mary Wong Comedy Group in high school before Florida A & M University's School of Business and Industry recruited herDuring and after college, Keymáh taught theater, dance, and pantomime. She has also done many theater performances and produced and directed films. She was Miss Black America
from Illinois
and was last in the national Miss Black America
contest. She is a graduate of Florida A & M University.
, where for five seasons she played a number of characters, including Cryssy, the central character of her self written signature piece, "In Black World". She also sang and danced on the show. Keymáh starred for three seasons on the Disney series That's So Raven
as Raven's mom, Tanya Baxter. In the fourth season of the show her character was written out by saying she went to England
, to continue pursuing her career in law school. Keymáh was also a series regular for seasons on Cosby
, where she played flight attendant turned lawyer turned pastry chef turned wife and teacher Erica Lucas, TV daughter of Bill Cosby
and Phylicia Rashād
. She also starred on The Show, where she played writer Denise Everett, and on On Our Own
, where she played contractor Scotti Decker.
T'Keyah is currently an Artistic Associate of Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc. located in Jacksonville, FL where she recently performed her hit variety show T'Keyah Live! with Founder Darryl Reuben Hall in the Annual Aurora Jacksonville Black Arts Festival. T'Keyah Live! was performed July 28, 2008 at the Stage Aurora Performance Hall in Gateway Town Center. She is also a Consulting Director of Bronzeville Community Theatre Company in Chicago, IL where she co-wrote and directed the world premier of S.I.S.T.E.R. (Sharing Intimate Secrets, Trials & Errant Reflections) and will direct it there again in May 2010.
, Terrence C. Carson
, Ralph Harris
, Dawnn Lewis
and Karen Malina White
.
, as well as an active, life member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority. She is also a professional poet, singer and dancer, and an amateur visual artist.
and a medical scholarship named for her at Meharry Medical College
. Associated Black Charities operates the donor advised Keymah Cultural Fund. The Keymah Cultural Fund provides tickets to youth groups for theatrical performances and funds artistic groups that serve or are composed of teens and children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, singer, and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
sketch comedy series In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom Cosby
Cosby
Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...
, and as Tanya Baxter on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
sitcom That's So Raven
That's So Raven
That's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House...
.
Early life
Born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, from the age of three, Keymáh enjoyed entertaining her family—singing, dancing, and reciting original poems and stories. She wrote her first play and her first song in elementary school. She performed with Ali LeRoi
Ali LeRoi
Ali LeRoi is an American television producer, director, writer and actor. LeRoi attended Lindblom Technical High School and graduated in 1979 along with Lance Crouther . LeRoi is best known as co-creator and executive producer of the UPN and later The CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris alongside...
and Lance Crouther in the Mary Wong Comedy Group in high school before Florida A & M University's School of Business and Industry recruited herDuring and after college, Keymáh taught theater, dance, and pantomime. She has also done many theater performances and produced and directed films. She was Miss Black America
Miss Black America
The Miss Black America pageant is a competition for young African American women in areas such as speech, talent, style, and poise — it is essentially the black version of the popular Miss America pageant. In 2009 the pageant had its "kick off" in Washington, D.C. to rebrand the competition...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and was last in the national Miss Black America
Miss Black America
The Miss Black America pageant is a competition for young African American women in areas such as speech, talent, style, and poise — it is essentially the black version of the popular Miss America pageant. In 2009 the pageant had its "kick off" in Washington, D.C. to rebrand the competition...
contest. She is a graduate of Florida A & M University.
Career
One of the original cast members of Fox Television's Emmy winning variety show, In Living ColorIn Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, where for five seasons she played a number of characters, including Cryssy, the central character of her self written signature piece, "In Black World". She also sang and danced on the show. Keymáh starred for three seasons on the Disney series That's So Raven
That's So Raven
That's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House...
as Raven's mom, Tanya Baxter. In the fourth season of the show her character was written out by saying she went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to continue pursuing her career in law school. Keymáh was also a series regular for seasons on Cosby
Cosby
Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...
, where she played flight attendant turned lawyer turned pastry chef turned wife and teacher Erica Lucas, TV daughter of Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
and Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
. She also starred on The Show, where she played writer Denise Everett, and on On Our Own
On Our Own (1994 TV series)
On Our Own is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1994-1995 season. The series starred six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett....
, where she played contractor Scotti Decker.
T'Keyah is currently an Artistic Associate of Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc. located in Jacksonville, FL where she recently performed her hit variety show T'Keyah Live! with Founder Darryl Reuben Hall in the Annual Aurora Jacksonville Black Arts Festival. T'Keyah Live! was performed July 28, 2008 at the Stage Aurora Performance Hall in Gateway Town Center. She is also a Consulting Director of Bronzeville Community Theatre Company in Chicago, IL where she co-wrote and directed the world premier of S.I.S.T.E.R. (Sharing Intimate Secrets, Trials & Errant Reflections) and will direct it there again in May 2010.
In Living Color Characters
- LaShawn
- Shawanda Harvey, host of Go On Girl
- Mrs. Buttman (The Buttmans)
- Hilda Hedley (Hey Mon)
- Leslie Livingston (Homey the Clown)
- Cryssy (Black World)
Impressions
- Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
- LaToya Jackson
- Jackée HarryJackée HarryJacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry , better known by her professional name Jackée, is an American actress and television personality, primarily known for her roles on sitcoms and other types of television shows...
- Jasmine GuyJasmine GuyJasmine Guy is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her starring role as Whitley Gilbert in the television sitcom A Different World.-Biography:...
(as Whitley Gilbert on A Different World) - Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
- Pam GrierPam GrierPamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
- Ruby DeeRuby DeeRuby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
- Jean Stapleton
- Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
- Eartha KittEartha KittEartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
- Anita BakerAnita BakerAnita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
- Joie LeeJoie LeeJoie Susannah Lee is an American screenwriter, film producer and actress. She has appeared in many of the films directed by her brother, Spike Lee, including She's Gotta Have It , School Daze , Do the Right Thing , and Mo' Better Blues...
- Shahrazad AliShahrazad AliShahrazad Ali is an African-American author, responsible for books such as The Blackman’s Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman, Are You Still a Slave? and How Not to Eat Pork .-Selected bibliography:* How Not to Eat Pork , 1985 * The Blackman’s Guide...
T'Keyah Live!
T'Keyah Live! is a variety show and is Keymáh’s fourth self-produced theatrical show. The show includes witty repartee, musical numbers, endearing characters, audience participation, impressions, video presentations, jokes and a special guest. She has performed the show since 1999 with a number of different guest performers including Todd BridgesTodd Bridges
Todd Anthony Bridges is an American actor. He is best known for his childhood role as Willis Jackson on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and for his recurring role as Monk on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris...
, Terrence C. Carson
Terrence C. Carson
Terrence C. Carson is an American singer and stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for portraying Kyle Barker on the FOX sitcom Living Single and Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the voice double for Samuel L. Jackson. He is also well known for voicing Kratos in the God of War series...
, Ralph Harris
Ralph Harris (comedian)
Ralph Louis Harris is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Harris is best known for his role as Josh Jerrico in the TGIF sitcom On Our Own, and his stand up routines.-Biography:...
, Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles on sitcoms such as A Different World and in the first season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.-Career:...
and Karen Malina White
Karen Malina White
Karen Malina White is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Charmaine Brown on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and its spin-off series A Different World...
.
Personal life
Keymáh is an avid gardener and a vegetarianVegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, as well as an active, life member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority. She is also a professional poet, singer and dancer, and an amateur visual artist.
Named for Keymah
There is a theater scholarship named for Keymáh at her alma mater, Florida A&M UniversityFlorida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
and a medical scholarship named for her at Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a graduate and professional institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church whose mission is to educate healthcare professionals and scientists. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee...
. Associated Black Charities operates the donor advised Keymah Cultural Fund. The Keymah Cultural Fund provides tickets to youth groups for theatrical performances and funds artistic groups that serve or are composed of teens and children.
Books Published
Keymah is the author of "Some of My Best Friends: A Collection of Characters," the book version of the stage show she performed for ten years, and "Natural Woman / Natural Hair: A Hair Journey - Hairstyles and Hairstories from the Front with Simple, Step-by-Step Instructions on Taking Care of your Natural Hair," an instructional manual on hair with anecdotes on her experiences as one of the first actresses to wear her hair naturally on prime time television.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2007–2008 | Jury Duty Jury duty Jury duty is service as a juror in a legal proceeding. When a person is called for jury duty in the United States, that service is usually not optional: one must attend or face strict penalties. Employers are not allowed to fire an employee simply for being called to jury duty... |
Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | American Dragon: Jake Long American Dragon: Jake Long American Dragon: Jake Long is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The show had premiered on January 21, 2005 and ended on September 1, 2007. The show currently airs on Disney XD in the United States... |
Trixi's Mom and Marsha Brubert | 3 episodes |
| 2004–2005 | Teen Titans Teen Titans (TV series) Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"... |
Bumblebee Bumblebee (comics) Bumblebee is a fictional character, existing in DC Comics' main shared universe. She is a former member of the Teen Titans and a current member of the Doom Patrol... |
4 episodes |
| 2004 | My Wife and Kids My Wife and Kids My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules... |
Realtor | 1 episode |
| The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park, originally titled Bloodhead, is a 2004 comedic horror film directed by Christopher Coppola, about two very different men, Donnie, played by Andre Ware, and Doug, played by Steve Hedden who must join forces to battle a gory killer in a small, desert town... |
Tonya | ||
| 2002–2005 | That's So Raven That's So Raven That's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House... |
Tanya Baxter | 54 episodes, seasons 1-3 ("Mother Dearest" - "Food for Thought") |
| 2002–2003 | Static Shock Static Shock Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes.... |
Allie/Nails | 2 episodes |
| 2001–2003 | Batman Beyond Batman Beyond Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy... |
Dispatch Operator, Max, Old Lady, Makeba | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | The Gilded Six Bit | Missy Mae | |
| 2000 | Tweety's High-Flying Adventure | Aoogah | voice |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American animated television series that premiered March 26, 1995, on HBO. Narrated by Robert Guillaume, the series aired 39 episodes from 1995 to 2000, and is currently airing on the HBO Family digital cable television channel in the United... |
Robber Girl, Grandmother | Snow Queen episode | |
| 1998–1999 | Pinky and The Brain Pinky and the Brain Pinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs... |
Nurse, Singer, Mom and Little Boy | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Aloha Parade | Host/Herself | |
| NAACP ACT-SO Awards | Host | ||
| 1997–2000 | Cosby Cosby Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād... |
Erica Lucas | 94 episodes |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown Jackie Brown (film) Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films.... |
Raynelle | |
| Soul Train Soul Train Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains... |
Host | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Waynehead Waynehead Waynehead was a Saturday morning animated series created by American actor Damon Wayans. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Nelvana. It ran on Kids' WB from 1996-1997. It is about a young boy named Damien "Damey" Wayne from a poor background with a club foot and was based on Wayans' own... |
Roz, Aki, Shavonne and others | 13 episodes (voice) |
| The Show | Denise Everett | 9 episodes | |
| 1995 | On Our Own On Our Own (1994 TV series) On Our Own is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1994-1995 season. The series starred six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett.... |
Scotti Decker | 7 episodes |
| 1994–1995 | The John Larroquette Show The John Larroquette Show The John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 to 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series took place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and focused on the... |
Sarah | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | The Commish The Commish The Commish is a television series that aired on ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1996. The series focused on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in upstate New York.... |
Grace Caldwell | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Roc Roc (TV series) Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:... |
Darrelle | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Quantum Leap | Paula | 1 episode |
| 1990–1994 | In Living Color In Living Color In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century... |
Cast member | 126 episodes |
| 1987 | Big Shots Big Shots (film) Big Shots is a 1987 American comedy adventure film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Ricky Busker and Darius McCrary.-Plot:An 11 year old boy from Hinsdale, Illinois named Obie Dawkins is out fishing with his father, who tells him about the birds and the bees. All the while Obie shows... |
Secretary | (uncredited) |