Keith David

Keith David began his career on stage, touring with The Acting Company from 1980–1981 in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Waiting for Godot. He transitioned to film with a breakout role as Childs in The Thing (1982). Throughout the 1980s, he also appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. His film career expanded with roles in Platoon (1986), They Live (1988), Men at Work (1990), Marked for Death (1990), and Stars and Bars (1988). In the 1990s, he appeared in Dead Presidents (1995) and Clockers (1995), followed by roles in Volcano (1997), There's Something About Mary (1998), Pitch Black (2000), and Requiem for a Dream (2000).

In the 2000s, David continued appearing in films including Barbershop (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003), Head of State (2003), Hollywood Homicide (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Crash (2004), ATL (2006), Delta Farce (2007), and First Sunday (2008). He also appeared in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). His television work includes regular roles on The Job (2001–2002) and The Big House (2004). In the 2010s, he appeared in Chain Letter (2010), The Cape (2011), Hawaii Five-0 (2011), Cloud Atlas (2012), Smiley (2012), and Boiling Pot (2013). He held recurring or regular roles in Enlisted (2014), Community (2014), and Greenleaf (2015–2020).

David has had an extensive voice acting career across television, film, and video games. His television voice roles include Gargoyles (1994–1997), Spawn (1997–1999), Adventure Time (2013–2018), Archer (2009–present), Amphibia (2019–2022), and Rick and Morty (recurring role). His film voice work includes Princess Mononoke (1997), Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), Coraline (2009), and The Princess and the Frog (2009). His video game roles include Halo 2 (2004), Halo 3 (2007), Halo 5: Guardians (2015), Mass Effect (2007), Saints Row (2006), Saints Row IV (2013), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). He later voiced Commander Zavala in Destiny 2: The Final Shape (2024).

In addition to acting, David has worked extensively as a narrator on documentary projects. His collaborations with Ken Burns include Jazz (2001), Mark Twain (2001), The War (2007), Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004), Jackie Robinson (2016), Muhammad Ali (2021), and Leonardo da Vinci (2024). He also narrated The Bible (2013) and replaced Paul Winfield as narrator of City Confidential (2004–present). His additional narration credits include Inside Mecca (2003), Crusades: Crescent & the Cross (2005), and Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land (2004).

On stage, David received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Jelly's Last Jam (1992). His theater credits include Seven Guitars (1995), The Wiz (1995), Hot Feet (2006), Joe Turner's Come and Gone (2013), Paul Robeson (2014), and ToasT (2015).