Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. He initially became known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele and for his five seasons as a cast member on Mad TV. In 2014, he also had a recurring role in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo, based on the 1996 film of the same name.
Peele had a career breakthrough in 2017 with his solo directorial debut, the horror film Get Out, which was released on February 24, 2017, to critical acclaim and box-office success; it later became one of the most profitable films of 2017. For his work on Get Out, Peele received numerous accolades, including the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the 2017 Gotham Independent Film Awards and nominations for a DGA Award and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.
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Early life and education
Peele was born in New York City, and raised by his single mother, Lucinda Williams, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. His mother is white and his father is black. He attended the Calhoun School in Manhattan and went on to Sarah Lawrence College before dropping out after two years to form a comedy duo with his college roommate and future Key & Peele comedy writer Rebecca Drysdale.
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Career
2000s: Early beginnings and Mad TV
Peele regularly performed at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and The Second City in Chicago. He and Nicole Parker were well known for their musical duets at Boom Chicago. He portrayed a popular character called "Danish Supermodel Ute" during his time at Boom Chicago and hosted MTV's Comedy Weekend in 2002.
In 2003, Peele joined the cast of Mad TV for its ninth season. Around the time Keegan-Michael Key joined the cast as a featured performer, it was assumed that Key would be chosen over Peele. The two of them ultimately were cast together after showing great comedic chemistry. Peele performed celebrity impersonations, which included favorites Caroll Spinney (as the voice of Big Bird from Sesame Street), Ja Rule, James Brown, Flavor Flav, Justin Guarini, Montel Williams, Morgan Freeman and Forest Whitaker. Peele was absent from the first four episodes of his second season on Mad TV. He made a cameo in "Weird Al" Yankovic's video "White & Nerdy" with Mad TV co-star Keegan-Michael Key.
Peele was nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award for his song "Sad Fitty Cent", a music video parody about 50 Cent lamenting over his rivalry with Kanye West. The lyrics were, according to the music video, written by Peele, and he was involved in arranging its music. In 2009 he appeared in Little Fockers.
Peele appeared in a viral video titled "Hillary vs Obama" (which was shown as a Mad TV sketch) where he and a Hillary Clinton supporter (played by short-term cast member Lisa Donovan) argue over whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would make a better president, only to get upstaged by a Rudy Giuliani supporter (played by Donovan's brother, Ben). Peele auditioned to be a castmember for Saturday Night Live when SNL producers were looking for someone to play Barack Obama (around the time when SNL and Mad TV -- and other scripted shows -- were put on hiatus due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike). Peele remained at Mad TV and the role went to Fred Armisen until September 2012, when Jay Pharoah took over the role.
After five seasons on Mad TV, Peele left the cast at the end of the 13th season.
2010-2016: Further success with Key & Peele
In 2010, Peele co-starred in the FOX comedy pilot The Station, and appeared with a recurring role in the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He had a supporting role in the David Wain-directed comedy Wanderlust, which was released in 2012.
Peele and his former Mad TV castmate and friend Keegan-Michael Key starred in their own Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele, from 2012 to 2015. The series was a success with viewers, and spawned several skits and videos that went viral online.
In 2014, Peele played an FBI Agent in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo, based on the 1996 film of the same name.
In 2016, Peele starred in, and produced, with Key, their first feature film Keanu. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics.
2017-present: Career breakthrough with Get Out
In February 2017, Peele's first film as solo director, Get Out, was released to critical acclaim, eventually scoring a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film received particular praise for Peele's screenplay and direction, as well as Kaluuya's performance, and was chosen by the National Board of Review, the American Film Institute, and Time magazine as one of the top 10 films of the year. The Atlantic called the film "a masterpiece."
Get Out proved to be extremely popular with movie audiences, and it eventually became one of the most profitable films of all time, and grossed over $250 million on a budget of $4.5 million. For his work on the film, Peele received significant attention, as well as numerous accolades, including the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the 2017 Gotham Independent Film Awards.
Future projects
Peele will produce the HBO series Lovecraft Country written by Underground co-creator Misha Green, which will be shown through the lens of supernatural horror.
Influences
In February 2017, Peele curated the Brooklyn Academy of Music film series "The Art of the Social Thriller", comprised of 12 films that inspired the making of Get Out, including the horror films Rosemary's Baby, Night of the Living Dead, The Shining, Candyman, The People Under the Stairs and Scream, the thrillers The Silence of the Lambs, Funny Games, Misery, and Rear Window, the comedy-thriller The 'Burbs, and the 1967 racial comedy-drama Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
As a comedian, Peele counts among his influences In Living Color, Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle.
Personal life
Peele began dating Chelsea Peretti in 2013. They became engaged in November 2015, and, in April 2016, Peretti announced that she and Peele had eloped at an unspecified date.
On July 1, 2017, Peretti gave birth to their first child, Beaumont Gino Peele.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Jordan Peele on IMDb
- Jordan Peele on Twitter
Source of article : Wikipedia
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