Jordan Peele
Biography
Jordan Peele is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker whose work spans comedy and horror. Born in New York City, he started in improv with Boom Chicago and The Second City before joining Mad TV in 2003, where he stayed five seasons. With Keegan-Michael Key he created and starred in Key & Peele, a Comedy Central sketch series that won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. The pair wrote, produced, and starred in Keanu (2016). Peele's directorial debut, Get Out (2017), brought him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay plus nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. He directed Us (2019) and Nope (2022). He also produced BlacKkKlansman (2018), co-wrote and produced Candyman (2021), and co-wrote, produced, and appeared in Wendell & Wild (2022). His voice work includes Storks (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), and Toy Story 4 (2019). He founded Monkeypaw Productions in 2012.
47years old
Turns 48 on February 21in 132 days
- Born New York City
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Also credited as Jordan Haworth Peele
Movie Career
- Films
- 10
- Career span
- 13 years2012 to 2025
Genres
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Behind the award
For Get Out, Peele won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and he became the first African American screenwriter to take that category's prize.
A first
For his debut film, Peele earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. He was the third person to do so, following Warren Beatty and James L. Brooks, and the first black person nominated in all three categories for one film.
Early training
Peele trained in improv with Keegan-Michael Key at The Second City in Chicago and regularly performed with Boom Chicago, an English-language improv troupe in Amsterdam.
Big break
Peele was cast on Mad TV in 2003 alongside Keegan-Michael Key after it had been assumed Key would be chosen over him; the two were hired together after showing comedic chemistry.
A role that slipped away
Peele tried out for a cast member role on Saturday Night Live. The show's producers wanted someone to portray Barack Obama, during the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
A role that slipped away
Peele pitched Walt Disney Pictures on a live-action remake of Gargoyles, their cult favorite animated property, but the studio turned him down.
Jordan Peele movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Keegan-Michael Key appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Keegan-Michael Key's page
Keanu Reeves's page
Jennifer Aniston's page
Kristen Schaal's page
Awards
Four awards and honors from 2018 to 2024, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 2018 | Best Writing, Original Screenplay | Get Out | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2024 | British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology | Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror | Won |
| 2024 | Locus Award for Best Anthology | Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror | Won |
| 2023 | Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.