Keke Palmer

About Keke Palmer

Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (born August 26, 1993 in Harvey, Illinois) is an American SAG Award-nominated NAACP Image Award-winning actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for playing the title role in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee and as Mary in Jump In!.

Keke Palmer was born as Lauren Keyana Palmer in Harvey, Illinois. Her father works for a polyurethane company, and her mother, Sharon, is an elementary school teacher who works with children with mental disabilities. Keke has three siblings, including an older sister, who gave her the nickname "Keke". She began singing in her church's choir at the age of five, and she auditioned for a stage production of The Lion King at the age of nine. Although she did not win the role, she fell in love with the process and business. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 2004 so Palmer could pursue a screen career.

Palmer made her acting debut in the movie Barbershop as Gina's niece, and between 2004 and 2006, she appeared in episodes of several television series, including Cold Case, Strong Medicine, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Just Jordan, and was subsequently cast in two films released in 2006: playing a supporting part in Madea's Family Reunion and starring as the lead character, Akeelah Anderson, a young girl from South Los Angeles who attempts to win a spelling bee, in Akeelah and the Bee. Akeelah and the Bee was released on April 28, 2006, and Palmer's performance has received several positive notices, including praise from film critic Roger Ebert.