LaKeith Lee Stanfield (born August 12, 1991), sometimes credited as Keith Stanfield, is an American actor and musician. He made his feature film debut in the independent drama Short Term 12 (2013), an adaptation of the 2008 short film in which he had also appeared, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He received further recognition for his roles in numerous biopics such as civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson in Selma (2014), Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton (2015), Patrick Haynes in Snowden (2016), and William O’Neal in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination.
Stanfield also played leading and supporting roles in the critically acclaimed films Dope (2015), Get Out (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Someone Great (2019), Uncut Gems (2019), Knives Out (2019), and The Photograph (2020). Since 2016, he has starred in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta.
Early life
LaKeith Lee Stanfield was born in San Bernardino, California, on August 12, 1991, and grew up in Riverside and Victorville. His mother’s name is Karen. He has said that he “grew up very poor in a fractured family that was dysfunctional on both sides.” He decided to become an actor when he was 14, after joining his high school’s drama club. He attended the John Casablancas Modeling and Career Center in Los Angeles, where he was signed by an agency and began auditioning for commercials.
Career
Stanfield’s first role was in the short film Short Term 12 (2009), Destin Daniel Cretton’s thesis project at San Diego State University, which won the Jury Award for U.S. Short Filmmaking at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. A year later, he appeared in the short film Gimme Grace (2010) before giving up acting for several years. He went on to work a number of different jobs such as roofing and gardening, and jobs at AT&T and a legal marijuana dispensary, before he was contacted by Cretton to reappear in a feature-length adaptation of Short Term 12. It was his first feature film role. During production, Stanfield practiced method acting, distancing himself from the other cast members like his character. He was the only actor to appear in both the short and feature versions. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2013 South by Southwest film festival, and Stanfield was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
In 2014, Stanfield co-starred in The Purge: Anarchy and Selma, in the latter playing civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson. In 2015, he appeared in the films Memoria and Miles Ahead. He also starred in the fantasy horror thriller film King Ripple by filmmaker Luke Jaden, and appeared in the music video for the Run the Jewels song “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)”. In 2015, he portrayed rapper Snoop Dogg in the biopic Straight Outta Compton. In 2017, he played L in Adam Wingard’s adaptation of the popular Japanese fantasy-thriller manga series Death Note, for Netflix. Also that year, he starred in the music video for the song “Cold Little Heart” by English singer Michael Kiwanuka, and appeared in the critically acclaimed horror film Get Out. In 2018, he starred in the critically acclaimed dark comedy film Sorry to Bother You. In 2019, Stanfield starred as Nate Davis in the Netflix romantic comedy film Someone Great. In 2019, Stanfield played Lieutenant Elliot in the mystery film Knives Out. He played starring roles in the films The Photograph (2020) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021); his portrayal of FBI informant William O’Neal in the latter garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Music career
Stanfield performs under the stage name, “Htiekal” and is currently working on his debut album, Self Control. He is a member of a band named Moors.
Personal life
Stanfield has been in a relationship with actress Xosha Roquemore since around August 2015. The couple has a daughter born in June 2017. He lives in the Hollywood Hills.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Short Term 12 | Mark | Short film |
| 2013 | Short Term 12 | Marcus | |
| 2014 | The Purge: Anarchy | Young Ghoul Face | |
| Selma | Jimmie Lee Jackson | ||
| The Fires, Howling | The Staying One | Short film | |
| 2015 | King Ripple | King Ripple | Short film |
| The Ferguson Case, Verbatim | Dorian Johnson | Short film | |
| Tracks | Lawrence | ||
| Dope | Marquis a.k.a. Bug | ||
| Straight Outta Compton | Snoop Dogg | ||
| Miles Ahead | Junior | ||
| Memoria | Max | ||
| 2016 | Live Cargo | Lewis | |
| Hard World for Small Things | Sev | Short film | |
| Snowden | Patrick Haynes | ||
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Colin Warner | |
| Get Out | Andre Hayworth / Logan King | ||
| The Incredible Jessica James | Damon | ||
| War Machine | Corporal Billy Cole | ||
| Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | George | ||
| Death Note | Lebensborn Atubia / L | ||
| Quest | Diego | ||
| 2018 | Sorry to Bother You | Cassius “Cash” Green | |
| Come Sunday | Reggie | ||
| The Girl in the Spider’s Web | Edwin Needham | ||
| Time of Day | Himself | Short film | |
| 2019 | Someone Great | Nate Davis | |
| Uncut Gems | Demany | ||
| Knives Out | Detective Lieutenant Elliot | ||
| 2020 | The Photograph | Michael Block | |
| 2021 | Judas and the Black Messiah | William O’Neal | |
| The Harder They Fall | Cherokee Bill | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–present | Atlanta | Darius Epps | 15 episodes |
| 2018 | Random Acts of Flyness | Himself | Episode: “What are your thoughts on raising free black children?” |
| 2019–20 | BoJack Horseman | Guy (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 2020 | The Eric Andre Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Yasuke | Yasuke (voice) |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | “When My Train Pulls In” | Gary Clark Jr. | Keith |
| 2015 | “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” | Run the Jewels | Kid |
| 2017 | “Moonlight” | Jay-Z | Chandler |
| “Cold Little Heart” | Michael Kiwanuka |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Short Term 12 | Chicago International Film Festival | Best Ensemble Cast Performance | Won | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | Best Original Score | Nominated | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Original Song | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Tracks | 24FPS International Short Film Festival | Special Jury Citation | Won | |
| 2015 | Selma | Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Nominated | ||||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Nominated | ||||
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | Hamptons International Film Festival | Breakthrough Performer | Won | |
| 2018 | Sorry to Bother You | Gotham Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Actor in a Comedy | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Get Out | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Atlanta | Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Judas and the Black Messiah | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Actor | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Pending |