T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (born Crystal Walker October 13, 1962) is an American actress, writer, director, producer, singer, and comedienne. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS sitcom Cosby, and as Tanya Baxter on the Disney Channel sitcom That's So Raven.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in Chicago, Illinois,[1] from the age of three, Keymáh enjoyed entertaining her family—singing, dancing, and reciting original poems and stories. She wrote her first play and her first song in elementary school. She performed with Ali LeRoi and Lance Crouther in the Mary Wong Comedy Group in high school before Florida A & M University's School of Business and Industry recruited the National Merit Scholar Champ.[2] During and after college, Keymáh taught theater, dance, and pantomime. She has also done many theater performances and produced and directed films. She was Miss Black America from Illinois and was second in the national Miss Black America contest. She is a National Merit Scholar and a graduate of Florida A & M University.
Career[]
One of the original cast members of Fox Television's Emmy winning variety show, In Living Color, Keymáh starred for three seasons on the Disney series That's So Raven as Raven's mom, Tanya Baxter. In the fourth season of the show her character was written out by saying she went to England to continue pursuing her career in law school. Keymáh was also a series regular on Cosby, where she played flight attendant turned lawyer turned pastry chef turned wife and teacher Erica Lucas, TV daughter of Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashād. She also starred in The Show, where she played writer Denise Everett, and on On Our Own, where she played contractor Scotti Decker. On In Living Color, she played a number of characters, including Cryssy, the central character of her self written signature piece, "In Black World". She also sang and danced on the show.
T'Keyah is currently an Artistic Associate of Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc. located in Jacksonville, FL where she recently performed her hit variety show T'Keyah Live! with Founder Darryl Reuben Hall in the Annual Aurora Jacksonville Black Arts Festival. T'Keyah Live! was performed July 28, 2008 at the Stage Aurora Performance Hall in Gateway Town Center.[3]
T'Keyah Live![]
T'Keyah Live! is a variety show and is Keymáh’s fourth self-produced theatrical show. The show includes witty repartee, musical numbers, endearing characters, audience participation, impressions, video presentations, jokes and a special guest. She has performed the show since 1999 with a number of different guest performers including Todd Bridges, Terrence C. Carson, Ralph Harris, Dawnn Lewis and Karen Malina White.
Personal life[]
Keymáh is a vegetarian,[4] as well as a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.[5] She is also a professional singer and dancer.
Named for Keymah[]
There is a theater scholarship named for Keymáh at her alma mater, Florida A&M University and a medical scholarship named for her at Meharry Medical College. Associated Black Charities operates the donor advised Keymah Cultural Fund The Keymah Cultural Fund provides tickets to youth groups for theatrical performances and funds artistic groups that serve or are composed of teens and children.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2008 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2007-2008 | Jury Duty | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2005-2006 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Trixi's Mom and Marsha Brubert | 3 episodes |
| 2004-2005 | Teen Titans | Bumblebee | 4 episodes |
| 2004 | My Wife and Kids | Realtor | 1 episode |
| The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park | Tonya | ||
| 2003-2005 | That's So Raven | Tanya Baxter | 67 episodes, seasons 1-3 ("Mother Dearest" - "Food for Thought") |
| 2002-2003 | Static Shock | Allie/Nails | 2 episodes |
| 2001-2003 | Batman Beyond | Dispatch Operator, Max, Old Lady, Makeba | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | The Gilded Six Bit | Missy Mae | |
| 2000 | Tweety's High-Flying Adventure | Aoogah | voice |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Robber Girl, Grandmother | Snow Queen episode | |
| 1998-1999 | Pinky and The Brain | Nurse, Singer, Mom and Little Boy | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Aloha Parade | Host/Herself | |
| NAACP ACT-SO Awards | Host | ||
| 1997-2000 | Cosby | Erica Lucas | 94 episodes |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown | Raynelle | |
| Soul Train | Host | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Waynehead | Roz, Aki, Shavonne and others | 13 episodes (voice) |
| The Show | Denise Everett | 9 episodes | |
| 1995 | On Our Own | Scotti Decker | 7 episodes |
| 1994-1995 | The John Larroquette Show | Sarah | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | The Commish | Grace Caldwell | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Roc | Darrelle | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Quantum Leap | Paula | 1 episode |
| 1990-1994 | In Living Color | Cast member | 126 episodes |
References[]
- ↑ T'Keyah Crystal Keymah Biography (1962-)
- ↑ T'Keyah.com Motto: Where Crystal Visions Come to Life
- ↑ Stage Aurora puts on a festival Published Friday, July 18, 2008 - jacksonville.com
- ↑ T'Keyah Crystal Keymah: vegetarian actress - Brief Article | Vegetarian Journal | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ↑ T'Keyah.com Motto: "Where Crystal Visions Come To Life
External links[]
- Official website
- Template:Title without disambig at the Internet Movie Database
it:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh no:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh pl:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh pt:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh fi:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh sv:T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh