Jordan Peele

Biography

Jordan Peele (born February 21, 1979, in New York City) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, best known for reinventing horror through the lens of comedy and social commentary. He first rose to prominence as a sketch performer on television before moving behind the camera, and he has since become one of the defining filmmakers of the genre.

Raised by his single mother on Manhattan's Upper West Side after his father's death, Peele grew up a devoted moviegoer and decided at twelve that he wanted to direct. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College, where he declared a major in puppetry, before leaving to pursue comedy. He performed with the improv troupes Boom Chicago and The Second City, where he trained alongside Keegan-Michael Key.

In 2003 he joined the cast of Mad TV, staying for five seasons and building a reputation for celebrity impressions. With Key he then created the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele, which ran from 2012 to 2015, won critical praise and produced many viral clips. Along the way he took supporting parts in Wanderlust (2012) and played an FBI agent in the first season of Fargo in 2014, and in 2016 the pair starred together in the comedy Keanu.

His move into directing came with Get Out (2017), a horror thriller with sharp social themes that was both a critical and commercial hit. Peele won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, becoming the first African American screenwriter to take that prize. He then produced Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, which earned a Best Picture nomination. With Us (2019) and Nope (2022) he developed a recognisable style that blends suspense with reflections on race and on the act of looking. Since 2012 he has run his own company, Monkeypaw Productions.

Peele has also voiced roles in animated features and hosted and produced the Paramount+ revival of The Twilight Zone. His legacy rests on giving horror a new social vocabulary, and his films are often cited among the best of the twenty-first century.

Key films

• Get Out (2017), which he wrote and directed, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
• BlacKkKlansman (2018), directed by Spike Lee and produced by Peele, nominated for Best Picture.
• Us (2019), his second feature as director, a horror story about a family and their doubles.
• Nope (2022), his third feature as director, a blend of science fiction and horror about spectacle and watching.
• Wanderlust (2012), David Wain's comedy in which he has a supporting role.