LaKeith Lee Stanfield (born August 12, 1991) is an American actor and musician. He made his feature film debut in Short Term 12 (2013), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He received further recognition for his roles in the films Get Out (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Uncut Gems (2019), Knives Out (2019), and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), the lattermost of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Stanfield has also appeared in the films Selma (2014), Dope (2015), Straight Outta Compton (2015), Crown Heights (2017), The Photograph (2020), The Harder They Fall (2021), Haunted Mansion (2023) and The Book of Clarence (2023). On television, he starred in the series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which he won a Black Reel Award for Television, and in the horror series The Changeling (2023).
Early life LaKeith Lee Stanfield was born in San Bernardino, California, on August 12, 1991,(July 21, 2017). "Lakeith Stanfield Becomes Parents After His Dating Affair With Girlfriend Got Him A Baby!" . LiveRampUp. He was raised in Riverside and Victorville. His mother's name is Karen. Stanfield has described his upbringing as difficult, stating that he "grew up very poor in a fractured family that was dysfunctional on both sides".
During middle school, he attended school with future singer-songwriter and record producer Dijon Duenas, whom he defeated in a rap battle. He developed an interest in acting at the age of 14 after joining his high school's drama club. Stanfield later attended the John Casablancas Modeling and Career Center in Los Angeles, where he signed with a talent agency and began auditioning for commercial roles.
Career
Stanfield's first acting role was in the short film Short Term 12, 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). While continuing to keep his dreams of acting alive, 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."Get Out (2017)" . Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 15, 2018. In 2018, he starred as Cassius "Cash" Green 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 the same year, he played Lieutenant Elliot in the mystery film Knives Out. He had 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 was critically acclaimed and garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Stanfield performs under the stage name Htiekal (his first name backwards) and is working on his debut album, titled Self Control. He is a member of the band Moors, with Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder. Stanfield signed to Def Jam in 2025.
Personal life Stanfield lives in Los Angeles. Stanfield has a daughter born in 2017 with actress Xosha Roquemore, and a second daughter born in 2022 with artist Tylor Hurd. In December 2022, Stanfield and model Kasmere Trice announced their engagement and by July 2023, they had privately married and had their first child together.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2013 Short Term 12 Marcus 2014 The Purge: Anarchy Young Ghoul Face Selma Jimmie Lee Jackson 2015 Dope Marquis a.k.a. Bug Straight Outta Compton Snoop Dogg Miles Ahead Junior Memoria Max 2016 Live Cargo Lewis 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 2018 Sorry to Bother You Cassius "Cash" Green Come Sunday Reggie The Girl in the Spider's Web Edwin Needham 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 2023 Haunted Mansion Ben Matthias The Book of Clarence Clarence / Thomas 2024 Ernest Cole: Lost and Found Ernest Cole (voice) Documentary 2025 Die My Love Karl Roofman Steve Play Dirty Grofield2026 I Love Boosters Pinky Ring Guy The Wrong Girls Not Metal Head Dave Post-production 2027 Post-production TBA Edmund Post-production (voice) In production Dewayne Johnson Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes 2016–2022 Atlanta Darius 25 episodes 2018 Random Acts of Flyness Himself Episode: "What are your thoughts on raising free black children?" 2019–2020 BoJack Horseman Guy (voice) 7 episodes 2020 The Eric Andre Show Himself (co-host) 2 episodes 2021 Yasuke Yasuke (voice) 6 episodes; also executive producer 2023 The Changeling Apollo 8 episodes; also executive producer
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 2022 "I Hate U" SZA "Shirt" 2025 "Long Time" Teyana Taylor "Fast Life" LaKeith Stanfield
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Academy Awards 2021 Best Supporting Actor Judas and the Black Messiah Actor Awards 2018 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Get Out 2019 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Atlanta African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2018 Breakout Performance Crown Heights BAFTA Awards 2019 EE Rising Star Award rowspan="2" BET Awards 2024 Best Actor Black Reel Awards 2014 Outstanding Supporting Actor Short Term 12 Outstanding Breakthrough Performance – Male 2018 Outstanding Actor Crown Heights 2019 Sorry to Bother You 2021 Judas and the Black Messiah 2022 Outstanding Supporting Actor The Harder They Fall Black Reel TV Awards 2017 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Atlanta 2018 2022 2024 Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2019 Best Actor in a Comedy Sorry to Bother You Film Independent Spirit Awards 2014 Best Supporting Male Short Term 12 Georgia Film Critics Association Awards 2014 Best Original Song "So You Know What It's Like" (from Short Term 12) Gotham Awards 2018 Best Actor Sorry to Bother You 2021 Best Ensemble Cast The Harder They Fall Hamptons International Film Festival Awards 2015 Breakthrough Performer Straight Outta Compton International Cinephile Society Awards 2019 Best Actor Sorry to Bother You MTV Movie & TV Awards 2017 Best Duo (shared with Brian Tyree Henry) Atlanta NAACP Image Awards 2022 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Judas and the Black Messiah Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture The Harder They Fall Satellite Awards 2014 Best Original Song "So You Know What It's Like" (from Short Term 12) 2018 Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film War Machine 2015 Best Actor Tracks
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