Jordan Peele is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker who is well known for his work in comedy and horror film and television.
Personal Life
Early Life
Jordan Haworth Peele was born on February 21, 1979 in New York City. Jordan Peele was raised by his single mother, Lucinda Williams, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. There, Jordan Peele went to The Calhoun School and went on to go to Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York.
Relationships
Jordan Peele is married to comedian Chelsea Peretti. The two met in 2013 and eloped in 2016. Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti have a son together named Beaumont who was born in 2017. Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti tend to keep their relationship and family life out of the public eye.
Influences
Jordan Peele has stated that Steve Martin and Martin Lawrence are his two biggest influences. He also gets his comedic inspiration from Dave Chapelle and Richard Pryor.
The inspiration for Get Out stemmed from the 12 films that were included in Brooklyn Academy of Music film series, “The Art of the Social Thriller” that he curated:
- Rosemary’s Baby
- Night of the Living Dead
- The Shining
- Candyman
- The People Under the Stairs
- Scream
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Funny Games
- Misery
- Rear Window
- The ‘Burbs
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Career
Jordan Peele only stayed at Sarah Lawrence College for two years before dropping out and teaming up with his classmate Rebecca Drysdale to pursue improv comedy. Later on, Rebecca Drysdale became a writer for his television series Key & Peele.
During this time, Jordan Peele performed improv at The Second City in Chicago and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and was known for his musical duets with Nicole Parker.
In 2003, Jordan Peele joined the show Mad TV alongside Keegan Michael Key. While initially only one of them was supposed to be cast, their chemistry was so great, production decided to take both of them on. After 5 seasons with the cast, Jordan Peele left Mad TV after season 13.
In 2012, Jordan Peele teamed up with his Mad TV castmate Keegan-Michael Key in their own Comedy Central series Key & Peele, which lasted up until 2015. This show gained popularity quickly, as the show produced many viral skits.
Jordan Peele’s and Keegan-Michael Key’s work partnership didn’t end with Key & Peele. In 2016, Peele and Key produced and had leading roles in Keanu, which earned positive reviews.
Other films and televisions shows Peele has been in include:
- Little Fockers, 2010
- Wanderlust, 2012
- Storks, 2016
- Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, 2017
- Toy Story 4, 2019
Lately, Jordan Peele has been pursuing his talents as a filmmaker. In 2017, Peele directed his first film, Get Out, a horror movie that received raving reviews and a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Get Out had a budget of $4.6 million but grossed over $255 million.
After his hit film, in 2018, Jordan Peele said that he planned on retiring from acting and making the switch to directing full time, saying that directing was more fun than acting for him. The same year, Peele co-created The Last O.G., a comedy series with Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish. He also co-produced BlacKkKlansman in 2018 as well, which received glowing reviews.
In 2019, Jordan Peele directed his second film, US, a horror film featuring Lupita Nyung’o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss. In addition to directing, Jordan Peele wrote and produced this film. That same year, Jordan Peele also developed the web television revival of the Twilight Zone.
Awards
Get Out received many accolades, including being named “one of the top 10 films of the year” by the National Board of Review, The American Film Institute, and Time magazine. Jordan Peele earned the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the 2017 Gotham Independent Fim awards for this movie. At the Academy Awards, Get Out received four nominations. These nominations included Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for Jordan Peele. Daniel Kaluuya received Best Actor for his role in the film.
Jordan Peele ended up winning the award for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards which makes him the first black screenwriter in history to win in that category. He also received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay and a Directors Guild of America Award.
Get out is not the only film that Jordan Peele has received awards for. At the 91st Academy Awards, BlacKkKlansman earned six nominations. Jordan Peele specifically was nominated for the Best Picture award for this film.
In The News
During September of 2018, it became public news that Jordan Peele was set to produce a Candyman remake. Jordan Peele will co-produce the film with Win Rosenfeld. The film will take place in Cabrini Green, which has been gentrified. Candyman is set to be released August 27, 2021.
Both Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele also are set to remake the 1991 film, The People Under the Stairs. The two signed on to produce this film in October 2020, so be on the lookout for the film in the future.
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