Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. He initially became known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele and for his five seasons as a cast member on Mad TV. In 2014, he also had a recurring role in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo, based on the 1996 film of the same name.
Peele had a career breakthrough in 2017 with his solo directorial debut, the horror film Get Out, which was released on February 24, 2017, to critical acclaim and box-office success; it later became one of the most profitable films of 2017. For his work on Get Out, Peele received numerous accolades, including the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the 2017 Gotham Independent Film Awards and nominations for a DGA Award and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.
Peele was born in New York City, and raised by his single mother, Lucinda Williams, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. His mother is white and his father is black. He attended the Calhoun School in Manhattan and went on to Sarah Lawrence College before dropping out after two years to form a comedy duo with his college roommate and future Key & Peele comedy writer Rebecca Drysdale.