Lakeith Lee Stanfield, sometimes credited as Keith Stanfield, is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in the independent drama Short Term 12, an adaptation of the 2008 short film in which he had also appeared, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He received further recognition for his roles in numerous biopics such as civil rights activistJimmie Lee Jackson in Selma, Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton, and Patrick Haynes in Snowden. Stanfield also played leading and supporting roles in the critically acclaimed films Dope, Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, Someone Great, Uncut Gems, Knives Out, and The Photograph. Since 2016, he has starred in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta.
Early life
Lakeith Lee Stanfield was born in San Bernardino, California, on August 12, 1991, and grew up in Riverside and Victorville. He has said that he "grew up very poor in a fractured family that was dysfunctional on both sides." He decided to become an actor when he was 14, after joining his high school's drama club. He attended the John Casablancas Modeling and Career Center in Los Angeles, where he was signed by an agency and began auditioning for commercials.
Career
Stanfield's first 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 before giving up acting for several years. 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 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 filmKing Ripple by filmmaker Luke Jaden, and appeared in the music video for the Run the Jewels song "Close Your Eyes ". 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 seriesDeath 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. In 2018, he starred in the dark comedy filmSorry to Bother You, which was released July 6 to critical acclaim. In 2019, Stanfield starred as Nate Davis in the Netflix romantic comedy filmSomeone Great.
Personal life
Stanfield has been in a relationship with actress Xosha Roquemore since around August 2015. She gave birth to their first child in June 2017. Stanfield is a member of a band named Moors.
