Keith David was born in New York City's Harlem district and raised in East Elmhurst, in the Queens section of the city. As a child he realized he wanted to act after playing the cowardly lion in his school's production of "The Wizard of Oz". He later enrolled in New York's High School of the Performing Arts and continued his studies at Juilliard. After graduation he was hired as an understudy for Tullus Aufidius in William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus". In 1992 he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role in the Broadway play "Jelly's Last Jam".


Following the 1986 film Platoon (1986), Charlie Sheen -- who starred in the films -- did a TV interview and credits Keith David with saving his life. While shooting dailies in an open-doored Huey gunship, the helicopter banked too hard, and Sheen was thrown towards -- and would have gone through -- the open door. David grabbed Sheen by the back and pulled him back in. Took over as narrator for the show "City Confidential" (1998) after the death of Paul Winfield. Frequent voice collaborator with fellow voice-actor Ron Perlman. Computer games: Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game (1997) (VG), Lords of Everquest (2003) (VG), Halo 2 (2004) (VG), Halo 3 (2007) (VG). Animated series: "Aladdin" (1994), "Fantastic Four" (1994), "Justice League" (2001), "Teen Titans" (2003). And they have both had a guest appearance on the TV series "The Outer Limits" (1995). Studied acting with Michael Howard in New York City.