Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#131
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Keegan-Michael Key works on versatility rather than volume, and the catalogue keeps proving that the quieter choice was the correct one.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Keegan-Michael Key appears in 43 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Keegan-Michael. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the clearest case: a film rated 8.3 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for mystery, comedy, fantasy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Aaron Horvath, Casper Kelly, Shane Black and others, Keegan-Michael Key helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) as Toad (voice) · Transformers One (2024) as B-127 (voice) · The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) as Toad (voice)
Career snapshot
Ranked #131 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
43
2008–2027
Career length
19 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.3
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.3
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Most frequent director
Aaron Horvath
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Aaron Horvath
Most common genre
Comedy
33 titles
Average runtime
1h 42m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.3
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.5 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Toy Story 4, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits, Playing with Fire — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.5
Across 23 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Role Models.
Most productive era
2010s
23 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | — | 6.75 films | 7.61 film |
| Action | — | 5.82 films | 6.61 film |
| Thriller | — | 5.61 film | 6.61 film |
| Comedy | 6.51 film | 6.619 films | 6.213 films |
| Crime | — | 6.01 film | 6.61 film |
| Romance | — | 6.12 films | 6.82 films |
| Horror | — | — | 3.32 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2008Role Models
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Duane.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2026The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
8.3 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania
The current state of the argument, as Murray (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
43 of 43 films
as Toad (voice)
Directed by Aaron Horvath
as B-127 (voice)
Directed by Josh Cooley
as Toad (voice)
Directed by Aaron Horvath
as Ducky (voice)
Directed by Josh Cooley
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Toad (voice)
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
Performance score8.3
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Toad (voice) gives Keegan-Michael Key a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
B-127 (voice)
Transformers One (2024)
Performance score7.8
Transformers One asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. B-127 (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Toad (voice)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Performance score7.8
The Super Mario Bros. Movie asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Toad (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Ducky (voice)
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Performance score7.7
Toy Story 4 asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Ducky (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Toad (voice)
Start here. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the clearest statement of what Keegan-Michael Key does — accessible, 98 minutes, and rated 8.3 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Keegan-Michael at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Keeps the comedy register of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Keeps the comedy register of Toy Story 4 but asks for a colder reading of it.
Wonka (2023)
Keeps the comedy register of The Super Mario Bros. Movie but asks for a colder reading of it.
Transformers One (2024)
Keeps the family register of Wonka but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
David Wain
Director
2 films together
Notably Role Models
Genndy Tartakovsky
Director
2 films together
Notably Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Josh Cooley
Director
2 films together
Notably Transformers One
Shane Black
Director
2 films together
Notably Play Dirty
Aaron Horvath
Director
2 films together
Notably The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Todd Phillips
Director
1 film together
Notably Due Date
Dennis Dugan
Director
1 film together
Notably Just Go with It
Joey Soloway
Director
1 film together
Notably Afternoon Delight
Phil Lord
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lego Movie
Elizabeth Banks
Director
1 film together
Notably Pitch Perfect 2
Brad Bird
Director
1 film together
Notably Tomorrowland
John Francis Daley
Director
1 film together
Notably Vacation
Nicholas Stoller
Director
1 film together
Notably Storks
John Hamburg
Director
1 film together
Notably Why Him?
Peter Atencio
Director
1 film together
Notably Keanu
James Franco
Director
1 film together
Notably The Disaster Artist
Jon Favreau
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lion King
Craig Brewer
Director
1 film together
Notably Dolemite Is My Name
Andy Fickman
Director
1 film together
Notably Playing with Fire
Ryan Murphy
Director
1 film together
Notably The Prom
Jay Karas
Director
1 film together
Notably Feeding America Comedy Festival
Brett Haley
Director
1 film together
Notably All the Bright Places
Judd Apatow
Director
1 film together
Notably The Bubble
Henry Selick
Director
1 film together
Notably Wendell & Wild
Akiva Schaffer
Director
1 film together
Notably Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Robert Zemeckis
Director
1 film together
Notably Pinocchio
Derek Drymon
Director
1 film together
Notably Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
Paul King
Director
1 film together
Notably Wonka
John Krasinski
Director
1 film together
Notably IF
Bobby Farrelly
Director
1 film together
Notably Dear Santa
Casper Kelly
Director
1 film together
Notably Buddy
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Aaron Horvath
Director
2 films together · 8.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Super Mario Galaxy MovieJosh Cooley
Director
2 films together · 7.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Transformers OneGenndy Tartakovsky
Director
2 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer VacationShane Black
Director
2 films together · 6.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Play DirtyDavid Wain
Director
2 films together · 6.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Role ModelsBrett Haley
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
All the Bright PlacesPhil Lord
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lego MovieJon Favreau
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lion KingJames Franco
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Disaster ArtistPaul King
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
WonkaDerek Drymon
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hotel Transylvania: TransformaniaAkiva Schaffer
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue RangersCraig Brewer
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dolemite Is My NameJohn Krasinski
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
IFElizabeth Banks
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pitch Perfect 2Nicholas Stoller
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
StorksDennis Dugan
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Just Go with ItHenry Selick
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wendell & WildAndy Fickman
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Playing with FireJohn Hamburg
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Why Him?Todd Phillips
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Due DateRobert Zemeckis
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
PinocchioJohn Francis Daley
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
VacationBrad Bird
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TomorrowlandBobby Farrelly
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dear SantaRyan Murphy
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The PromPeter Atencio
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
KeanuJay Karas
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Feeding America Comedy FestivalJoey Soloway
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Afternoon DelightJudd Apatow
Director
1 film together · 4.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The BubbleCasper Kelly
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BuddySix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
All the Bright Places
as Embry
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Disaster Artist
as Keegan-Michael Key
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Keegan-Michael Key has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
33 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
All the Bright Places
as Embry
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
as Frog Co-Worker / Bjornson the Cheesemonger (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
as Toad (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Play Dirty
as Ed Mackey
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
as Toad (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Toy Story 4
as Ducky (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Bonnie Hunt
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Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
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Reference
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