T'Keyah Crystal Keymah

T'Keyah Crystal Keymah was an American actress, writer, and singer who worked regularly in every arena from film to sketch comedy. Born on October 13, 1962 in Chicago, IL, Keymah realized she wanted to be a performer since she was 3 years old. By the end of elementary school, Keymah had written both her first play and her first song. In high school, Keymah formed a sketch comedy group with fellow students Ali LeRoi and Lance Crouther, before being recruited by Florida A&M University's School of Business. After graduating, Keymah started teaching at the University, leading classes in theater, dance, and mime. In 1990, she got her big break when Keenen Ivory Wayans cast her in the groundbreaking sketch comedy series, "In Living Color" (FOX, 1990-94). Keymah played original characters like Cryssy and Mrs. Buttman, as well as doing impressions of celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, and Barbra Streisand. After "In Living Color" ended in 1994, Keymah moved on to a small role in Quentin Tarantino's heist thriller "Jackie Brown" (1997), and taking on the role of Erica Lucas, daughter to Bill Cosby's Hilton Lucas on the comedian's sitcom "Cosby" (CBS, 1996-2000). Keymah followed that role with another major TV role, playing Tanya Baxter, mother to Raven-Simone, on the Disney sitcom "That's So Raven" (Disney Channel, 2003-2007). Keymah appeared in three out of the show's four seasons, but decided not to appear in the final season, in order to take care of her ailing grandmother. Keymah returned to acting with a supporting role in Spike Lee's modern take on Lysistrata, "Chi-Raq" (2015), and an appearance on the SyFy channel farce "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens" (2016).