Keivonn Woodard | |
---|---|
Born | February 9, 2013 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actor |
Keivonn Montreal Woodard (born February 9, 2013) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Sam in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Born on February 9, 2013,[1][2] Woodard lives in Bowie, Maryland, with his mother, April Jackson-Woodard; his father, Dwayne Woodard, died in 2021. In addition to acting, he plays ice hockey.[3][4]
Woodard made his film debut in 2018 with the film Seeds of Hope: The Andrew Jackson Foster Story. He earned wider recognition and critical acclaim for his performance in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us. Woodard starred as Sam, a survivor who travels with his brother Henry in the episodes "Please Hold to My Hand" and "Endure and Survive".[3][5][6]
Woodard, who is deaf, was hired for The Last of Us after series co-creator Craig Mazin, looking for a young actor fluent in American Sign Language, sent a casting call out via Twitter.[4] For his role in the series, Woodard was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the youngest nominee in the category at age 10 and the second-youngest Emmy nominee after Keshia Knight Pulliam for The Cosby Show.[1][7] He is the first black deaf actor and second deaf actor overall (after Marlee Matlin) to be nominated for an Emmy Award.[8][9] His performance also earned him an Independent Spirit Award[10] and nominations for a Black Reel TV Award[11] and a NAACP Image Award.[12]
As of July 2023,[update] Woodard is set to appear in Fractal, a short film by Anslem Richardson.[8]