T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (born Crystal Walker; October 13, 1962) is an American actress and singer. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (1990–1994), Keymáh is also known for her roles as Erica Lucas on the CBS sitcom Cosby (1996–2000), Tanya Baxter on the Disney Channel sitcom That's So Raven (2003–2005), and as the star and host on the Keymáh Network sketch variety show The Cool Crystal Show (2020–present).
Early life Born Crystal Walker on October 13, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, at Cook County Hospital, Keymáh was raised Catholic on the city's South Side. Her mother, Arlene Carter, a student at Chicago State University, died when Keymáh was two years old. Keymáh's father, William Walker Sr., was an Illinois State Police trooper. He is of Seminole Indian descent from Springfield, Illinois. Keymáh was raised by her maternal grandparents Mary Louis Zeno, a social worker for the Illinois public aid department, and Carneil Carter, an insurance salesperson with Metropolitan Insurance. Keymáh began entertaining her family – singing, dancing, and reciting original poems and stories — at the age of three. Keymáh wrote her first play and her first song in elementary school. Keymáh then went on to go to Academy of Our Lady where she graduated from in 1981. Keymáh performed with Ali LeRoi and Lance Crouther in the Mary Wong Comedy Group in high school, and then enrolled in Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry. In 1988, she adopted the stage name "T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh" after realizing her last name, Walker, reflected a slave name rather than her African roots. In a 1991 interview with the Chicago Tribune, she claimed that "T'Keyah" meant "mental revival of God's spirit" and that "Keymáh" meant "to establish oneself" in Hebrew but neither name appears to be of Hebrew origin by modern day findings."
Career During college and after graduation, Keymáh taught theater, dance, and mime. She has also done many theater performances, and produced and directed films. One of the original cast members of Fox Television's Emmy winning variety show, In Living Color, for five seasons Keymáh played a number of characters, including Cryssy, the central character of her self-written signature piece, "In Black World". She also sang and danced on the show. After In Living Color, she played contractor Scotti Decker in On Our Own; played comedy show writer Denise Everett on the 1996 TV series The Show; and provided the voices for Roz, Shavonne, Aki, Mrs. LaSalle, and many others in Waynehead. For four years, Keymáh was a series regular on Cosby, where she played flight attendant-lawyer-pastry chef-teacher Erica Lucas Hall. Following Cosby, she appeared for three seasons on the Disney series That's So Raven as Raven's mother, Tanya Baxter. In season four, her character was written out of the plot so that Keymáh could care for her ailing grandmother. Keymáh co-wrote and costarred in a two-person stage show with music, called Sellout!?!, with fellow College alumnus Bryan C. Jones, who was also one of the many guests to appear in her hit variety show T'Keyah Live! On June 21, 2022, Entertainment Tonight announced that Keymáh would reprise her role as Tanya Baxter on the That's So Raven spin-off, Raven's Home.
The Cool Crystal Show characters
Nzinghi Anyemeechi Mbweli Aharanwa (Cooking with the Queen) Mrs. Dr. Eliza Madree Weaver (Read to Me) Jett Stand up T'Keyah (Standup Tragedy) Nylah The Sisters Dr. Melanie Milan (The Milan Medical Moment) Miss Louise and Miss Ethel ("Ladies on the Porch") Mr. Z and Mr. Washington ("Men on the Porch")
In Living Color characters
Cryssy (Black World) Hilda Hedley (Hey Mon) LaShawn Leslie Livingston (Homey the Clown) Mrs. Buttman (The Buttmans) Shawanda Harvey, host of Go on Girl
In Living Color impressions
Shahrazad Ali Anita Baker Whoopi Goldberg Pam Grier Jackée Harry Janet Jackson La Toya Jackson Eartha Kitt Joie Lee Diana Ross Jean Stapleton (as Edith Bunker (All in the Family)) Barbra Streisand
Other impressions
Nell Carter Ruby Dee Macy Gray Katharine Hepburn Billie Holiday Harry Lennix Johnny Mathis Sidney Poitier Nancy Wilson
Don't Get Me Started! Keymáh performed a solo stage work titled Don't Get Me Started! She sang, performed impressions, and talked about the prison industrial complex as well as conspiracy theories. She debuted the show in 2011 at The Black Academy of Art & Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas.
T'Keyah Live! T'Keyah Live! is a variety show and is Keymáh's third self-produced theatrical show. She has performed the show across the U.S. since 1999 with a number of different guest performers, including Todd Bridges, T. C. Carson, Ralph Harris, Dawnn Lewis, and Karen Malina White.
Some of My Best Friends Some of My Best Friends is a series of monologues in verse and prose embodied by a dozen diverse but somehow connected characters. In this humorous, tear jerking, thought-provoking theatrical production, Keymáh champions societal issues that are as relevant today as they were when the show debuted to sold out crowds at Chicago's South Shore Cultural Center in 1991. Overcoming obstacles, the devastation of AIDS, the search for love, race relations, and teen promiscuity are just some of the topics explored. The show was chiefly penned by Keymáh but includes pieces written by or in collaboration with Ali LeRoi, Harry Lennix, and poet Angela Jackson (And All These Roads Be Luminous: Poems Selected and New); and includes a dance choreographed by Maurice Hines. About her work in this show critics have said: "Keymáh is a Charismatic Actress... Chameleonic and Effervescent" – Los Angeles Times;"...Beyond Superlatives; She's Phenomenal!" – Earl Calloway, Chicago Defender; "Much More Than Comedy"- Lisa M. Pancia, New York Vignette; "...a Delightful, Multitalented Performer whose ability to create believable characters on stage is a Wonder to Behold"- Nat Colley, Los Angeles Reader; "Keymáh is Magnificent" – Linda Armstrong, Amsterdam News;"...Keymáh's Poignant, Detailed Portrayals are Never Less Than Magnificent"- Randy Trabitz, Los Angeles Weekly. The show garnered an AUDELCO Award nomination for Best Solo Performer, an NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Writing, and NAACP Theatre Awards for Best Performance and Best Play.
Personal life Keymáh is an avid gardener and a vegetarian, as well as an active, Golden Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She was initiated into the Beta Alpha chapter at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Keymáh's brother is former Commander of the DC US Army National Guard, current Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives, the Honorable Major General William J. Walker.
Keymáh self-published three books: Cycle of Love: 28 Days of Organization, Rejuvenation and Meditation for Inspired Self Care, an inspirational self-help book with recipes, exercises and meditations; Some of My Best Friends: A Collection of Characters, the book version of the stage show she performed for ten years; and Natural Woman / Natural Hair: A Hair Journey – Hairstyles and Hairstories from the Front with Simple, Step-by-Step Instructions on Taking Care of your Natural Hair, an instructional hair care manual with anecdotes about her experiences with Afro-textured hair. She also contributed essays to "The HBCU Experience Book," "Dining with the Ancestors: When Heroes Come to Dinner," and "The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery."
Legacy Musical artist Flyy Moon pays tribute to Keymáh's iconic "In Black World" performance piece, by including the opening lines in the intro of her 2021 debut song release, "Black." Associated Black Charities operates a donor-advised Keymáh Cultural Fund, which provides tickets to youth groups to attend theatrical performances and funds artistic groups that serve or comprise teens and children. There is a theater scholarship named for Keymáh at her alma mater, Florida A&M University. and medical scholarship named for her at Meharry Medical College.
Educator T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh served as a K–8 substitute teacher for the Chicago Board of Education for 4 years. She has presented her "Tools of the Trade" actors preparation workshops at theatre festivals and other events in the United States, and she has lectured abroad. In the fall of 2017, Keymáh served as Florida A&M University's first ever W.K. Kellogg Foundation Artist-in-Residence in the College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities Theatre department. Her residency included directing Pearl Cleage's The Nacirema Society Requests Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First 100 Years, teaching an Acting for the Camera course, and providing industry workshops and mentoring students.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1985 The Miss Black America Pageant Contestant Miss Illinois and 1st runner up for Miss Black America 1987 Big Shots Secretary Uncredited 1995 Tales from the Hood Nurse Parchman Uncredited 1997 Jackie Brown Raynelle 2000 Tweety's High-Flying Adventure Aoogah Voice, uncredited 2001 The Gilded Six Bit Missy Mae Short film 2004 The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park Tonya 2012 Lost Angels Hadassah Short film 2012 Daughter of Fortune Vogel Peterson Short film 2014 Unsolved Margaret Hanes Short film 2015 Bail Gladys/Bobbie Short film 2015 Chi-Raq Lorde 2016 Instance Ms. Kaplan Short film 2015 What Happened Last Night? Beverly 2018 Revival Rebah 2020 Patsy Lee & The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms Lorraine 2020 Ungubani Moms Short film 2020 For Prophet Dr. Sharon Fisher 2024 Patsy Lee & The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms Lorraine
Television Year Title Role Notes 1990–1994 In Living Color Various Series regular - 140 episodes 1992 Quantum Leap Paula Episode: "A Song for the Soul - April 7, 1963" 1993 Roc Darrelle Episode: "Ebony and Ivory" 1993-1997 Soul Train Herself - Guest Host 2 episodes 1994 The Commish Grace Caldwell Episode: "Born in the USA" 1994–1995 The John Larroquette Show Sara 2 episodes 1995 On Our Own Scotti Decker Series regular - 7 episodes 1996–2000 Cosby Erica Lucas Series regular - 94 episodesNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1998–99) 1996 Waynehead Roz, Shavonne Voice, main role A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 1996 The Show Denise Everett Series regular - 8 episodes 1998 Pinky and the Brain Singer Voice, episode: "Inherit the Wheeze"1999Pinky, Elmyra & the BrainNurse GlandVoice, episode: "Mr. Doctor" 2000 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Grandmother / Robber Girl Voice, episode: "The Snow Queen" 2000–2001 Batman Beyond Old Woman, Makeba, Dispatch Operator 3 episodes 2002–2003 Static Shock Allie Langford / Nails, Teen Girl #1 Voice, 2 episodes 2003–2005 That's So Raven Tanya Baxter Series regular - 50 episodes (Seasons 1–3) 2004 My Wife and Kids Realtor Episode: "Moving on Out" 2004–2005 Teen Titans Bumblebee Voice, 4 episodes 2005–2006 American Dragon: Jake Long Various Voice, 3 episodes 2007–2008 Jury Duty Herself 5 episodes 2013 Let's Stay Together Dr. Blair Riley 2 episodes 2016 Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Tech Terry @ Astro X Television film 2017 There's...Johnny! Roz Series Regular - 6 episodes 2018 Kidding Amika Episode: "Pusillanimous" 2020 Two Degrees T'Keyah Episode: "Dessert & Down From There" 2020-2021 The Cool Crystal Show Host / Various Series Regular - 7 episodes 2022 Raven's Home Tanya Baxter Episode: "Bridge Over Troubled Daughter"
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2006 Teen Titans Bumblebee
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