My Take
David Keith is one of those actors who absolutely should have been a bigger star, and I'll die on that hill. His turn as Sid Worley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) is genuinely heartbreaking — he's so good that he nearly upstages Richard Gere in his own movie, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The guy has real Tennessee grit to him, a rawness that fits the kinds of damaged, intense characters he tends to play. Firestarter, The Lords of Discipline — he kept picking interesting projects through the eighties even when the leading-man spotlight faded. He's a career character actor who had a brief, brilliant moment at the front of the stage, and that moment was well-earned.
Overview
David Lemuel Keith (born May 8, 1954) is an American actor and director. His breakout role was as aspiring Navy pilot Sid Worley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), earning Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year. The role paved the way for leading performances in The Lords of Discipline (1983), Firestarter (1984) and the cult thriller White of the Eye (1987).
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Keith
- Name (Japanese)
- デヴィッド・キース
- Reading
- でゔぃっど・きーす
- Born
- May 8, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
- Origin
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film producer / television actor / film actor / film director / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Tennessee
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.