Born Lauren Keyana Palmer, you may remember Keke from her performance in the critically acclaimed, award-winning film Akeelah and the Bee, but Keke was far from wet behind the ears when she starred in her role as Akeelah Anderson.

As a small child growing up in Robbins, Illinois, Keke showed her parents Laurence and Sharon Palmer that her performance skills packed a lot of power when she belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir.

In their home recording studio, Keke’s mother Sharon helped Keke harness her vocal abilities, and both parents were dedicated to taking her on auditions and helping her to perfect her acting skills. In 2004 Keke landed her first big role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business playing the part of Queen Latifah’s niece. At this point, it was more than apparent that Keke had star-potential, so the family left behind their newly purchased home and their secure jobs to head to California.

Keke’s accomplished resume includes a role on the CBS series Cold Case, a national K-Mart commercial, and even a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in Wool Cap. She is currently the youngest actress to ever receive a nomination in a Lead Actress category. She has also won the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Akeelah and the Bee. She also co-starred in the highly-rated Disney Channel Original movie Jump In.

Though her acting career has blossomed, Keke considers music her first love and has signed with Atlantic Records. Her newest album "So Uncool" includes an ode to her Chicago roots. The Palmer’s decision to leave the Chicago area in pursuit of Keke’s dreams turned out to be a good one, but they were definitely challenging times. In his interview with Children In Film, Laurence Palmer talks about the challenges of being a Power Parent.

INTERVIEW WITH LAURENCE PALMER

On Education

CIF: How did you/do you school your children? LP: We came to California in November of 2003 and home-schooled our children under the Illinois guidelines for a semester until we found out about the California program Options For Youth, which Keke still attends and our oldest daughter Loreal graduated from this past spring.

CIF: What are the challenges of dealing with a school-aged child who is also working? LP: Keke is a very social kid. Our main challenge with her is finding time where she can socialize with other children. We make sure she gets to some birthday parties, skating parties and movie outings with her friends. My wife Sharon or our 18 year old daughter Loreal or I accompany her depending on the outing and the other parent’s participation.

On Getting Started in Show Biz

CIF: What actors inspired your child (in her work) or you to get her into this field? LP: Keke was inspired by Brandy, Rave, Tia and Timara Mowery and Kyla Pratt. My wife and I were professional theater actors in Chicago and I think that helps us in understanding her desire to do this and how she approaches this business.

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