Keith Gerchak
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
The great-grandson of Russian vaudevillians, Keith grew up in
Cleveland, OH, where as the only Jewish kid at Our Lady of Angels
School, he would pass out matzoh in the cafeteria under the crucifix.
Bespectacled and the smallest in his class, he would read the
encyclopedia during recess while his classmates played kickball, until
one day his insightful second grade teacher Mrs. Gibbons stood him on a
milk crate and had him sing two songs his mother had taught him - "High
Hopes" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost
Overnight." At that moment, he was hooked. That self-discovery led to
performing throughout his childhood with the Singing Angels, Great
Lakes Shakespeare Festival and other theatres. He had found a purpose.
Keith went on to study acting while earning a Masters Degree in
Architecture through Tulane University and the University of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK, traveling extensively throughout Europe.
Returning to Cleveland, he worked as a registered architect, eventually
becoming a respected designer of performing arts centers and a
contributing writer to two books and over a dozen magazine articles. He
continued to perform regularly and was a co-founding member of a small
resident professional theatre company in downtown Cleveland.
Moving to NYC in late 2003, Keith expanded his theatre background to
include over 50 stage credits, from Motel the tailor opposite Paul
Sorvino in Fiddler on the Roof to Marlin the father in Disney's Finding
Nemo the Musical, which found him singing high B-flats while doing
aerial somersaults with a puppet in his hands. He studied improv and
on-camera acting and began working in TV, film and commercials,
including the Zac Efron feature The Derby Stallion and The Onion, which
had the rare distinction of being included in the PBS series Make 'Em
Laugh, a documentary on the history of comedy that found Keith
sandwiched between Mae West and Family Guy.
He now lives in LA, where he works in TV, film, and commercials.
Cleveland, OH, where as the only Jewish kid at Our Lady of Angels
School, he would pass out matzoh in the cafeteria under the crucifix.
Bespectacled and the smallest in his class, he would read the
encyclopedia during recess while his classmates played kickball, until
one day his insightful second grade teacher Mrs. Gibbons stood him on a
milk crate and had him sing two songs his mother had taught him - "High
Hopes" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost
Overnight." At that moment, he was hooked. That self-discovery led to
performing throughout his childhood with the Singing Angels, Great
Lakes Shakespeare Festival and other theatres. He had found a purpose.
Keith went on to study acting while earning a Masters Degree in
Architecture through Tulane University and the University of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK, traveling extensively throughout Europe.
Returning to Cleveland, he worked as a registered architect, eventually
becoming a respected designer of performing arts centers and a
contributing writer to two books and over a dozen magazine articles. He
continued to perform regularly and was a co-founding member of a small
resident professional theatre company in downtown Cleveland.
Moving to NYC in late 2003, Keith expanded his theatre background to
include over 50 stage credits, from Motel the tailor opposite Paul
Sorvino in Fiddler on the Roof to Marlin the father in Disney's Finding
Nemo the Musical, which found him singing high B-flats while doing
aerial somersaults with a puppet in his hands. He studied improv and
on-camera acting and began working in TV, film and commercials,
including the Zac Efron feature The Derby Stallion and The Onion, which
had the rare distinction of being included in the PBS series Make 'Em
Laugh, a documentary on the history of comedy that found Keith
sandwiched between Mae West and Family Guy.
He now lives in LA, where he works in TV, film, and commercials.