Editing Keith David (section)

==Early life and education==
David was born June 4, 1956, in [[Harlem]] and raised in [[Corona, Queens]], New York City. His mother, Dolores ([[née]] Dickenson), was a manager at [[New York Telephone]], and his father, Lester Williams, worked as a director of payroll operations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Keith Williams Weds Margit Edwards|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/23/style/keith-williams-weds-margit-edwards.html|newspaper= The New York Times|date=September 23, 1990}}</ref>

He initially intended to become an actor after playing the [[Cowardly Lion]] in a school production of ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|The Wizard of Oz]]'' and went on to study at Manhattan's [[High School of Performing Arts]]. He attended the [[Juilliard School]]'s Drama Division (1975–1979, ''Group 8'')<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.juilliard.edu/alumni/news/news_decades/2007-2008/0709/index.php|title=Alumni News|publisher=[[Juilliard School]] | website= juilliard.edu |date=September 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111111121334/http://juilliard.edu/alumni/news/news_decades/2007-2008/0709/index.php|archive-date=November 11, 2011}}</ref> where he graduated with a [[Bachelor of Fine Arts]] degree in 1979.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/17174/Keith-David/biography|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071118143627/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/17174/Keith-David/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 18, 2007 |department= Movies & TV Dept.|work= The New York Times| first= Sandra| last= Brennan|date=2007|title=Keith David biography|access-date=April 2, 2012}}</ref>