Keith McDaniel

Keith McDaniel (March 29, 1956 – January 2, 1995) was an American dancer born in Chicago, Illinois, to Vernon McDaniel. He built a career that spanned concert dance, Broadway, film, television, and music videos.

McDaniel began his professional career as a principal artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a position he held from 1975 through 1983. He was a favored dancer of Alvin Ailey himself, who created multiple works specifically to showcase him. During his years with the company, McDaniel toured internationally.

Following his departure from the Ailey company in 1983, McDaniel relocated to Los Angeles to pursue work in film and television. His film appearances include Beaches (1988), Ladykillers (1988), Bert Rigby, You're a Fool (1989), Great Balls of Fire (1989), Bad Influence (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), and Basic Instinct (1992). On television, he appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show and Moonlighting. He also performed as a dancer on multiple Academy Award telecasts and appeared in music videos alongside Paula Abdul, Brenda Russell, Tina Marie, and Glenn Frey.

McDaniel returned to New York on two occasions to perform on Broadway. He served as a lead dancer and dance captain in the original Broadway production of Leader of the Pack in 1985. He returned to Broadway for Kiss of the Spider Woman, which ran from 1993 into 1994, where he performed as a dance partner to Chita Rivera.

McDaniel died of AIDS on January 2, 1995, in Los Angeles. His partner at the time of his death was Matt Tapscott.