‘Django Unchained’ actor Keith Jefferson passes away at 53

LOS ANGELES: Actor Keith Jefferson, who was best known for his roles in some of director Quentin Tarantino’s most iconic films such as ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘The Hateful Eight’, has passed away at the age of 53 due to cancer.

The actor died during the night of October 4 which his representative Nicole St. John told The Hollywood Reporter.

However, ‘The Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’ alum had long made his peace with what was to come, as back in August he had announced his cancer diagnosis.

Announcing about his cancer at the time, Keith wrote: “Every now and then God will give you a challenge and leave it up to you to fix it.

“When I was first diagnosed with cancer I had to stop, pause, and didn’t want to share with anyone. Not my family nor extended family. Today I’m finally at a place to share because my faith is getting stronger.”

While he had announced his cancer, it is unknown currently at the time what happened to him as a final medical report has yet to come out while the family has asked people to respect their privacy during their time of mourning.

Born on April 7, 1970, in Houston, Jefferson received a BFA in musical theater from the US International in San Diego and an MFA in acting from the University of Arizona. He landed his first onscreen role in ‘Boys on the Side’ (1995).

The actor portrayed Pudgy Ralph alongside Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson in ‘Django Unchained’ (2012), then appeared as Charly in ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015) and as Land Pirate Keith in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019).

Besides this, other films included the mystery film ‘Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man’ and the historical war film ‘Buffalo Soldiers’.

Jefferson also worked as a producer, voiceover artist and acting coach. His other TV and film credits included ‘Relative Opposites’, ‘Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!’, ‘You Too, Bosch: Legacy’ and ‘Day Shift’.