Cynthia Blaise is an American actress, voice coach, speech coach, and dialect coach. She is also known for her 17-year marriage to comedian and actor Keegan-Michael Key. Blaise worked in film, television, theater, and education, with one of her best-known acting roles being Amanda in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. She and Key divorced in 2017 after separating in 2015.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cynthia Blaise |
| Birth year | 1958 |
| Reported birthday | January 12, 1958 |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, dialect coach, voice coach, speech coach |
| Education | University of Oregon; University of California, Irvine |
| Degree | B.A. in Theater; M.F.A. |
| Known for | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, dialect coaching, marriage to Keegan-Michael Key |
| Former husband | Keegan-Michael Key |
| Marriage | 1998–2017 |
| Children with Key | None |
| Current relationship | No publicly confirmed partner |
| Current net worth | Not reliably known |
Cynthia Blaise’s Early Life and Education
Cynthia Blaise was born in 1958 in the United States. The US Sun reports that her birthday is January 12, 1958, although other sources only give her birth year.
Information about her parents, siblings, and childhood is limited in the available sources.
Blaise developed an interest in theater and went on to study the subject at the University of Oregon. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theater.
She later continued her education at the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.
Her education helped prepare her for work both in acting and in speech and dialect training.
Cynthia Blaise’s Career as an Actress
Blaise began working in the entertainment industry in the late 1980s.
Her most notable early acting credit came in 1989, when she appeared in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. She played Amanda, the mother of Spock.
She later appeared in other film and television productions, including Timequest, where she played a teacher.
Her other reported acting credits include Miami Vice, Hardcore Henry, Key & Peele, and Robot Chicken.
She also appeared in a Second City comedy video with Keegan-Michael Key called Meditations on Yoga: Ode to a Cougar in 2010.
Cynthia Blaise as a Dialect Coach
Although Blaise acted, her larger professional career developed around voice, speech, and dialect coaching.
Her work involved helping actors speak with specific accents and dialects for film, television, and theater roles. She also taught speech and dialect skills in academic settings.
According to information attributed to her LinkedIn profile, Blaise has worked in the field for more than three decades.
Her reported film and television coaching credits include:
- Bad Teacher
- Faster
- 6 Souls
- Bad Apple
- The Tiger Hunter
- The Truth About Emanuel
- Miami Vice
- Beautiful & Twisted
- Hardcore Henry
She also worked as a dialect coach on the television series Justice.
One reported credit says she coached actor Mekhi Phifer for his role in 8 Mile.
Teaching and Academic Work
Blaise’s work was not limited to Hollywood productions. She also taught speech and dialect.
The supplied sources report that she taught at Temple University for four years. She also worked in the MFA program at Wayne State University for six years.
She has also been associated with the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of New Hampshire, Southern Birmingham College, and Western Kentucky University.
Her work included workshops and theater-based speech and dialect instruction.
Cynthia Blaise and Keegan-Michael Key
Cynthia Blaise met Keegan-Michael Key while they were both working at the Detroit Repertory Theatre.
They reportedly worked together on Hamtown. Their professional relationship later became a romantic one.
Blaise and Key dated for about four years before getting married in 1998.
Their age difference attracted attention because Blaise was about 14 years older than Key.
Key was born in Michigan in 1971, while Blaise was born in 1958.
Their 17-Year Marriage
Cynthia Blaise and Keegan-Michael Key were married for about 17 years.
They did not have children together.
During their marriage, both worked in entertainment. Blaise continued her work as a dialect coach and actress, while Key developed his career as a comedian and actor.
Blaise also appeared alongside Key in Key & Peele, the Comedy Central series he created and starred in with Jordan Peele.
The show ran from 2012 to 2015.
The couple appeared together at several entertainment events, including events connected with the Emmy Awards in 2015.
Their Divorce
Key filed for divorce from Blaise in 2015. The couple had separated on November 15, 2015, according to court documents cited by media reports.
Their divorce was finalized in 2017.
Reports identified irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce.
The separation received considerable media attention because of the couple’s long marriage and Key’s growing success in Hollywood.
Divorce Settlement
The divorce included a significant financial settlement.
According to reports based on court documents, Key was ordered to pay Blaise $34,000 per month in spousal support.
She was also reportedly entitled to 21% of his gross annual income above $2,153,846, subject to a reported annual cap.
Blaise received more than $600,000 through the division of marital assets. Some reports put the amount at approximately $655,000.
Other reported assets included a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek and a vacation property or timeshare in Mexico.
The exact financial terms should be treated as reported court information because different publications have presented slightly different figures.
The Reported Impact of the Divorce
The divorce was reportedly difficult for Blaise.
According to claims reported by TMZ and other publications, she said she experienced depression, anxiety, hair loss, weight loss, and PTSD after the separation.
She also reportedly said that she had been taking several medications during that period.
These details came from claims made during the divorce proceedings and should not be treated as independently verified medical information.
Blaise also reportedly said that she had been the main financial provider for part of the marriage because her work as a dialect coach supported the couple.
Toward the end of the marriage, Key’s income increased significantly. Reports mentioned a $1.2 million Toyota endorsement deal as one example.
Life After Divorce
Cynthia Blaise has kept a relatively private life since her divorce from Key.
There is no reliable public information confirming that she remarried or entered another long-term relationship.
Unlike her former husband, she has largely stayed away from the entertainment spotlight.
Her last reported dialect-coaching work was on The Tiger Hunter in 2016, although the available information does not establish whether she has continued private professional work since then.
Does Cynthia Blaise Have Children?
Cynthia Blaise and Keegan-Michael Key did not have children together.
There are no publicly confirmed children from their marriage in the supplied sources.
Keegan-Michael Key After the Divorce
After his divorce from Blaise, Key began a relationship with Elisa Pugliese, now known as Elle Key.
The couple became engaged in 2017 and married on June 8, 2018, in New York City.
Elle Key is an actress, writer, and producer.
Keegan-Michael Key has continued working in film, television, comedy, and voice acting since his divorce from Blaise.
Cynthia Blaise’s Net Worth
Cynthia Blaise’s current net worth is not reliably known.
Some online sources have published estimated figures, but the available information does not provide enough reliable evidence to confirm a specific amount.
Her long career as a dialect coach, actress, teacher, and entertainment professional provided her with an independent source of income. She also received financial support and assets through her divorce settlement.
Social Media and Private Life
Blaise has maintained a low public profile.
There is no reliably confirmed major social media account that can be confidently identified as her current official account from the supplied information.
She has rarely discussed her personal life publicly since her divorce from Key.
Interesting Facts
- Cynthia Blaise was born in 1958.
- One source reports her birthday as January 12, 1958.
- She is an American actress and dialect coach.
- She studied theater at the University of Oregon.
- She earned an MFA from the University of California, Irvine.
- Her best-known acting role was Amanda in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
- She also appeared in Timequest, Miami Vice, Hardcore Henry, Key & Peele, and Robot Chicken.
- She has worked as a voice, speech, and dialect coach.
- She taught speech and dialect at several educational institutions.
- She met Keegan-Michael Key while working at the Detroit Repertory Theatre.
- They married in 1998.
- They were married for about 17 years.
- Key filed for divorce in 2015.
- Their divorce was finalized in 2017.
- They had no children together.
- Blaise received financial support and assets as part of the divorce settlement.
- She has largely maintained a private life since the divorce.
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