Alicia Augello Cook, known as Alicia Keys in the entertainment industry, is mostly famous for her career as a singer and a songwriter. She was born in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Her mother, Terria Joseph, is an occasional actress and a paralegal. While her father, Craig Cook, is a flight attendant.

Alicia was just seven years old when she started taking piano lessons and later got into the Professional Performance Arts School of Manhattan, where she majored in choir. At the age of 16, Alicia accomplished the impossible – in 1998, Alicia was allowed to graduate at 16.

Her debut album “Songs in a Mirror” was released in 2001, whose 6 million copies were sold worldwide. She also won five Grammys after the release of this album. Besides being a singer and songwriter, Alicia is also an actress and a film producer. She has appeared in a number of movies and has also produced and directed several movies herself.

The most famous movies and documentary films in which Alicia Keys played roles include:

• Alicia Keys: From Start to Stardom 
• The secret life of bees 
• The Nanny Diaries 
• Smokin’ Aces 
• Time Is Illmatic 
• Muscle Shoals 

 While the movies for which Alicia Keys worked as a producer and executive producer include:

• Work it
• The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete

Alicia Keys: From Start to Stardom 

This documentary movie was released in 2003. The film revolves around Alicia Keys’ life, from the very start of her career till the peak of her popularity. You will watch Alicia Keys as a young musical prodigy in the documentary film and her progress towards a bright future. In the film, we see the life and talent of Alicia, which boosts up her career. We also get to see how her debut album “Songs in a Minor” hits the heights of popularity, and around 6 million copies are sold. The documentary film is all about Alicia, her career, life, and every other aspect that played any specific role in her life. This was the first time when Alicia appeared in a film.

The Nanny Diaries

In 2007, Alicia Keys appeared in the hit movie The Nanny Diaries. Her character in the film was named Lynette. The movie starred Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Laura Linney, and others. Lynette was seen as the best friend of the Nanny (Scarlett Johansson). 

The movie is an American comedy, and its story revolves around a 21 years old nanny named Annie. The protagonist is a college graduate, who comes from a working-class family, and starts working as a nanny at Mr. and Mrs. X’s house. In the movie, we watch the nanny struggle with balancing her studies along with the demands of her employers, a spoiled kid, and a new boyfriend.

Lynette (Alicia Keys), as the nanny’s best friend, is always helping and advising her. It is a must-watch movie for Alicia Keys’ fans, as her acting skills and character are outstanding. 

Smokin’ Aces 

This action thriller film was released in 2006, starring Alicia Keys as Georgia Sykes. Alicia appeared as a ruthless, vulgar, rude, fire-willed, manipulative, and cold-hearted contract killer. In the movie, Georgia Sykes (Alicia Keys) is shown as a character whom Serna hires for abducting Israel – a gangster hiding in a hotel. Soot wants Georgia Sykes and her partner Sharice Watters to abduct him before he can kill Israel himself. 

This was the first time when fans of Alicia Keys saw her as a villain, that also a fierce one. Her character as Georgia was loved by her fans and gained a lot of popularity.

The Secret Life of Bees 

In the 2008 movie, The Secret Life of Bees, Alicia Keys played the role of June Boatwright. The character inherits a business of beekeeping from her grandmother. June Boatwright leads a very peaceful and cultured life in the movie. 

The movie is rated 7.3/10 on IMDb and got 59% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a family drama movie and can be enjoyed on the weekend with your family. 

Nas: Time Is Illmatic 

Time Is Illmatic is a documentary film released in 2014. It starred different stars, including Alicia Keys. The documentary film’s subject was the 1994 album named “Illmatic,” a debut project of a rapper. His real name is Nasir Jones, while in the music industry, he is known as Nas. 

Throughout the film, we see different people telling stories while passing the sidewalks or inhabitants of Queensbridge. Alicia Keys’ role as a musician is outstanding, and it is also a must-watch for people who like musical documentary films. 

Muscle Shoals 

This is again a documentary film, released in 2013 by the Magnolia studios. It is based on the story of the FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals, produced and directed by Gregg ‘Freddy’ Camalier. 

This documentary film featured several recording artists, including Alicia Keys. 

Movies Produced by Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys has also produced a few movies, among which the most famous and recent one is “Work It.” It is a jukebox dance comedy film that starred Liza Koshy, Sabrina Carpenter, Keiynan, Jordan Fisher, and Michelle Buteau. 

The movie was released by Netflix on August 7, 2020. It revolves around a quirky and intelligent college girl living in North Carolina whose best friend is an aspiring dancer. However, the dreams of both best friends are different; Quinn has always dreamed of going to Duke University, while her best friend Jasmine wants to be a famous dancer. But the drama starts when Quinn tells the interviewer at Duke University that she is a member of the dance club. 

When you start watching the movie, you know it’s a great piece of work. The comedy, romance, friendship, and of course, dance make it worth watching.

Conclusion

Alicia Keys is a multi-talented artist who proved her skills in the industry at a very young age. She is a singer, songwriter, music composer, certified pianist, occasional actress, and producer. With so many talents, she is a woman who stands out of the crowd, keeping her chin up. 

Alicia Keys has not played lead roles in movies, but it is a fact that she is a very skillful actress. Her skills are outstanding, and she can get herself completely absorbed in the character while acting. As we see in “The Nanny Diaries,” it’s a role of a soft, friendly girl, while in the movie “Smokin’ Aces,” her role is completely opposite to the one in The Nanny Diaries. She didn’t lack skills in any of the characters she played. In short, Keys is a fine artist with more than just one talent.

Discover how Alicia Keys’ journey compares to other musical legends in our latest deep dive into her life and career.