Keegan Gray Hughes is a Los Angeles-based actor and writer.
Keegan was born and raised in the developments of Northern Phoenix, Arizona. One of six siblings, he was born into a family of mainly visual artists and amateur musicians. Both his parents practiced visual art and enthusiastically encouraged him to pursue whatever artistic endeavors that interested him. Taught guitar by his father, Keegan carried that passion into his music lessons for violin, piano, and drums. He was placed in a K-8 Accelerated Arts Program where his mother taught art. The program gave students the opportunity to practice a wide array of arts during 1st-4th grade before picking one to specialize in during 5th-8th grade.
As a child, his direct access to the untouched desert resulted in both the necessity and passion to learn basic survival skills. Some of his extended family members were hunters and invited him along to outdoor programs where he further developed his survival skills while also learning hunting, fishing, and flourishing in the environment. His love of being in natural environments has continued throughout his adult life.
When entering 7th grade, he expressed interested in auditioning for the drama program, and his first production was a role in A Midsummer Night's Dream. As his passion for acting grew, he co-managed the Improv Club and served as an officer on the Drama Club Board. In High School, he became active in the Theatre Program and explains, " I had finally found not only my art, but now my people." His favorite academic study in school was history and in particular, writing. He said about his passion for the study of history, "History became the ammunition for my imagination, and a foundation for human understanding." When it comes to writing, he remarks how it was an early pathway to creative expression. In fact, it was his first dream career to be an author. He poured hours into his stories, including his longstanding 6-book epic- fantasy series, "Everagain and Evermore" - a project he continues to work on. Later in high school, he also developed a love for musical theatre as he found and developed his voice. He was recognized during high school with several National Youth Arts Awards, while his high school Program simultaneously became a recognized artistic powerhouse in the educational arts sector.
Keegan attended Northern Arizona University from 2014-2018. He was the only freshman cast in a mainstage his first semester, and went on to perform in mainstage productions for each of his eight semesters at NAU. He joined the Honorary Theatre Fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega, his sophomore year and continued to organize and produce existing and new works until graduating in 2018 with a BA in Theatre. His passion for travel grew during this time as well, culminating in a trip to Ireland during his senior year - in part to learn more about his Irish heritage and more fully understand his connection to the culture.
After college, he continued to explore the world in search of a wider perspective on both his world, himself, and his art. He then began working with the YouTube Channel 'Illumeably', performing shorts with an ensemble, and was officially a paid actor. While in Berkeley, CA he had the opportunity to perform as a background player in the feature Oppenheimer. This catalyzed his realization that it was time to learn from and work with the best. The experience proved transformative, and ignited his passion to relocate to Los Angeles in 2023 to actively pursue a career in television and film.
Hughes quickly learned that he not only loved performing, but understood and loved the business as well. He began acting in several film school projects and then in vertical mini-series. He also continued his love for performing stage, and recently appeared in the School of Night Theatre Company's production of "Hellas", a new verse drama by Christopher William Johnson that celebrates the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
When Keegan is not pursuing his acting career, or whittling away at his fantasy novel series, he is an avid gardener in his "little urban home garden", playing video games with friends from back home, or volunteering at animal shelters, site-clean ups, and other participatory philanthropy.
