Keith Jefferson, ‘Hateful Eight’ and ‘Django Unchained’ Actor, Dies at 53

Keith Jefferson, the actor who worked for Quentin Tarantino on Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died. He was 53.Jefferson died Thursday, his rep Nicole St. John told The Hollywood Reporter. He announced in August that he had been diagnosed with cancer.“Every now and then God will give you a challenge and leave it up to you to fix it,” he wrote then. “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.” Born on April 7, 1970, in Houston, Jefferson received a BFA in musical theater from U.S. International in San Diego and and an MFA in acting from the University of Arizona. He landed his first onscreen role in Boys on the Side (1995).He 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).