Keith Jardine

He portrays Pete in Vincent D'Onofrio's 2019 film The Kid.

Jardine was born in Butte, Montana, moved to Oregon, and finally settled in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Canoga Park High School. Jardine played football and competed in Greco-Roman wrestling in high school under Coach Rudy Lugo, and continued to compete at Los Angeles Pierce College, then for his final two years of college as a defensive lineman at New Mexico Highlands University, which has a Division II program. He received a degree in Human Performance and Sport from New Mexico Highlands University. Before focusing on a career in mixed martial arts, Jardine worked as a personal trainer, firefighter, football coach, miner, and bounty hunter. He also played rugby and competed in high-level wrestling tournaments after college before traveling to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he began training for MMA with Greg Jackson. In 2014 Jardine featured on a social media video that went viral where he proceeded to track down a thief and make a citizen's arrest.

In 2009, Jardine appeared in the movies Crank: High Voltage (starring Jason Statham) and Gamer (starring Gerard Butler). He was also featured in the Breaking Bad (starring fellow Canoga Park High School Alumnus Bryan Cranston) Season 3 episode "I.F.T", where he played a criminal who gets into a bar fight. He has appeared in small roles in various other films such as Tactical Force, Beer For My Horses, Unrivaled and Death Warrior. On February 11, 2013, he starred in the Hawaii Five-O episode titled, Kekoa. In 2014, he appeared in the movies John Wick, Inherent Vice and Shot Caller. In 2016, he appears in Preacher. He plays one of Odin's employees, named Verne, first appearing in the episode "SEE", seen playing poker. The Dean of Mean makes a brief cameo in Once Upon a Time in Venice, where he clobbers Bruce Willis's character after failing to repay a debt. Jardine has also worked in Netflix content, playing Dyer Howe, a member of Frank Griffin's gang, in the series Godless, released in November 2017, appearing in the film Bird Box, released in December 2018, and appearing in Season 2, episode 5 of the series The Punisher.

Jardine faced Luke Rockhold for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine on January 7, 2012. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Jardine suffered his second consecutive knockout and third straight loss at the hands of Ryan Bader on February 21, 2010, at UFC 110. After being rocked by a straight right from Bader, he received a flying knee to the ribs and then a hook punch to the chin that knocked him out, two minutes into the third round.

Jardine faced Matt Hamill on June 19, 2010, at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale. He lost the fight via majority decision, in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors. Subsequently, he was released by the UFC on June 24, 2010.

Jardine's first fight since leaving the UFC was against Shark Fights Light Heavyweight Champion Trevor Prangley in a non-title bout at Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley on September 11, 2010. Jardine lost to Prangley via split decision, bringing his losing streak to five-in-a-row. After the fight he was given an indefinite suspension by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for shoving referee Steve Armstrong prior to the fight.

Jardine was scheduled to face Francisco France at Nemesis Fighting: MMA Global Invasion on November 13, 2010, but the event was postponed to avoid a storm. The new date for the event was December 10, 2010.

In April 2006, Jardine fought The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light Heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar at Ultimate Fight Night 4. Jardine lost the fight in part due to a very controversial unanimous decision, but gained a great deal of fan and media support after the bout. After the fight Jardine stated, "Everyone knows that that Bonnar fight should have been my fight[...] I still get approached everyday about that. I am 3-1, but I don't necessarily look at it that way."

In 2005, Jardine was cast on The Ultimate Fighter 2, a team-based reality television show created by the UFC, as a Heavyweight competitor. He was the first Heavyweight to be chosen by team coach and then UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Although considered a favorite to proceed to the Heavyweight division's finals, Jardine was not selected to fight until the semi-finals, where he was defeated by eventual Heavyweight winner and his future sparring partner, Rashad Evans.

Jardine has fought four bouts as a professional boxer. His professional boxing record is three wins with one draw. His last boxing bout was a draw against Jason Cordova that took place on August 20, 2004.

Jardine made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2001, defeating Amir Rahnavardi via armbar submission. He would win five out of his next six bouts, suffering one knockout loss to Travis Wiuff six seconds into the fight, before debuting in the Japanese Pancrase organization in 2003. Jardine's bout in Pancrase, with Keiichiro Yamamiya, ended in a draw. Jardine defeated his next two opponents, including a submission win over Red Devil Sport Club fighter Arman Gambaryan, before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter 2.

Keith Hector Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fighters. His best wins were in contests with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions and UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Jardine's unorthodox attacking style wrongfooted opponents, but left him vulnerable in some career-crucial contests, and by his mid-30s he had effectively retired from competing to concentrate on a 'Paleo' business venture. Building on experience as a stuntman and in non-speaking parts, Jardine has established himself as an actor in film and television.