Keppler worked under makeup supervisor Michael Westmore on the action-adventure television series MacGyver during that show's second season (1986-87) before they both moved on to TNG. Westmore and Keppler were nominated for an Emmy Award in 1987 for their work on the MacGyver episode "Friends", which was directed by Cliff Bole and guest-starred John Anderson, Robin Curtis, Teri Hatcher, and Bruce McGill.