Antoine Fuqua facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antoine Fuqua
Fuqua at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	(1965-05-30) May 30, 1965 (age 60) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Film director producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Lela Rochon ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	3
Family	Harvey Fuqua (uncle)

Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is well-known for directing exciting action and thriller movies. Before making films, he directed many popular music videos.

His first movie was The Replacement Killers in 1998. He became famous for the crime thriller Training Day in 2001. This movie helped him win the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director.

Antoine Fuqua has directed many other popular films. These include Tears of the Sun (2003), King Arthur (2004), and Shooter (2007). He also directed Olympus Has Fallen (2013), Southpaw (2015), and The Magnificent Seven (2016). He is also known for the The Equalizer movie series (2014–2023). The first Equalizer film earned him the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture.

He has also directed important documentaries. These include American Dream/American Knightmare (2018) and What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019). In 2022, he directed the TV series Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers. For this series, he won a Sports Emmy Award.

Early Life and Inspiration

Antoine Fuqua was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents are Carlos and Mary Fuqua. He finished high school in 1983. Before becoming a director, he studied electrical engineering. He even hoped to fly jets in the military.

Fuqua was greatly inspired by the writer Shinobu Hashimoto. Hashimoto often worked with the famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Fuqua said Hashimoto's writing was "beautiful and poetic and powerful." He felt it was all about justice and sacrifice. This made him want to tell similar stories. He grew up in a tough area. He saw people being treated unfairly. This made him want to fight for justice.

Fuqua also shared how a difficult experience changed his life. When he was fifteen, he was shot. This made him spend less time on the streets. Instead, he went to the movies more often. He said this event was a "wake up call." It made him appreciate life more. He then put all his energy into things he believed in, like playing basketball. Later, a professor suggested he take an art class. He discovered the artist Caravaggio and loved his work.

Antoine Fuqua's Career

Fuqua started his career by directing music videos. He worked with famous artists like Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. He directed the video for "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio. This video helped promote the movie Dangerous Minds.

Fuqua said that people thought he was a new French film director. They had no idea he was from Pittsburgh. He enjoyed surprising people when they found out he was the director.

From 1998, Fuqua began directing feature films. His first movie was The Replacement Killers (1998). It was an action film produced by John Woo. He then directed Bait (2000), an action comedy.

His movie Training Day (2001) was a big success. The star of the film, Denzel Washington, won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. Fuqua and Denzel Washington have worked together many times.

Other films he directed include Tears of the Sun (2003) and King Arthur (2004). He also directed Shooter (2007) and Brooklyn's Finest (2009). In 2013, he directed the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen. He then directed The Equalizer in 2014, again starring Denzel Washington.

Fuqua at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2015, Fuqua directed Southpaw. This movie starred Jake Gyllenhaal. In 2016, he directed The Magnificent Seven. This was a remake of a classic Western film. Denzel Washington played the main character, Sam Chisolm.

In 2018, Fuqua was an executive producer for the TV show The Resident. He also directed the sequel The Equalizer 2 (2018). In 2021, his science fiction film Infinite was released. It starred Mark Wahlberg.

In 2021, Fuqua and actor Will Smith decided not to film their movie Emancipation in Georgia. This was because of a new voting law in the state. They said they could not support a government that made laws to limit voting.

In 2023, Fuqua announced his next film project. It will be Michael, a movie about the life of Michael Jackson. Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will star in the film.

Personal Life

Fuqua with his wife Lela Rochon in 2007

Antoine Fuqua married actress Lela Rochon on April 9, 1999. They have two children together: a daughter named Asia (born 2002) and a son named Brando (born 2004). Fuqua also has another son, Zachary, from a previous relationship. He is also a grandfather to two granddaughters.

When asked if he believes in God, Fuqua said, "Absolutely."

Filmography

Film

Documentary Films

Television

Executive Producer Only

• Shooter (2016–2018)
• Training Day (2017)
• The Resident (2018–2023)
• FreeRayshawn (2020)
• Mayor of Kingstown (2021–present)
• King Shaka

Music Videos

Other Videos

• Father MC - "I'll Do 4 U" (1990)
• Hi-Five - "I Just Can't Handle It" (1990), "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" (1991), "I Can't Wait Another Minute" (1991)
• El DeBarge - "You Know What I Like" (1992)
• Brian McKnight - "Goodbye My Love" (1992), "I Can't Go for That" (1992)
• Calloway - "Let's Get Smooth" (1992)
• Heavy D & the Boyz - "Who's the Man?" (1992)
• Don-E - "Oh My Gosh" (1992)
• Al B. Sure! - "Natalie" (1993)
• Go West - "Still in Love" (1993)
• Jeremy Jordan - "Try My Love" (1993)
• Aaron Hall -"Get A Little Freaky with Me" (1993)
• Caron Wheeler - "In Our Love" (1993)
• Company - "Angel" (1993)

Commercials

• Pirelli Tires – "The Call" (2006), featuring Naomi Campbell and John Malkovich

See also

In Spanish: Antoine Fuqua para niños