Hughes brothers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allen and Albert Hughes
Albert (left) and Allen (right) in 2009
Born	(1972-04-01) April 1, 1972 (age 53) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Other names	The Hughes Brothers
Occupation	Filmmakers
Years active	1993–present

Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known as the Hughes Brothers, are American twin brother filmmakers. They are famous for directing popular movies together. Some of their best-known films are Menace II Society (1993), Dead Presidents (1995), From Hell (2001), and The Book of Eli (2010).

The brothers worked together on most of their early films. Since 2004, they have often worked on their own projects. Albert moved to Prague, a city in Europe, but they came back together to direct The Book of Eli.

Early Lives and First Films

Albert and Allen Hughes were born as twins in Detroit, Michigan, on April 1, 1972. Their mother, Aida, was Armenian-American, and their father, Albert Hughes, was African-American. Albert is the older twin by nine minutes.

Their parents divorced when they were two years old. When they turned nine, the brothers and their mother moved to Claremont, California. Their mother raised them by herself while also going to school and starting her own business.

She saw that her sons loved making movies and wanted to support them. When they were 12, she gave them a video camera. The boys spent all their free time making short films. For a school project, they even made a short film called How to Be a Burglar.

Career as a Directing Team

When they were teenagers, the brothers started directing music videos for famous artists like Tone Loc and Tupac Shakur. This experience helped them get into making feature films.

First Major Movies

Their first big movie was Menace II Society in 1993. They were only 20 years old when they made it. The film is about a young man in Los Angeles who wants to get out of the gang life. It was a huge success and was praised by critics. Because they had worked together on music videos, they were allowed to share the director credit, which was rare for siblings at the time.

Their second movie was Dead Presidents in 1995. This film tells the story of a young man who returns home after serving in the Vietnam War. After this, they made a documentary about a difficult social issue, which was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

Later Films Together

In 2001, the Hughes Brothers directed From Hell. This movie was very different from their earlier work. It's a historical thriller about the Jack the Ripper murders in England, starring Johnny Depp. The film was very intense, and the brothers sometimes had different ideas about how to direct it. One brother wanted to show more action, while the other thought it was better to suggest it.

After From Hell, they didn't direct a movie together for many years. They finally reunited to make the 2010 film The Book of Eli, a drama set in a post-apocalyptic world.

When the brothers work together, Allen usually focuses on working with the actors. Albert handles the technical side of filmmaking, like the cameras and lighting.

Solo Projects

Even when they are not working together, both brothers have been busy with their own film projects.

Allen Hughes's Work

Allen has directed episodes for TV shows and made his own movies. In 2009, he directed a part of the film New York, I Love You.

In 2013, Allen directed the crime movie Broken City, which starred Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe. He also directed a popular documentary series for HBO in 2017 called The Defiant Ones. The series is about the famous music producers Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.

Albert Hughes's Work

Albert Hughes directed his first solo movie, Alpha, in 2018. The film is an adventure story set during the Ice Age. It's about a young hunter who becomes friends with a wolf. The movie was well-liked by critics.

He has also directed episodes for TV shows, including The Good Lord Bird and The Continental: From the World of John Wick.

Filmography

Solo works

Allen Hughes

Albert Hughes