John Ridley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Ridley
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Ridley in 2013
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John Ridley IV
October 1, 1964 |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | Screenwriter Novelist Television writer Television director |
| Years active | 1988–present |
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Notable work
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12 Years a Slave American Crime |
| Spouse(s) | Gayle Ridley |
| Children | 2 |
John Ridley IV (born October 1, 1964) is an American writer and director for movies and television. He is also a novelist and a showrunner, which means he is in charge of a TV series. He is most famous for writing the movie 12 Years a Slave. For this screenplay, he won an Academy Award.
Ridley also created the popular TV series American Crime. In 2017, he directed a documentary film called Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Ridley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When he was seven, his family moved to Mequon, Wisconsin. His father was an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor), and his mother was a special education teacher. He has two sisters.
Ridley went to Homestead High School and graduated in 1982. He first attended Indiana University but later transferred to New York University. He earned a degree in East Asian languages. Even though he didn't use this for his career, he found the subject very interesting.
Career Journey
Starting in Comedy and TV
After college, Ridley lived in Japan for a year. When he came back to the United States, he started doing standup comedy. He even performed on famous TV shows like Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles and began writing for TV comedies. He wrote for popular shows like Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Writing for Movies
Ridley's first movie was a crime thriller called Cold Around the Heart, which he both wrote and directed in 1997. Around the same time, he worked with the famous director Oliver Stone. They turned Ridley's first novel, Stray Dogs, into the movie U Turn.
He also wrote the original story for the 1999 movie Three Kings. He later worked as a writer and producer for the TV drama Third Watch.
Winning an Academy Award
Ridley's biggest success came from writing the screenplay for the movie 12 Years a Slave. A screenplay is the script that actors and directors use to make a movie. His script was based on a true story.
In 2014, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work. He was the second African American person to ever win this award.
Working with Superheroes
Ridley has also written for the world of comic books. In 2021, he started writing for DC Comics. He wrote a new Batman series called 'The Next Batman'. He also wrote a 5-part series called 'The Other History of the DC Universe', which told the stories of heroes like Black Lightning and Katana.
In May 2021, Marvel Comics announced that Ridley would also write for the Black Panther comic book series.
Personal Life
Ridley is married to Gayle Ridley, who used to work as a script supervisor on film sets. They have two children together.
Selected Works
Here are some of the movies and TV shows John Ridley has worked on.
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | U Turn | No | Yes | No | Co-written with Oliver Stone |
| Cold Around the Heart | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 1999 | Three Kings | No | Story | No | Story by, screenplay by David O. Russell |
| 2002 | Undercover Brother | No | Yes | No | Co-written by Michael McCullers |
| 2012 | Red Tails | No | Yes | No | Story by, co-written by Aaron McGruder |
| 2013 | Jimi: All Is by My Side | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 12 Years a Slave | No | Yes | Executive | Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay | |
| 2016 | Ben-Hur | No | Yes | No | Co-written by Keith Clarke |
| 2017 | Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary |
| 2021 | Needle in a Timestack | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| 2024 | Shirley | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Martin | No | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | No | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2004 | Third Watch | No | Yes | Consulting | No | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Justice League | No | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Starcrossed: Part II" |
| 2015–2017 | American Crime | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Directed 5 episodes, wrote 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Guerrilla | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Directed 3 episodes, wrote 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Five Days at Memorial | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Directed 3 episodes, wrote 5 episodes |
Books and Novels
John Ridley is also an author who has written many books.
Novels
- Stray Dogs (1997)
- Love Is a Racket (1998)
- Everybody Smokes in Hell (1999)
- A Conversation with the Mann (2002)
- The Drift (2002)
- Those Who Walk in Darkness (2003)
- What Fire Cannot Burn (2007)
Graphic Novels
- The Authority: Human on the Inside (2004)
- The Razor's Edge: Warblade (2005)
- The American Way (2007)
- The Other History of the DC Universe (2021)
See also
In Spanish: John Ridley para niños
