Kevin Rodney Sullivan facts for kids

Kevin Rodney Sullivan was born on August 3, 1958. He is an American actor and a talented director for both movies and TV shows. He has worked on many popular films and series, bringing exciting stories to life.

Early Life and Acting Beginnings

Kevin Rodney Sullivan grew up in San Francisco, California. He started acting when he was just a kid. His first experience in movies was as an extra in a film called They Call Me Mr. Tibbs! in 1970. This happened after his talent was noticed during a school play.

He also appeared in commercials, like one for Alpha-Bits Cereal, which earned him a good amount of money! Kevin continued to get small parts in theater shows and more commercials. One cool role was being the Master of Ceremonies for a live Sesame Street show at Golden Gate Park. He even got to work with Jim Henson, who controlled the puppets!

From Acting to Directing

Kevin later acted in a movie called Thumb Tripping and a TV series called Wee Pals on the Go. This series was based on a comic strip about a diverse neighborhood. Kevin played Randy, a sporty kid with a big afro. For Christmas, the show's producer gave him his first 8-millimeter camera. This gift sparked his interest in making films.

He went to St. Ignatius College Preparatory, an all-boys high school. While there, he convinced the theater department to let him direct a play. After that, he even got the lead role in another school production.

Kevin applied to the famous Juilliard School in New York, which is known for its arts programs. He ended up going to Willamette University in Oregon instead, where he received a scholarship for theater. He became very interested in writing and decided to study English. He was so good at theater that he often got lead roles, even when he only auditioned for smaller parts. He even directed a play there. Eventually, he left college to produce his own play.

In 1987, Kevin moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. He started writing scripts and found inspiration for characters from people he met during his travels.

Starting His Directing Career

Kevin sold his first TV script for an episode of Fame when he was only 22! This led him to write for the TV drama Knightwatch in 1988. In 1992, he directed the pilot episode for a show called Moe's World, which explored topics relevant to teenagers. Even though the show wasn't picked up by a network, it helped him move into directing movies.

Directing for HBO

Kevin directed two films for HBO. One was a short film called "Long Black Song," part of the America's Dream (1996) movie. The other was Soul of the Game (1996). This movie was a docudrama, which means it told a true story in a dramatic way. It was about how African American baseball players like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson helped break the "color barrier" in baseball. This meant they helped end the rule that kept Black players out of the major leagues.

Kevin's success opened many doors. He even got to work with famous director George Lucas on a story about the Tuskegee airmen, a brave African American pilot group from World War II. He also produced other TV series like Frank's Place (1987) and I'll Fly Away (1991).

Big Movie Productions

Kevin Rodney Sullivan made his big Hollywood directing debut with the movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). This film was based on a popular book and won many awards. It tells the story of Stella, a single mom who finds love in Jamaica with a younger man. The movie starred Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Important Stories on Screen

His next major film was Conviction (2002). This movie was based on a true story and dealt with serious topics like race relations and gang violence. The main character, after changing his life in jail, tries to help reduce youth violence.

Kevin then directed Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), which was a sequel to the popular movie Barbershop. Many of the original actors, like Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, returned for the sequel.

His most recent major film production was Guess Who (2005). This movie was an idea from actors Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. It's about a young white man (played by Ashton Kutcher) who wants to marry an African American woman. He tries to get approval from her very protective father (played by Bernie Mac). Ashton Kutcher said that Kevin Sullivan made sure the movie had a lot of "heart" and not just comedy.

Recent TV Work

Between his big movies, Kevin Rodney Sullivan also worked on many TV shows. He wrote for The West Wing (2000), a show about the staff who work in the fictional White House.

He also helped create a pilot episode for the series Watching Ellie (2002) and wrote scripts for The Guardian (2002), a crime drama.

Later, he worked on The Henry Lee Project (2003), a series about a veteran policeman who becomes a private detective. The famous actor Danny Glover played the main role.

One of his most well-known recent TV projects is 30 Rock (2008). This comedy show received many awards, including Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Kevin worked with other producers, including Alec Baldwin, on the show. 30 Rock was created by Tina Fey and was inspired by her own life.

Filmography

Acting Credits

• More American Graffiti (1979) - Lieutenant
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - March
• Night Shift (1982) - Tyrone
• The Facts of Life (1983, TV Series) - Marshall Ramsey
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) - John Gant

Directing Credits

• Frank's Place (1987, TV Series)
• Knightwatch (1988, TV Series)
• Moe's World (1990)
• I'll Fly Away (1991, TV Series)
• Boy Meets Girl (1993)
• Cosmic Slop (1994)
• America's Dream (1996)
• Soul of the Game (1996)
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
• The West Wing (2000, TV Series)
• Watching Ellie (2002, TV Series)
• The Guardian (2002, TV Series)
• Conviction (2002)
• The Henry Lee Project (2003, TV Series)
• Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004; also executive soundtrack producer)
• Guess Who (2005)
• 30 Rock (2008, TV series)
• Lincoln Heights (2009, TV series)
• Eastwick (2010, TV series)
• Modern Family (2010, TV series)
• NCIS (2011, TV series)
• Anger Management (2013, TV series)
• Grey's Anatomy (2016–18, TV series)
• How to Get Away with Murder (2016, TV series)
• Notorious (2016, TV series)
• Being Mary Jane (2017, TV series)
• Dynasty (2017, TV series)
• Quantico (2018, TV series)
• Riverdale (2017–23, TV series)
• The Good Fight (2018-19, TV series)
• Titans (2018–19, TV series)
• You (2019, TV series)
• Evil (2019-21, TV series)
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2019-20, TV series)
• This Is Us (2021, TV series)
• Love, Victor (2021, TV series)
• Atypical (2021, TV series)
• Lost in Space (2021, TV series)
• Snowfall (2022, TV series)
• Surface (2022, TV series)
• Justified: City Primeval (2023, TV series)
• Elsbeth (2024, TV series)
• Rise (TBD, film)