Ryan Coogler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ryan Coogler
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Coogler at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
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Ryan Kyle Coogler
May 23, 1986 Oakland, California, U.S.
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| Education | St. Mary's College of California California State University, Sacramento (BA) University of Southern California (MFA) |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Zinzi Evans
(m. 2016) |
Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing popular movies like Black Panther and Creed. His films often focus on stories about people and cultures that are sometimes overlooked, especially African Americans.
Ryan Coogler has won many awards, including four NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards. He has also been nominated for two Academy Awards (Oscars), a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award.
His first major movie was Fruitvale Station (2013). This film won big awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. After that, he directed Creed (2015), which is part of the famous Rocky movie series.
In 2018, he directed Black Panther, a Marvel superhero film. This movie broke many box office records and became the highest-earning film ever by an African American director. He also directed its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
Ryan Coogler often works with actor Michael B. Jordan and composer Ludwig Göransson. Michael B. Jordan has been in all five feature films directed by Coogler, and Ludwig Göransson has created the music for all of them.
In 2013, Time magazine named him one of the "30 people under 30 who are changing the world." In 2018, he was a runner-up for Time's Person of the Year and was included in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. In 2021, Ryan, his wife Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian started a company called Proximity Media. They create movies, TV shows, and other content.
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Ryan Coogler's Early Life
Ryan Coogler was born on May 23, 1986, in Oakland, California. His mother, Joselyn, helps organize communities. His father, Ira, works as a probation counselor in a juvenile hall. Both of his parents went to California State University, East Bay. He has two brothers, Noah and Keenan.
Ryan lived in Oakland until he was eight years old. Then, his family moved to Richmond, California. When he was young, he enjoyed running track and playing football. He went to a private Catholic high school in Berkeley, California. He was good at math and science.
College and Discovering Film
Coogler went to Saint Mary's College of California on a football scholarship. He planned to study chemistry. His football coaches encouraged players to take a creative writing class. Ryan's teacher liked his writing and said it was very "visual." She suggested he learn about screenwriting, which is writing scripts for movies.
After his college canceled its football program, Coogler transferred to California State University, Sacramento. He continued to play football there. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance. He also took as many film classes as he could. After graduating, he was accepted into a special master's program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. There, he made several short films.
Ryan Coogler's Career in Film
First Short Films
While studying at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Ryan Coogler directed four short films. Three of these films won or were nominated for awards.
- Locks (2009) was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
- Fig (2011) won the HBO Short Film Competition.
- Gap (2011) won the Jack Nicholson Award for Achievement in Directing.
Breakthrough with Fruitvale Station
In 2013, Coogler wrote and directed his first full-length movie, Fruitvale Station. The film tells the true story of the last 24 hours of Oscar Grant's life. He was shot by a police officer in Oakland in 2009. The movie starred Michael B. Jordan.
The film was produced by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. It was shown for the first time at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. There, it won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize. The movie cost $900,000 to make but earned over $17 million around the world.
Critics loved Fruitvale Station. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "a gut punch of a movie." Many critics included it on their lists of the best films of 2013.
Directing Creed and Black Panther
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In 2015, Coogler released his second film, Creed. This movie is a spin-off of the famous Rocky films. Coogler directed and co-wrote it. The movie stars Michael B. Jordan as Donnie, the son of Apollo Creed. Donnie is trained by Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone. The film was praised by critics and earned over $173 million worldwide. Sylvester Stallone won several awards for his role in Creed.
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In 2018, Ryan Coogler co-wrote and directed the Marvel film Black Panther. He was the first African-American director for a Marvel Studios film. The movie stars Chadwick Boseman as the main character. Black Panther becomes king of Wakanda but faces a challenge from his cousin, Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan).
Black Panther earned $1.3 billion worldwide. It broke many box office records. It became the highest-earning film directed by an African-American director. Critics highly praised the movie. It was noted for its strong representation of African-Americans and its connection to Afrofuturism.
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards (Oscars) and won three. It was the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Recent Projects and Future Plans
In 2021, Coogler helped produce the film Judas and the Black Messiah. This movie was about Fred Hampton, a leader of the Black Panther Party. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. This was a first for an African-American producing team.
Coogler also co-produced Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021, starring LeBron James.
He then co-wrote and directed the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in 2022. This film was also a big success and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one.
Ryan Coogler has many other projects. He was an executive producer for an ESPN film called The Day the Series Stopped. He is also working on a graphic novel and a young adult novel.
Coogler will work with Michael B. Jordan again on a film called Wrong Answer. His company, Proximity Media, signed a deal with Disney. They will create content for Disney+, including a TV series set in Black Panther's home country of Wakanda. Proximity Media will also help produce the Marvel series Ironheart.
In 2024, it was announced that Coogler and Jordan will work together for a fifth time on a supernatural horror film called Sinners. Also, Denzel Washington shared that Coogler is writing the script for Black Panther 3.
Ryan Coogler's Personal Life
Since he was 21, Ryan Coogler has worked as a counselor for young people in San Francisco's Juvenile Hall. He followed in his father's footsteps, who also worked in the same job. Coogler is also a founder of the Blackout For Human Rights campaign. This group works to address issues of racial and human rights in the United States.
Ryan Coogler married Zinzi Evans in 2016. They have two children together.
Ryan Coogler's Filmography
Ryan Coogler has directed and worked on many films and TV shows. Here are some of his main works:
- 2013: Fruitvale Station (Director, Writer)
- 2015: Creed (Director, Writer)
- 2018: Black Panther (Director, Writer)
- 2021: Judas and the Black Messiah (Producer)
- 2022: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Director, Writer)
- 2023: Creed III (Producer, Story)
- 2025: Sinners (Director, Writer, Producer)
He has also been an executive producer for TV shows like The Day the Series Stopped and upcoming Marvel series like Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda.
Awards and Achievements
Ryan Coogler has received many awards for his work.
- He won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival for Fruitvale Station.
- He won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director in 2013.
- He won NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Directing and Writing for Creed in 2015.
- For Black Panther, he won the Saturn Award for Best Director in 2018 and the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director in 2019.
- He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021.
- His song "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won a Hollywood Music in Media Award and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
See also
In Spanish: Ryan Coogler para niños
