John Singleton A film director, producer, and screenwriter all rolled into one, the African American California native John Singleton has also branched out to appear on screen as an actor on a few movies. However, the multitalented “crew worker” seems quite content in his behind-the-scenes (and in front-of-the-scenes) roles. John Singleton was born on January 6, 1968, in Los Angeles. After high school, the aspiring director, producer, and screenwriter attended the University of Southern California, where he became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and studied screenwriting. Singleton actually became an undergraduate screenwriter at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, through which he received two prestigious Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Director for 1991’s Boyz N the Hood, which starred Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr, Ice Cube, Nia Long, and Angela Bassett. He was and remains the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar; he was only twenty-three at the time.
Many of his movies reflect the various dimensions and inner-city tension of his southern L.A. roots. After Boyz, Singleton directed Poetic Justice in 1993, starring Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Billy Zane; and then Higher Learning two years later, which he also produced and screen wrote. Higher Learning featured Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Jennifer Connelly, Tyra Banks, and Busta Rhymes, as well as Ice Cube, Regina King, and Laurence Fishburne, who had all appeared in other Singleton films. Singleton performed triple-duty (director, producer, and screenwriter) on two other notable films, Shaft in 2000, with Samuel L Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Christian Bale, Busta Rhymes again, and Toni Collette; and Baby Boy in 2001, with Tyrese Gibson, Omar Gooding, Candy Ann Brown, and Snoop Dogg.
Some of his more notable director-only works include the more recent 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, with Paul Walker, Eva Mendes, and Tyrese Gibson again; and Four Brothers in 2005, starring Mark Wahlberg as well as Gibson. Producer-only films include Hustle & Flow in 2005; 2006’s Black Snake Moan, with Samuel L Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake; and Illegal Tender, coming out later this year. Singleton has been married once, in a very short-lived marriage from October 12, 1996 to June 15, 1997, to actress Akosua Cyamama Busia, a princess from Ghana. The ex-couple have one daughter together, Hadar, who was born on April 13, 1997. Singleton has another daughter, Cleopatra, from another relationship, who appeared in his film Baby Boy. He was also romantically linked to Tyra Banks. YUDDY |
