Panther (movie)
''Panther'' is a 1995 cinematic adaptation of Melvin Van Peebles's novel ''Panther,'' produced and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The drama film portrays the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, tracing the organization from its founding through its decline in a compressed timeframe. It was the first narrative feature-film to depict the Black Panther Party. Plot summary In this semi-fictionalized account of the origins of the Black Panthers, Vietnam veteran Judge (Kadeem Hardison) returns to his hometown of Oakland to find it beset by violence and police discrimination against African-Americans. Judge's friend Cy tells him about a vigilante group that's organizing against the police and introduces him to its leaders, Bobby (Courtney B. Vance) and Huey (Marcus Chong). Judge joins the movement but is soon beset by police pressure to inform against Huey. Cast Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 31% approval rating based on 13 reviews. Roger Ebert stated "There is a f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whom he portrayed in the 2003 biopic ''Baadasssss!'', which he also co-wrote and directed. Early life and education Mario Van Peebles was born in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of writer, director, actor and musician Melvin Van Peebles and Maria Marx. He travelled often with his parents between Europe and the USA. He majored in economics at Columbia College, the undergraduate division of Columbia University. He was invited to speak as the Class Day Speaker as part of the annual commencement exercises in 2021. Career 1968 to 1971: First roles Van Peebles' first screen appearance was in 1968, in the soap opera ''One Life to Live''. In 1971, he appeared in the film ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'', Melvin Van Peebles direct ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bobby Seale
Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Huey P. Newton. Founded as the "Black Panther Party for Self-Defense", the Party's main practice was monitoring police activities and challenging police brutality in Black communities, first in Oakland, California, and later in cities throughout the United States. Seale was one of the eight people charged by the US federal government with conspiracy charges related to anti-Vietnam War protests in Chicago, Illinois, during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Seale's appearance in the trial was widely publicized and Seale was bound and gagged for his appearances in court more than a month into the trial for what Judge Julius Hoffman said were disruptions. Seale's case was severed from the other defendants, turning the "Chicago Eight" into the "Chicago Seven". After his case was severed, the government d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dick Gregory
Richard Claxton Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights leader, business owner and entrepreneur, and vegetarian activist. His writings were best sellers. Gregory became popular among the African-American communities in the southern United States with his "no-holds-barred" sets, poking fun at the bigotry and racism in the United States. In 1961 he became a staple in the comedy clubs, appeared on television, and released comedy record albums. Gregory was at the forefront of political activism in the 1960s, when he protested the Vietnam War and racial injustice. He was arrested multiple times and went on many hunger strikes. He later became a speaker and author, primarily promoting spirituality. Gregory died of heart failure, aged 84, at a Washington, D.C., hospital in August 2017. Early life Gregory was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Lucille, a housemaid, and Presley Gregory. At Sumner High School, he was aided by te ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jenifer Lewis
Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films ''Beaches'' (1988) and ''Sister Act'' (1992). Lewis is known for playing roles of mothers in the films ''What's Love Got to Do With It'' (1993), ''Poetic Justice'' (1993), ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996), '' The Brothers'' (2001), ''The Cookout'' (2004), ''Think Like a Man'' (2012) and in the sequel ''Think Like a Man Too'' (2014), ''Baggage Claim'' (2013) and ''The Wedding Ringer'' (2015), as well as in ''The Temptations'' miniseries (1998). Lewis is known unofficially as "The Mother of Black Hollywood" (also the name of her memoir) given her frequent matriarchal film and television roles. She also provided the voice for Mama Odie in Disney's animated feature ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009), and Flo in Pixar's ''Cars'' series. Additional film roles include ''Dead Presidents'' (199 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Betty Shabazz
Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders; May 28, 1934/1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate. She was married to Malcolm X. Shabazz grew up in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, where her foster parents largely sheltered her from racism. She attended the Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where she had her first encounters with racism. Unhappy with the situation in Alabama, she moved to New York City, where she became a nurse. It was there that she met Malcolm X and, in 1956, joined the Nation of Islam. The couple married in 1958. Along with her husband, Shabazz left the Nation of Islam in 1964. She witnessed his assassination the following year. Left with the responsibility of raising six daughters as a widow, Shabazz pursued higher education, and went to work at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. Following the 1995 arrest of her daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, Qubilah, for allegedly consp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in numerous acclaimed and successful films, including as Betty Shabazz in both ''Malcolm X'' (1992) and ''Panther'' (1995), as Katherine Jackson in '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' (1992), as Voletta Wallace in '' Notorious'' (2009), as Amanda Waller in ''Green Lantern'' (2011), and as Coretta Scott King in ''Betty & Coretta'' (2013). Her other notable film roles include Bernandine Harris in ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), Rachel Constantine in ''Contact'' (1997), Stella Payne in ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' (1998), Janet Williams in ''Music of the Heart'' (1999), Lynne Jacobs in '' Olympus Has Fallen'' (2013) and ''London Has Fallen'' (2016), and Queen Ramonda in '' Black Panther'' (2018), '' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started his career in the R&B and pop group New Edition, from its inception in 1978 until his exit from the group in December 1985. Once he started a solo career, Brown enjoyed commercial and critical success with his second album ''Don't Be Cruel'' (1988) which spawned five ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including the number one hit "My Prerogative", and the Grammy Award-winning "Every Little Step". In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the soundtrack of '' Ghostbusters II''. Brown's next album ''Bobby'' (1992) spawned several singles including "Humpin' Around", " Get Away", and "Good Enough". However, despite going 3× Platinum, sales of ''Bobby'' did not reach the level of its predecessor. Brown has sold over 50 million copies worldwid ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chris Tucker
Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He appeared in the films ''Friday'', ''The Fifth Element'', '' Money Talks'', and ''Jackie Brown'', and later gained fame for playing Detective James Carter in the ''Rush Hour'' series, for which he received several accolades. Early life and education Christopher Tucker was born on August 31, 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest son of Mary Louise (''née'' Bryant) and Norris Tucker. One of six children, Tucker learned early in life that humor had the power to draw attention to himself both at school and at home. His father was an independent businessman who owned a janitorial service. Tucker grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and after graduating from Columbia High School, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his comedy career. His comedy influences ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the United States from the age of 11 and became an activist while attending the Bronx High School of Science. He was a key leader in the development of the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and last as a leader of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP). Ture was one of the original SNCC freedom riders of 1961 under Diane Nash's leadership. He became a major voting rights activist in Mississippi and Alabama after being mentored by Ella Baker and Bob Moses. Like most young people in the SNCC, he became disillusioned with the two-party system after the 1964 Democratic National Convention failed to recogn ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best comedy album and four Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He also ranked No. 5 on ''Rolling Stone'' 's list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time. After years working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in minor film roles including ''Beverly Hills Cop II'', Rock gained prominence as a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1993. While at ''SNL'' he appeared in films ''New Jack City'', ''Boomerang'' and ''CB4'', which he also wrote and produced. He reached mainstream stardom with the critically acclaimed '' Bring the Pain'' in 1996, the second of his five HBO comedy specials. His other HBO comedy specials ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eldridge Cleaver
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of its publication, was praised by ''The New York Times Book Review'' as "brilliant and revealing". Cleaver stated in ''Soul on Ice'': "If a man like Malcolm X could change and repudiate racism, if I myself and other former Muslims can change, if young whites can change, then there is hope for America.", p. 106. Cleaver went on to become a prominent member of the Black Panthers, having the titles Minister of Information and Head of the International Section of the Panthers, while a fugitive from the United States criminal justice system in Cuba and Algeria. Cleaver was convicted of a series of crimes including burglary, assault, rape, and attempted murder and eventually served time in Folsom and San Quentin prisons until being released on par ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Anthony Griffith (actor)
Anthony Griffith is an American actor and comedian. He was born to a religious family in Chicago, Illinois, where he lived until he went to college in the 1980s. While in college he took up stand up comedy. While performing through the Los Angeles comedy club circuit, he was asked to perform for ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' a number of times. At the same time, his 2-year-old daughter's cancer had returned, eventually claiming her life, as tearfully recounted by Griffith in a deeply emotional episode of ''The Moth''. As an actor, he has had a number of roles, such as “Tales from the Hood”, Mario Van Peebles' “Panther”, “The Curve” and the television drama “Our Father”, as well as a number of others. He received an Emmy for his performance in "Our Father". He resides in Los Angeles, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2millio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |