Jean-Claude La Marre is a Haitian-American actor, writer, and director. His acting credits include the films ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Is ...

'' and ''

Dead Presidents ''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers, Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate an ...

''. On television, he has guest-starred on ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'', and ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

''. He is also the writer and director of the independent films ''

Gang of Roses ''Gang of Roses'' is a 2003 Western (genre), Western action drama film written and directed by Jean-Claude La Marre. It starred Monica Calhoun, Lil' Kim, LisaRaye, Charity Hill, Bobby Brown, Stacey Dash, Chrystale Wilson, and Marie Matiko. The ...

'' and ''

Go for Broke Go for broke or going for broke may refer to: Films * ''Go for Broke!'' (1951 film), a film about the 442nd Infantry Regiment * ''Go For Broke'' aka ''Tutto per tutto'', aka ''All Out'' (1968 Italian spaghetti Western directed by Umberto Lenzi) * ...

''.

Early life and education

La Marre was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

. At 22 years old, he served as chairman of the University Student Senate at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. LaMarre also won the 1992 National Collegiate debate tournament held in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

. He was discovered by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

at a commencement brunch. He is an American of Haitian descent.

Career

In 1994, La Marre appeared as Jake in ''

Fresh Fresh or FRESH may refer to: People *DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist *DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (200 ...

''. La Marre's ''

Color of the Cross ''Color of the Cross'' is a 2006 religious film written by, directed by, and starring Jean-Claude La Marre. The film is one of the few depictions of Christ as a black man, and portrays Jesus' persecution as the result of racism. Plot In what w ...

'', is a film that portrays

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as a black man, and implies that Christ's persecution was a racially-motivated hate crime. His directorial debut was the film ''Higher Ed''. In 2007, LaMarre set up a distribution output deal for his film label, Nulite Media Group. During the period, he was credited for releasing over 60 feature films. Among the films released through the label are the revisionist western, ''

'', '' Trapped: Haitian Nights'', ''Broom Wedding'', and ''

Nora's Hair Salon ''Nora's Hair Salon'' is a 2004 independent comedy-drama film, written by Chanel Capra and Jean-Claude La Marre, and directed by Jerry LaMothe. This film stars Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones, and Tatyana Ali. Plot Nora Harper (Jenifer Lewis) is an ...

'', with a cameo by

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

in the film. In 2017, he wrote and directed "Kinky", a 50 Shades of Grey-esque erotic thriller. The film as released on 700 screens around the country. In 2018, he wrote and directed the upcoming film "Gangland" with singer

Tamar Braxton Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons released their debut a ...

and actors

Wood Harris Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He has portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'', cocaine dealer Ace in '' Paid in Full'' and high school football player Julius Campbe ...

and

Clifton Powell Clifton Powell (born March 16, 1956) is an American actor who primarily plays supporting roles in films, such as in '' Ray'' (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination. Care ...

.Tamar Braxton post photo from gangland movie set on celebrityinsider.org
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Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* Living people American male film actors American television producers American film producers American male screenwriters American film directors American male television actors American people of Haitian descent 1973 births {{US-screen-actor-1970s-stub