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John Ridley IV (born 1965) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...
. He is also the creator and showrunner of the
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
'' American Crime''. In 2017 he directed the
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
'' Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992''.


Early life

Ridley was born in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, and was raised from the age of seven in
Mequon, Wisconsin Mequon () is the largest city in Ozaukee County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and the third-largest city in Wisconsin by land area. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Interstate 43, the com ...
, with an
ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a med ...
father, John Ridley, III, and a mother, Terry Ridley, who was a special education teacher for
Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The Milwaukee Public Schools system i ...
. Audi
archived
on January 28, 2015.
He has two sisters and is the middle sibling. Ridley graduated from Homestead High School in
Mequon, Wisconsin Mequon () is the largest city in Ozaukee County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and the third-largest city in Wisconsin by land area. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Interstate 43, the com ...
in 1982. He enrolled in
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
but transferred to
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
. There, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in East Asian languages. The subject wasn't applicable to his career, but it sparked his intellectual interests. Ridley is
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
.


Career

Following college, Ridley spent a year living and traveling in Japan. Then, he returned to New York and began performing
standup comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
in New York City, and he made appearances on ''
Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production compa ...
'' and ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
''. Moving to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
in 1990, he began writing for such television
sitcoms A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...
as ''
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
'', ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...
'', and '' The John Larroquette Show''. After both writing and directing his film debut, the 1997 crime thriller ''
Cold Around the Heart ''Cold Around the Heart'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by John Ridley. The film stars David Caruso, Kelly Lynch, Stacey Dash, Chris Noth, John Spencer and Pruitt Taylor Vince. The film was released on November 7, 1997, by ...
'', he and
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...
co-adapted Ridley's first novel, ''Stray Dogs'' (still unpublished when Stone bought the rights) into the 1997 Stone-directed film '' U Turn'', which was released slightly earlier than ''Cold Around the Heart''. Ridley went on to write the novels ''Love Is a Racket'' and ''Everybody Smokes in Hell''. His novel ''Spoils of War'' was adapted into the 1999
David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films '' Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (20 ...
-directed ''
Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...
''. Ridley's original script was rewritten by Russell and Ridley, with Ridley receiving a "story by" credit negotiated among himself, Russell, and the releasing studio, Warner Bros. Ridley then became a writer and a supervising producer on the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
crime drama ''
Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
''. His other novels are ''The Drift'', ''
Those Who Walk in Darkness ''Those Who Walk in Darkness'' is a novel by John Ridley, published in May 2003. It details the life of a member of an elite police task force in Los Angeles that hunts down superhumans known as metanormals. It was followed in 2006 by a sequel, ...
'', and ''A Conversation with the Mann''. He also wrote the
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
'' The American Way''. From 2000 to 2010, he was a commentator and blogger for
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. His blog was ''Visible Man'', a play on
Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel ''Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote '' Shadow and Act'' (1964), a collec ...
's ''
Invisible Man ''Invisible Man'' is a novel by Ralph Ellison, published by Random House in 1952. It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship ...
''. In 2003, Ridley inked a one-year overall deal with
Universal Network Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a pre ...
. His work as screenwriter also includes '' 12 Years a Slave'', '' Red Tails'', and '' Undercover Brother.'' His script for ''12 Years a Slave'' won the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...
, making Ridley the second
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
to win the award, after
Geoffrey S. Fletcher Geoffrey Shawn Fletcher (born October 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter and film director. Fletcher is best known for being the screenwriter of '' Precious'', for which he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming the f ...
(for '' Precious'', based on the novel ''
Push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...
'' by
Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...
). In April 2015, Ridley was developing an ABC television series involving an existing
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
character. However, by December 2019, the project was cancelled due to
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated (through Marvel Animation) television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. The division was based at affi ...
folding into
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Ma ...
. On April 16, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would direct and write an adaptation of his graphic novel ''The American Way'' produced by Blumhouse Productions. On June 4, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would direct a feature film adaptation of the
Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Gran ...
short story, '' Needle in a Timestack'' produced by Bron Studios. The film featured performances from Leslie Odom Jr.,
Freida Pinto Freida Selena Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's Col ...
, Cynthia Erivo, and
Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), '' The Two Towers'' (2002), ...
. In 2021, Ridley began writing a number of series for
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
. The series include a new
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...
series 'The Next Batman' as part of the company's line-wide event '
Future State "Future State" is a comic book storyline published by DC Comics in January and February 2021, consisting of multiple limited series released in place of DC's regular ongoing series during those months. The event is set in the aftermath of the " ...
', and a 5-issue series 'The Other History of the DC Universe' a text-based story about the history of the non-white, non-American DC heroes such as
Black Lightning Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...
and
Katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge ...
. In May 2021, Marvel Comics announced that Ridley will write
Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...
comics.


Controversy

In December 2007, during the Writers Guild of America strike against the major production studios, Ridley opted for WGA membership as a dues-paying non-member, or "fi-core," making him eligible to submit scripts to the studios while the strike was ongoing. In an op-ed published in the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', Ridley expressed his frustration at the direction the strike had taken and the WGA's crushing of internal dissent: "After 15 years of being told shut up, sit down and be part of the
groupthink Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness ...
, I decided I did not belong in the guild. The guild has a way to option out. I took the option." Ridley's screenplay for ''12 Years a Slave'' was thus ineligible for a
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...
.


Personal life

Ridley is married to wife Gayle, a former script supervisor. They have two children.Ridley in


Filmography


Film


Television

Acting credits


Awards and nominations


Works and publications


Novels

* Ridley, John.
Stray Dogs.
' New York: Ballantine Books, 1997. * Ridley, John.
Love Is a Racket: A Novel.
' New York: Knopf, 1998. * Ridley, John.
Everybody Smokes in Hell.
' New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. * Ridley, John.
A Conversation with the Mann: A Novel.
' New York: Warner Books, 2002. * Ridley, John.
The Drift.
' New York: Knopf, 2002. * Ridley, John. ''
Those Who Walk in Darkness ''Those Who Walk in Darkness'' is a novel by John Ridley, published in May 2003. It details the life of a member of an elite police task force in Los Angeles that hunts down superhumans known as metanormals. It was followed in 2006 by a sequel, ...
'' New York: Warner Books, 2003. * Ridley, John, and Patricia R. Floyd.
What Fire Cannot Burn.
' Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2011, 2007.


Graphic novels

* Ridley, John, and Ben Oliver.
The Authority: Human on the Inside.
' La Jolla, CA: WildStorm Productions, 2004. 978-1-401-20070-1 * Ridley, John.
The Razor's Edge: Warblade #1-5.
'
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
. 2005. * Ridley, John, Georges Jeanty, and Karl C. Story.
The American Way.
' La Jolla, Calif: WildStorm/DC Comics, 2007. * Ridley, John, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Andrea Cucchi, and José Villarrubia.
The Other History of the DC Universe.
' DC Comics, 2021. ISBN 978-1-779-51197-3


Stage plays

* Ridley, John. ''Ten Thousand Years.'' 2005 (world premiere).


Essays

* Ridley, John.
The Manifesto of Ascendancy for the Modern American Nigger.
''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'', December 2006, Volume 146, Issue 6.


References


Further reading

* Gennusa, Chris R. "John Ridley: Burnt Noir." ''Creative Screenwriting.'' Winter 1997, v. 4 n.4, pp. 33–38


External links

* Archived pages of defunc
official siteDecember 1, 2006 – March 1, 2007January 8 – April 12, 2007March 1 – August 28, 2007
(final archived page other than contact page). *
John Ridley
at
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, John 1965 births Living people 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American screenwriters African-American comics creators African-American film directors African-American male writers African-American novelists African-American screenwriters African-American television directors American comics writers American crime fiction writers American documentary film directors American male novelists American male screenwriters American male television writers American science fiction writers American television directors American television writers Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Film directors from Wisconsin Filmmakers from Milwaukee Independent Spirit Award winners Marvel Comics writers Novelists from Wisconsin People from Mequon, Wisconsin Screenwriters from Wisconsin Showrunners Writers from Milwaukee