Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for directing DreamWorks Animation's '' Rise of the Guardians'' (2012), becoming the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to direct a major American animated film, and co-directing

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...

's '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018). For ''Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', he became the first African American to be nominated for and win an

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

Early life

Ramsey grew up in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles, and graduated in 1980 from Pali High. He studied painting at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

for two years before enrolling in film classes at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

Career

His first job in Hollywood was painting a mural, but soon he was working as a storyboard artist and production illustrator on 26 films including ''

Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hal ...

'', ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English) or backdraught (British English) is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed s ...

'', ''

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

'', ''

Fight Club ''Fight Club'' is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the Fight Club (novel), 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. Norton plays the unnamed T ...

'' and '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. He was a second unit director for ''

Poetic Justice Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, hen ...

'', ''

Higher Learning ''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams ( Omar Epp ...

'', ''

Tank Girl ''Tank Girl'' is a British comic book character created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, and first appeared in print in 1988 in the British comics magazine '' Deadline''. After a period of intense popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s ...

'' and ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

''. Aron Warner, the producer of ''Tank Girl'', suggested he join DreamWorks Animation. After initially being uninterested, Ramsey joined DreamWorks as a story artist for ''

Shrek the Third ''Shrek the Third'' (also known as ''Shrek 3'') is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The s ...

'' and ''

Shrek the Halls ''Shrek the Halls'' is an American Christmas computer-animated comedy television special that premiered on the American television network ABC on November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special was co-written and directed by Gary Trousdale ...

''. In 2012, he directed '' Rise of the Guardians'', based on

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born fascist and Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War. After moving from New York to Ireland and subsequently to England, ...

's ''The Guardians of Childhood'' books, making him the first African-American to direct a big-budget animated feature. In 2018, he co-directed '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', which won the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. He is set to write and direct ''Blood Count'', a period vampire thriller distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, as well as the

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generat ...

movie ''Love is Vain.'' On April 16, 2021, He was set to direct the film adaptation of the

Matthew Quick Matthew Quick (born October 23, 1973) is an American writer of adult and young adult fiction. His debut novel, ''The Silver Linings Playbook'', became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as a movie of the same name starring Bradley C ...

novel ''Boy21.'' In April 2022, Ramsey had been hired to direct at least one episode of the

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

streaming series '' Ahsoka'' set to be released in 2023. Ramsey is a member of

AMPAS The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

, the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merg ...

and The Animation Guild.

Filmography

Director

* '' Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space'' (2009) * '' Rise of the Guardians'' (2012) * '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018) (co-director with Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman) * '' We the People'' (2021) (Segment: ''Active Citizenship'') * ''

Lost Ollie ''Lost Ollie'' is an American live action/computer animated miniseries created by Shannon Tindle. The series is based on the 2016 children's book ''Ollie's Odyssey'' by William Joyce. ''Lost Ollie'' was released on August 24, 2022, by Netflix ...

'' (2022) * '' Ahsoka'' (2023) * ''Blood Count'' (TBA)

Second unit director

* ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1998)

Storyboard artist

* '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'' (1989) * ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1995) * '' Mortal Kombat'' (1995) * ''

Eye for an Eye "An eye for an eye" ( hbo, עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The principle exists also in Babylonian law. In Roman c ...

'' (1996) * ''

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses ...

'' (1997) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

Being John Malkovich ''Being John Malkovich'' is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich as a ...

'' (1999) * ''

How the Grinch Stole Christmas ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...

'' (2000) * ''

Cast Away ''Cast Away'' is a 2000 American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. Hanks plays a FedEx troubleshooter stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashe ...

'' (2000) * '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' (2001) * '' The Affair of the Necklace'' (2001) * ''

Panic Room ''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Y ...

'' (2002) * '' Minority Report'' (2002) * '' Adaptation.'' (2002) * ''

The Core ''The Core'' is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D. J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tcheky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard. ...

'' (2003) * ''

Spartan Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred ...

'' (2004) * ''

Shark Tale ''Shark Tale'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron, and Rob Letterman (in his feature directorial debut ...

'' (2004) (additional) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2007) * '' Penguins of Madagascar'' (2014) (additional) * ''

Sausage Party ''Sausage Party'' is a 2016 adult computer-animated comedy film directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan and written by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, and Jonah Hill. The film ...

'' (2016) (additional) * '' Duck Duck Goose'' (2018) (additional) * ''

A Wrinkle in Time ''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for th ...

'' (2018)

Illustrator

* ''

'' (1991) * ''

Far and Away ''Far and Away'' is a 1992 American epic Western romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. This was the last cinematography cred ...

'' (1992) * '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (1992) * ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

'' (1994) * ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment ...

'' (1995) * ''

EDtv ''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film ''Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, El ...

'' (1999)

Other

* ''

Almost an Angel ''Almost an Angel'' is a 1990 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by John Cornell and starring Paul Hogan. The original music score was composed by Maurice Jarre. The film was a critical and commercial failure. Plot Terry Dean (Pau ...

'' (1990) (continuity artist) * '' Monsters vs. Aliens'' (2009) (head of story) * ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...

'' (2011) (creative consultant) * '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017) (head of story) * ''

Hair Love ''Hair Love'' is a 2019 American animated short film directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith, and written by Cherry. It follows the story of a man who must do his daughter's hair for the first time, and it features ...

'' (2019) (executive producer) *'' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023) (executive producer) *'' Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' (2024) (executive producer)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Peter 1960s births African-American film directors African-American illustrators American animated film directors American storyboard artists Annie Award winners Directors of Best Animated Feature Academy Award winners DreamWorks Animation people Emmy Award winners Film directors from Los Angeles Hugo Award winners Living people People from Crenshaw, Los Angeles Sony Pictures Animation people