A native of South Los Angeles, a lot of his early movies contemplate the consequences of inner city violence. Some of his other movies include “Poetic Justice”, “Higher Learning”, “Shaft”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “Four Brothers” and “Abduction”.
Singleton was born in La, the son of Sheila Ward-Johnson, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and Danny Singleton, a realtor, mortgage broker, and fiscal coordinator. He attended Pasadena City College as well as the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He graduated from USC in 1990, and is a part of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Singleton was registered in the University of Southern California’s Filmic Writing program under Margaret Mehring and her now-renowned curriculum. The program was made to take students directly into the Hollywood system as expert writer/directors. Unlike another normal USC programs for screenwriting, film production, or the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing and essential studies programs, Mehring designed her FILMIC writing plan to educate a select number of pupils how to be writers of these visions. At age 24 he was the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director, as well as the very first African American to be nominated for the award. In 1997, his movie Rosewood was entered in the 47th Berlin International Film Festival. This plus the movie Baby Boy helped create Singleton as a top of the line manager of play. Afterwards, he turned to action films which garnered mixed to negative reviews. In 2005, Singleton teamed with Craig Brewer and funded the independent film, Hustle and Flow, once it was clear that most other leading backers wouldn’t clear it for launch. In 2013 it was declared that Singleton will function as manager of the 2Pac biography picture.
MTV Movie Award for Best New Filmmaker, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Director, Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special, Golden Bear, Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Dire...
Movies
“Boyz N The Hood” (1991), "Poetic Justice"(1993), "Higher Learning"(1995), “Rosewood” (1997), “Shaft”(2000), “Baby Boy” (2001), “Rosewood” (1997), “Snowfall” (2015)
Frequently casts hip-hop musicians in his films (e.g. Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, Busta Rhymes)
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Fact
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Singleton has cited The Gunfighter (1950) as the film influencing him the most.
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Was working as an intern for The Arsenio Hall Show (1989) while writing the script of Boyz n the Hood (1991), which is also where he met Ice Cube, who went on to star in the movie.
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Los Angeles, CA: Honored by the African-American Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America [April 2013]
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Currently in talks for producing an on-screen adaptation of "The A-Team". [January 2008]
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Begins shooting The Fast and The Furious 2 [September 2002]
While in high school, Singleton learned "that the film business was controlled by screenplays." After graduating from high school in 1986, Singleton was accepted to the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television's prestigious Film Writing Program. During his four-year studies there, he won three writing awards. These achievements in writing earned Singleton a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year at USC. Columbia wanted to make the picture, but at first wanted someone else to direct it. Singleton believed only he could do it, and did.
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Has family and friends in Switzerland.
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A huge fan of Westerns. In fact, many of the shots in his films are influenced by the genre.
Graduated from Blair High School in Pasadena, California, in 1986.
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His 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood (1991), made its way onto the prestigious National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
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A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Crossed Spring 1987 at Beta Omega Chapter (USC, Pepperdine, LMU).
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Has a daughter named Cleopatra who appeared in Baby Boy (2001).
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Sentenced to make a short film about domestic violence after pleading no contest to charges he assaulted the mother of his 6-year-old daughter Cleopatra. He was also placed on three years' probation, fined $300, and ordered to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling. (22 June 1999).
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Started Ice Cube's acting career; on the Queen Latifah Show (1999), Ice Cube stated that John Singleton screen-tested him to see if he could act.
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Loves to collect and read comic books.
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Youngest person ever to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Director (at 24).
$50 Million
