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Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is a recipient of four
NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
, four Black Reel Awards, a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
nomination and an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Picture. He made his feature-length debut with the independent film ''
Fruitvale Station ''Fruitvale Station'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. It is Coogler's feature directorial debut and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man killed in 2009 by Bay ...
'' (2013), which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the
2013 Sundance Film Festival The 2013 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 17, 2013, until January 27, 2013, in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah. The festival had 1,830 volunteers. Films A r ...
. It also won at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and ...
, for Best First Film. He has since co-written and directed films such as the ''Rocky'' series spinoff, ''
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...
'' (2015), and the Marvel film ''
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 ...
'' (2018), the latter of which broke numerous box office records and became the highest-grossing film of all time by an African American director. Coogler also co-wrote and directed its sequel '' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'' (2022). Coogler's films have received widespread acclaim and commercial success. His work has been hailed by critics for centering on often overlooked cultures and characters—most notably African Americans. He frequently collaborates with actor Michael B. Jordan, who appeared in all four feature films directed by Coogler, as well as composer
Ludwig Göransson Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and '' Ten ...
, who has scored all of his films. In 2013, he was included on ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'''s list of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world. In 2018, Coogler was named the runner-up of '' Time's''
Person of the Year __NOTOC__ Person of the Year or Man of the Year is an award given to an individual by any type of organization. Most often, it is given by a newspaper or other news outlet to annually recognize a public person. Such awards have typically been awa ...
and he was included in the annual ''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people in the world''.'' In 2021, Coogler, his wife, Zinzi Coogler, and
Sev Ohanian Sevak "Sev" Ohanian ( hy, Սեւակ Օհանյան, born June 2, 1987) is an American film producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-writer and producer of the films ''Searching'' and '' Run'', as well as executive producer on the f ...
founded multimedia company Proximity Media to create event-driven content across various platforms.


Early life

Coogler was born on May 23, 1986, in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...
. His mother, Joselyn (née Thomas), is a
community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...
, and his father, Ira Coogler, is a juvenile hall
probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
counselor. Both parents graduated from California State University, Hayward. He has two brothers, Noah and Keenan.Filmmaker avoids tragic life plotline
Dave Newhouse. Bay Area News Group. East Bay Times. December 17, 2007. Updated August 17, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2020
His uncle, Clarence Thomas, is a third-generation Oakland
longshoreman A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number ...
, and the former secretary treasurer of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Coogler lived in Oakland until age eight, when the family moved to
Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.
. During his youth, he ran
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
and played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
. He went to a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
Catholic high school, Saint Mary's College High School in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
, and did well in math and science. Coogler attended
Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...
in Moraga, California on a football scholarship as a
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
wide receiver his college freshman semester, intending to major in
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
. The football players were encouraged to take a
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
course. Coogler's teacher praised his work, noting that it was very visual, and encouraged him to learn
screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, de ...
. As a student athlete coming up in the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
, Coogler befriended and often played against NFL
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...
Marshawn Lynch. After Saint Mary's canceled its football program in March 2004, Coogler transferred and earned a scholarship to
Sacramento State California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...
, where he grabbed 112 receptions for 1,213 yards and 6
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
s during his four years playing football. At Sacramento, he obtained a bachelor's degree in
finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...
and also took as many film classes as he could fit in with the rigors of college football. Following graduation, he was accepted into the highly competitive three-year master's program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he made a series of
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s.


Career


2000s: Early career

While at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Coogler directed four short films, three of which won or were nominated for various awards. ''Locks'' (2009)
screened A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the w ...
at the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
and won the Dana and Albert Broccoli Award for Filmmaking Excellence. ''Fig'' (2011), written by Alex George Pickering, won the HBO Short Film Competition at the
American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival) is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film—works by Black members of the film industry. It is held to recognize achievements of fi ...
, the DGA Student Film Award, and was nominated for Outstanding Independent Short Film at the Black Reel Awards. ''Gap'' (2011), written by Carol S. Lashof, won the
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
Award for Achievement in Directing.


2013: Breakthrough

In 2013, Coogler wrote and directed his first feature-length film, ''
Fruitvale Station ''Fruitvale Station'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. It is Coogler's feature directorial debut and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man killed in 2009 by Bay ...
'' (originally titled ''Fruitvale''), which told the story of the last 24 hours of the life of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan), who was shot to death by a police officer at Oakland's Fruitvale BART station on January 1, 2009. Produced by Oscar-winning actor
Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...
, the film
premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its fi ...
d at the
2013 Sundance Film Festival The 2013 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 17, 2013, until January 27, 2013, in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah. The festival had 1,830 volunteers. Films A r ...
, where it won the top Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition and was released in theatres on July 20, 2013. Made on a budget of $900,000, the film grossed over $17 million worldwide after its theatrical run. Peter Travers of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called the film "a gut punch of a movie" and "an unstoppable cinematic force".
A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that Coogler's "hand-held shooting style evokes the spiritually alert naturalism of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne". Todd McCarthy of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' called it "a compelling debut" and "a powerful dramatic feature film". On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film received a score of 94% based on 195 reviews, with a critical consensus that reads: "Passionate and powerfully acted, ''Fruitvale Station'' serves as a celebration of life, a condemnation of death, and a triumph for star Michael B. Jordan." The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2013.


2015: ''Creed'', Expansion into blockbusters

In 2015, Coogler released his second film, ''
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...
'', a
spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
of the ''Rocky'' films, which Coogler directed and co-wrote with Aaron Covington. The film starred Michael B. Jordan as
Apollo Creed Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the ''Rocky'' films, played by Carl Weathers. He serves as the main antagonist in ''Rocky'' and ''Rocky II'' and also appears in ''Rocky III'' and ''Rocky IV''. He is a tough but agile boxer who ...
's son Donnie, who is trained and mentored by his father's old friend and former rival
Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eight ...
, played by
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
. It received critical acclaim from critics and audiences and grossed over $173 million worldwide. Among its accolades, Stallone won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, the
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given by the Broadcast Film Critics Association at their annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards for a performance in a motion picture. It was first presented in 1995 with ...
, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...
.


2018: ''Black Panther'', established career

In 2018, Coogler co-wrote and directed the Marvel film ''
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 ...
,'' making him the first black
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 ...
director. The film starred
Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. During his two-decade career, Boseman received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, ...
as the titular character, who is crowned king of Wakanda following his father's death, but is challenged by his cousin, Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan), who plans to abandon the country's isolationist policies and begin a global revolution. Upon release, the film grossed $1.3 billion worldwide and broke numerous box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film of 2018. ''Black Panther'' was also a critical success. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus reads, "''Black Panther'' elevates superhero cinema to thrilling new heights while telling one of the MCU's most absorbing stories—and introducing some of its most fully realized characters." The film was also noted for its representation of
black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...
and subject matter related to Afrofuturism. The film was nominated for seven awards at the
91st Academy Awards The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018 and took place on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AM ...
, winning three, and received numerous other accolades. ''Black Panther'' is the first superhero film to receive an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Picture, and the first MCU film to win several categories (those being for Best Costume Design, Academy Award for Best Production Design, Best Production Design and Academy Award for Best Original Score, Best Original Score).


2020s: Continued success

In 2021, Coogler served as a co-producer alongside Charles D. King and Shaka King on the Fred Hampton biopic ''Judas and the Black Messiah'', directed by Shaka King, which focused on the betrayal of Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, by William O'Neal (informant), William O'Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield). The film received critical acclaim and earned Coogler, Shaka King and Charles D. King an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Picture, the first for an all-black producing team. ''Judas and the Black Messiah'' earned five other Oscar nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor for both Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, and won Best Supporting Actor for Kaluuya and Academy Award for Best Original Song, Best Original Song ("Fight for You (H.E.R. song), Fight for You"). For his performance as Hampton, Kaluuya also won Best Supporting Actor at the 78th Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes, 26th Critics' Choice Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and 74th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards. That same year, Coogler served as co-producer on the ''Space Jam'' sequel ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'', starring LeBron James. The film received generally mixed-to-negative reviews and was a financial failure, grossing $163.7 million worldwide on a budget of $150 million. Coogler served as co-writer and director on the ''Black Panther'' sequel, '' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'', which was released in the United States on November 11, 2022.


Other works and future projects

Coogler served as an executive producer on the ESPN ''30 for 30'' film ''The Day the Series Stopped'', about Game Three of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, when an earthquake shook the Bay Area to its core. In January 2013, Coogler said he was working on a graphic novel and Young adult fiction, young adult novel about an undisclosed subject matter. Coogler will work with Jordan for a fourth time in the upcoming film ''Wrong Answer'', based on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Coogler served as an executive producer on ''Creed II'', and has written the story outline for the upcoming ''Creed III''. In February 2021, Coogler's production company Proximity Media signed an exclusive five-year deal with Disney to produce content for them, which includes a Disney+ television series based in Black Panther's home country of Wakanda. Proximity will also co-produce the Marvel series ''Ironheart (TV series), Ironheart'' for the streaming service; star Dominique Thorne will debut as the Ironheart (character), titular character in ''Wakanda Forever''. More recently, former HBO executive Kalia Booker had joined the television arm of Proximity Media.


Personal life

Coogler has worked since age 21 as a counselor with incarcerated youth at San Francisco's Juvenile Hall, following in the footsteps of his father, who has long shared the same occupation. Coogler is also a founding member and supporter of the Blackout For Human Rights campaign, which is committed to addressing racial and human rights violations happening throughout the United States. Coogler married Zinzi Evans in 2016, with whom he has two children. In January 2022, Coogler was wrongly targeted as a bank robber and detained by the police in Atlanta, Georgia, after he tried to withdraw cash in the local branch of the Bank of America. Once his identity was verified with both his California state ID card and his Bank of America card, Coogler was released and the bank issued an apology statement. According to a number of sources, the bank's employee did not check Coogler's ID to verify if he was the owner of the bank account.


Filmography


Short films


Feature films

Producer * ''Judas and the Black Messiah'' (2021) * ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021) * ''Creed III'' (2023) Executive producer * ''Creed II'' (2018) * ''Homeroom (2021 film), Homeroom'' (2021)


Television


Other credits


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coogler, Ryan 1986 births Action film directors African-American film directors African-American film producers African-American screenwriters American feminists American male screenwriters Screenwriters from California California State University, Sacramento alumni Film directors from California Film producers from California Living people Male feminists Sacramento State Hornets football players Saint Mary's College of California alumni USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Writers from Oakland, California 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people African-American male writers