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Antoine Fuqua (; born May 30, 1965) is an American film director known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with '' The Replacement Killers''. His critical breakthrough was the 2001 crime thriller ''
Training Day ''Training Day'' is a 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer. It stars Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, two LAPD narcotics officers followed over a 24-hour period ...
'', winning the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director. His subsequent films include '' Tears of the Sun'' (2003), ''
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
'' (2004), '' Shooter'' (2007), '' Brooklyn's Finest'' (2009), ''
Olympus Has Fallen ''Olympus Has Fallen'' is a 2013 American political action thriller film directed and co-produced by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, and is the first installment in the ''Has Fallen'' fil ...
'' (2013), '' Southpaw'' (2015), '' The Magnificent Seven'' (2016) and ''The Equalizer'' trilogy (2014–2023), earning with the first one the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture. He also directed the critically acclaimed documentaries '' American Dream/American Knightmare'' (2018), '' What's My Name: Muhammad Ali'' (2019), and the 2022
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
documentary series ''Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers'', for which he won the Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary Series.


Early life

Fuqua was born in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
to Carlos and Mary Fuqua. He graduated from
Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and S ...
in 1983. Before turning to filmmaking and music videos, Fuqua studied electrical engineering, with the hope of going on to fly jets in the military. Fuqua pays tribute to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, a frequent collaborator of
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
's, saying his writing "affected a boy from Pittsburgh living in the ghetto." Fuqua later said that his experience of violence shaped his adolescence, and played a role in his eventual choice of career.


Career

Fuqua began his career directing music videos for popular artists such as
Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...
,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
, and
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. He directed Michelle Pfeiffer in the video '' Gangsta's Paradise'' by
Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...
which was used to promote Jerry Bruckheimer's successful film '' Dangerous Minds''. From 1998 onwards, Fuqua began working primarily as a feature film director. In a tribute article for ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine, Fuqua expressed his early respect for Kurosawa as a filmmaker and how Kurosawa influenced his own perspective on filmmaking stating: " creen writer Hashimoto'snbsp;... working with
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
and Hideo Oguni, was so beautiful and poetic and powerful and heartbreaking. It was all about justice, it was all about sacrifice, and it made me want to be one of those guys". His first feature films were the John Woo-produced action film '' The Replacement Killers'' (1998), starring Chow Yun Fat and the action comedy '' Bait'' (2000) starring Jamie Foxx. He then directed the crime thriller ''
Training Day ''Training Day'' is a 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer. It stars Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, two LAPD narcotics officers followed over a 24-hour period ...
'' (2001), for which star
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
won an
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
. His next films were the action war drama '' Tears of the Sun'' (2003), the Arthurian legend film ''
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
'' (2004), the conspiracy action thriller '' Shooter'' (2007), the crime film '' Brooklyn's Finest'' (2009), and the action thrillers ''
Olympus Has Fallen ''Olympus Has Fallen'' is a 2013 American political action thriller film directed and co-produced by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, and is the first installment in the ''Has Fallen'' fil ...
'' (2013) and '' The Equalizer'' (2014), the latter of which again pairs Fuqua with Denzel Washington. In 2011, he directed CIA procedural Fox pilot ''Exit Strategy'' starring
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
. He co-created the comic-book miniseries '' After Dark'' with Wesley Snipes, which was written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Jeff Nentrup. He was slated to direct
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
's official biopicProduction On Tupac Film To Begin This Spring
AllHipHop.
but the project was postponed to allow Fuqua to direct rapper
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
's second feature film, '' Southpaw'' (2015). Eminem later left ''Southpaw'' to focus on his music, and was replaced with Jake Gyllenhaal. Fuqua's 2016 film, '' The Magnificent Seven,'' was a remake of the classic 1960 Western of the same name which itself was an American remake of Kurosawa's 1954 film, '' Seven Samurai''. Denzel Washington plays the lead role of Sam Chisolm. In early 2018, Fuqua worked as one of the executive producers on the Fox medical drama series '' The Resident''. In the summer of 2018, his thriller sequel '' The Equalizer 2'' (2018) was released with Denzel Washington returning in the main role. In June 2021, Fuqua's sci-fi film '' Infinite'', starring
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
and Chiwetel Ejiofor was released. In 2021, Fuqua and actor
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
announced that their upcoming film, ''
Emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
'', would not be filmed in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
because of the recent passage of Georgia's new voting law. Smith and Fuqua released a joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access". On December 3, 2021, he signed a first look deal with
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
and renamed his production company from Fuqua Films to Hill District Media. He later signed an overall television deal with
Paramount Television Studios Paramount Television Studios, formerly the second incarnation of Paramount Television, was the television arm of American film studio Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global, founded on March 4, 2013, by its predecessor, Viacom, fol ...
and
MTV Entertainment Studios MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television production and distribution company and is the film and television production arm of ...
. In January 2023, Fuqua announced his next film project would be ''
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
'', a
biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...
about
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson and being produced by Graham King.


Personal life

Fuqua with his wife Lela Rochon in 2007 Fuqua and actress
Lela Rochon Lela Rochon Fuqua (born Lela Rochon Staples; April 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Robin Stokes in the 1995 romantic drama film ''Waiting to Exhale''. Rochon also had roles in the films ''Harlem Nights' ...
became engaged in 1998 and married on April 9, 1999. Daughter Asia Rochon Fuqua was born on July 28, 2002, and son Brando in May 2004. Fuqua has a son, Zachary, from a previous relationship. He also has two granddaughters. When asked by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
in September 2014 whether he believes in God, Fuqua said: "Absolutely."


Political views

On October 16, 2023, amidst the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Antoine Fuqua, along with other 700 notable Hollywood figures, signed an open letter in support of Israel.


Filmography


Film


Documentary films


Television

Executive producer only * '' Shooter'' (2016–2018) * ''
Training Day ''Training Day'' is a 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer. It stars Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, two LAPD narcotics officers followed over a 24-hour period ...
'' (2017) * '' The Resident'' (2018–2023) * '' FreeRayshawn'' (2020) * '' Mayor of Kingstown'' (2021–present) * ''King Shaka''


Music videos


Other videos

* Father MC - " I'll Do 4 U" (1990) * Hi-Five - "I Just Can't Handle It" (1990), " I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" (1991), " I Can't Wait Another Minute" (1991) *
El DeBarge Eldra "El" Patrick DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the DeBarge family, family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include "Time Will Reveal ...
- "You Know What I Like" (1992) *
Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...
- "Goodbye My Love" (1992), " I Can't Go for That" (1992) * Calloway - "Let's Get Smooth" (1992) * Heavy D & the Boyz - "Who's the Man?" (1992) * Don-E - "Oh My Gosh" (1992) * Al B. Sure! - "Natalie" (1993) * Go West - "Still in Love" (1993) * Jeremy Jordan - "Try My Love" (1993) * Aaron Hall -"Get A Little Freaky with Me" (1993) * Caron Wheeler - "In Our Love" (1993) * Company - "Angel" (1993)


Commercials

*
Pirelli Tires Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
– "The Call" (2006), featuring Naomi Campbell and John Malkovich


References


External links

*
''Hollywood Reporter'' story
on upcoming the Notorious B.I.G. film (from 2005)
''On Directing with Antoine Fuqua''
'' nthWORD'' Interview by Gina Ponce, April 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuqua, Antoine African-American film directors Film directors from Pennsylvania American documentary film directors American music video directors American action film directors Television commercial directors Businesspeople from Pittsburgh Taylor Allderdice High School alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 1966 births Living people