Darnell Martin (born January 7, 1964) is an American television and film director, screenwriter, and film producer.
Early life and education
Martin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Marilyn, a dancer of Irish-American descent, and an African-American attorney. From the Bronx, she went to Sarah Lawrence College and New York University Film School. Along the way, she worked in film labs and camera rental houses and as a bartender, made music videos and short films, and wrote the first draft of ''I Like It Like That''.
Career

In 1992, Martin's first short film, ''Suspect'', which examined the treatment of young black people as assumed criminals, won critical acclaim at the
New York Public Theater's Young Black Cinema showcase. After directing ''Suspect'', Martin served as assistant camera operator for
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...
's documentary ''
Cousin Bobby'', about his cousin Robert Castle, an Episcopal pastor who works in Harlem. The film was well-received from the majority of critics.
In 1994, Martin directed the
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
release ''
I Like It Like That'', a
comedy-drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
about a young woman who is trying to love her man, keep her family together, assert her self-worth, and keep her sanity. The film was well-received by critics, but it did not perform well at the box office. In 2001, Martin directed ''
Prison Song''.
In 2011, Martin directed ''
The Lost Valentine'', a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie starring
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...
,
Betty White
Betty Marion Ludden ( White; January 17, 1922December 31, 2021), known professionally as Betty White, was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television with a career spanning almost seven decades, she was noted for her vas ...
and
Sean Faris
Sean Faris (born March 25, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jake Tyler in '' Never Back Down'', Kyo Kusanagi in ''The King of Fighters'', and Rick Penning in '' Forever Strong''. He also played Tom in '' Ghost Machine''. ...
. It is based on the novel by
James Michael Pratt of the same name, previously titled ''The Last Valentine''. In December 2011, Betty White received a nomination for the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for her performance. The film was a huge success, winning its time period in viewers (14.53 million, beating out Fox's second hour of coverage of the NFL
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
and becoming the most-watched Hallmark movie in four years.
The film won the Faith & Freedom Award for Television at the 2012 Movieguide Awards.
Martin has since directed episodes of TV shows such as ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'', ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' and ''
The Walking Dead''. In 2008, Martin wrote and directed ''
Cadillac Records
''Cadillac Records'' is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-compa ...
'', a musical-drama film based on the work of
Leonard Chess
Leonard Samuel Chess (born Lejzor Szmuel Czyż; March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969) was a Polish-American record company executive and the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Phil. He was influential in the development of the recor ...
and the singers who recorded for
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...
through the early days of R&B and rock 'n' roll. In 2012, she directed the television film ''
Firelight''. In 2016, she directed ''The Walking Dead'' episode "Go Getters" during season 7. In 2020, she directed an episode on ''
The Good Lord Bird''.
Also in 2020, she directed an episode of Netflix’s series ''
Grand Army
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma, USA
* Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre
* Grand County (disambiguation) ...
''. In 2021, she directed an episode of ''
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
''.
References
External links
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Darnell
1964 births
African-American film directors
African-American television directors
Film directors from New York City
American music video directors
American people of Irish descent
Writers from the Bronx
Screenwriters from New York City
American television directors
American women film directors
American women television directors
Living people
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Sarah Lawrence College alumni
American women screenwriters