F. Gary Gray

F. Gary Gray

Gray at ComicCon, 2015
Born Felix Gary Gray
(1969-07-17) July 17, 1969
New York City, New York, United States
Other names Gary Gray
Occupation Film director, film producer, music video director, actor
Years active 1989–present

Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and actor[1] Gray directed Friday, Set It Off, The Negotiator, and Straight Outta Compton, as well as the remake of The Italian Job.

Life and career

Gray was born in New York. He began his career in 1989 when he appeared uncredited in the satire comedy film Major League. Three years later, he directed the music video for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day". The video is a literal adaptation of the lyrics. He would go on to direct subsequent videos for Ice Cube, as well as artists such as Cypress Hill, Outkast, Dr. Dre, and Queen Latifah.

At age 24, Gray directed his first film, the urban comedy Friday with rapper-producer Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. Next, he directed the film Set It Off, with Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah. He then directed The Negotiator, which starred Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey and Academy Award-nominee Samuel L. Jackson, and earned Gray both Best Film and Best Director awards at the 1998 Acapulco Film Festival.

Gray also directed The Italian Job, an action-thriller starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron and Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg. Gray garnered the Best Director award at the 2004 Black American Film Festival for his work on the film, which surpassed the $100 million mark in the domestic box office.

His next film was A Man Apart, a violent action thriller starring Vin Diesel. He would later direct Be Cool, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. The John Travolta vehicle was a critical flop, but made $95.2 million worldwide.

His next film was the thriller Law Abiding Citizen, starring Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. Scripted by Kurt Wimmer, it grossed over $100 million worldwide.

Gray is also responsible for directing many music videos. He has worked with TLC, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Babyface, and Jay-Z, among others.

Gray received The Ivan Dixon Award of Achievement from the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center and was named one of the “50 Best and Brightest African Americans Under 40” by Black Enterprise magazine. He was honored by the African American Film Critics Association with their 2004 Special Achievement Award and was recognized by the Artist Empowerment Coalition with the Artist Empowerment Award that same year. He also received the Pioneer Director award from the Pan-African Film and Arts Festival in 2010.

He also directed the critically acclaimed drama Straight Outta Compton, which is a biographical film about the rap group, N.W.A. The film made $200 million worldwide. Gray himself announced this film as his best work ever.

Gray was recently selected as the director of the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious series.

Filmography

Feature Films

Year Film Director Producer Other Notes
1995 Friday Yes No Yes Cameo as “Black Man at Store”
1996 Set It Off Yes Yes Yes Gangster talking to cleo in lowrider
1998 The Negotiator Yes No No
1999 Ryan Caulfield: Year One Yes Yes No Television pilot
2003 The Italian Job Yes No No
A Man Apart Yes Yes No
2005 Be Cool Yes Yes No
2009 Law Abiding Citizen Yes No No
2015 The Sea of Trees No Yes No
2015 Straight Outta Compton Yes Yes Yes Cameo as “Greg Mack”
2017 Fast 8 Yes No No

Frequent collaborators

Actor Friday (1995) Set It Off (1996) The Negotiator (1998) A Man Apart (2003) The Italian Job (2003) Be Cool (2005) Straight Outta Compton (2015) Fast 8 (2017) Total
Ice Cube Yes YesProducer 2
Vin Diesel Yes Yes 2
Paul Giamatti Yes Yes 2
Seth Green Yes Yes 2
Anna Maria Horsford Yes Yes 2
Dwayne Johnson Yes Yes 2
Jason Statham Yes Yes 2
Charlize Theron Yes Yes 2

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ "F Gary Gray". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ ""Pretty Girl" by Jon B. | Music Video | VH1.com". VH1. Viacom International. September 1, 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
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