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John Ridley is an American film director, actor, and writer.
Ridley got his start as a stand-up comedian. He eventually was hired as a writer for sitcoms such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin. He began to concentrate on writing and wrote his first novel Stray Dogs which became the basis the 1997 film U-Turn, directed by Oliver Stone. Ridley also provided the original script for the film Three Kings, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. But his script was changed so much by director David O. Russell that he only received a credit for the original story. He also tried his hand at directing with the film Cold Around the Heart.
He is one of the creators of Urban Entertainment, showcasing short films and animation from minority filmmakers, including his own works: the animated cartoons Undercover Brother (the basis for the film starring comedian Eddie Griffin) and Those Who Walk in Darkness, featuring the voice of rapper Lil' Kim — which itself was the basis of a novel of the same name written by Ridley.
He hosted the short-lived Movie Club With John Ridley on American Movie Classics and has written The Authority and The American Way for DC Comics. He has recently become a regular guest commentator on American Public Media's Weekend America in a segment called "Good News, Bad News, No News" which reviews the week's news, and is an occasional guest on Scarborough Country. He co-produced the film Bobby. He wrote the play Ten Thousand Years about kamikaze pilots in World War II. On the weekend of August 19, 2006, John co-hosted the syndicated program Ebert & Roeper while film critic Roger Ebert was on medical leave.
Bibliography
Fiction novels
- Stray Dogs (1997)
- Love is a Racket (1998)
- Everybody Smokes in Hell (1999)
- A Conversation with the Mann (2002)
- The Drift (2002)
- Those Who Walk in Darkness (2003)
- What Fire Cannot Burn (2006)
Graphic Novels
- The Authority: Human on the Inside with artist Ben Oliver (2004)
- The American Way with artist Georges Jeanty (2006)
Stage Plays
- Ten Thousand Years (World Premiere in 2005)
Screenplays
- U Turn (1997)
- Cold Around the Heart (1997) (also directed)
- Three Kings (1999) (story)
- Undercover Brother (2003)
- Positively Fifth Street (2007) (also directing)
- Let Me Take You Down (2007) (also directing)
- The Night Watchman (2008)
Teleplays
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Martin
- The John Larroquette Show
- Team Knight Rider
- Static Shock (2000)
- Third Watch - six episodes (1999-2001)
- Platinum (2003) (also directed)
- Justice League (2004)
- Barbershop: The Series (2005) (also directed)
Magazine Articles
- The Manifesto of Ascendancy for the Modern American Nigger in Esquire Magazine, December 2006, Volume 146, Issue 6