For other people named John Ridley, see John Ridley (disambiguation)

John Ridley IV[1] (born October 1965)[2] is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for 12 Years a Slave, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed anthology series American Crime. His most recent work is the documentary film Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992.

Early life [ edit ]

Ridley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[2] and was raised from the age of seven in Mequon, Wisconsin,[3][4] with an ophthalmologist father, John Ridley, III, and a mother, Terry Ridley, who was a special education teacher[1] for Milwaukee Public Schools.[3][5] He has two sisters and is the middle sibling.[3]

Ridley graduated from Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin in 1982.[3] He enrolled in Indiana University but transferred to New York University.[3] Ridley is Christian.[6]

Career [ edit ]

Following college, Ridley performed standup comedy in New York City, with appearances on a David Letterman late-night talk show and The Tonight Show.[3] Moving to Los Angeles in 1990, he began writing for such television sitcoms as Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The John Larroquette Show.[3]

After both writing and directing his film debut, the 1997 crime thriller Cold Around the Heart, he and Oliver Stone co-adapted Ridley's first novel, Stray Dogs (still unpublished when Stone bought the rights[7]) into the 1997 Stone-directed film U Turn, which was released slightly earlier than Cold Around the Heart. Ridley went on to write the novels Love Is a Racket and Everybody Smokes in Hell. His novel Spoils of War was adapted into the 1999 David O. Russell-directed Three Kings. Ridley's original script was rewritten by Russell and Ridley, with Ridley receiving a "story by" credit negotiated among himself, Russell, and the releasing studio, Warner Bros.[8] Ridley then became a writer and a supervising producer on the NBC crime drama Third Watch. His other novels are The Drift, Those Who Walk in Darkness, and A Conversation with the Mann.[3] He also wrote the graphic novel The American Way.[9]

His work as screenwriter also includes 12 Years a Slave,[10] Red Tails, and Undercover Brother. His script for 12 Years a Slave won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay,[11] making Ridley the second African American to win the award, after Geoffrey S. Fletcher (for Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire).[10][12]

As of April 2015 , he was developing an ABC television series involving an existing Marvel Comics character.[13]

On April 16, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would direct and write an adaptation of his graphic novel The American Way produced by Blumhouse Productions.[14]

On June 4, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would direct a feature film adaptation of the Robert Silverberg short story, Needle in a Timestack produced by Bron Studios. The film will feature performances from Leslie Odom Jr., Freida Pinto, Cynthia Erivo, and Orlando Bloom.[15]

Filmography [ edit ]

Film [ edit ]

Television [ edit ]

Works and publications [ edit ]

Novels [ edit ]

Graphic novels [ edit ]

Stage plays [ edit ]

Ridley, John. Ten Thousand Years. 2005 (world premiere).

Essays [ edit ]

Personal life [ edit ]

Ridley is married to wife Gayle, a former script supervisor.[4][7] They have two children.[16]

References [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]