John Singleton
John Daniel Singleton was born on the 6th of January 1968, in Los Angeles. His mother Shelia Ward-Johnson worked as a pharmaceutical company sales executive. His father Danny Singleton served as a real estate agent and financial planner. He grew up in a black neighborhood where he rarely saw white people. Comic books, video games, and movies became his buffer against drugs and partying during his childhood years. He attended Eisenhower High School before moving to Blair High School. Pasadena City College offered him further education opportunities. The USC School of Cinema-Television eventually accepted him into their program. Margaret Mehring taught him in the Filmic Writing program designed to take students directly into Hollywood. He graduated from USC in 1990 after joining the Beta Omega chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi in spring 1987.
Singleton made his feature film debut with Boyz n the Hood in 1991. This coming-of-age crime drama followed three childhood friends growing up in South Central LA. Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Regina King, and Laurence Fishburne starred in the film. It debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. The United States Library of Congress deemed the film culturally significant in 2002. They selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Singleton received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. At age 24, he became the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director. He was also the first African-American to receive this nomination. The film grossed over $107 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
Singleton frequently cast rappers and musicians in prominent roles throughout his career. Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and André 3000 appeared in his films. He stated that he came from the same place as rappers. His sensibilities matched theirs because hip-hop music shaped his upbringing. He considered himself the first filmmaker from the hip-hop generation. The films I make have a hip-hop aesthetic, he explained. This culture and politics went with the music even when rap did not appear directly. Poetic Justice featured Janet Jackson writing poetry to deal with loss of her boyfriend to gun violence. She encountered a postal worker played by Tupac Shakur who helped her overcome depression. The song Again reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Higher Learning explored intense racial and social tension on a university campus. Rosewood depicted racial violence during the 1923 Rosewood massacre in Florida. It received generally positive reviews and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
After directing episodes of Empire and The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Singleton shifted focus to television. He served as executive producer and director of Rebel for BET in 2017. The series focused on Oakland police officer Rebecca Knight working as a private investigator after her brother died. Snowfall premiered on the 5th of July 2017, co-created and executively produced by Singleton for FX. Damson Idris starred as Franklin Saint, a budding young drug dealer from South Central L.A. The show depicted how the community was affected by the 1980s crack epidemic. CIA involvement in trafficking the drug formed another central theme. Singleton co-wrote screenplays for the first two episodes with Eric Amadio and Dave Andron. He directed the finales for the first two seasons. This project remained one of his last before his death in 2019. He also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for The Race Card episode.
In 2011, Singleton was in talks with Ice Cube to direct a biopic about N.W.A. F. Gary Gray eventually took over that role in August 2012. The film released in 2015 to positive reviews and box office success. Two years later, Singleton attached himself as writer-director of a Tupac Shakur biopic. Production got put on hold on the 3rd of April 2015. Creative differences with Morgan Creek Productions caused him to step down. Carl Franklin replaced him as director. Singleton planned to make a competing film about Shakur while All Eyez on Me released in 2017. Critics and audiences negatively received that version. Singleton intended to make his own biopic about Shakur plus a biopic about Three 6 Mafia. That group worked with him on Hustle & Flow prior to his death in 2019. He also co-produced Hustle & Flow which earned two Academy Award nominations including Best Original Song.
Singleton pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery charges in 1999 after attacking an ex-girlfriend during child visitation disputes. He received three years probation and ordered to make a film on domestic violence. On the 23rd of August 2007, he struck jaywalking pedestrian Constance Russell in an automobile accident. She was 57 years old from Los Angeles. Singleton stayed on the scene until police arrived. He was not under influence of alcohol or substances but Russell died later in hospital. No charges were filed against him by the District Attorney. On the 19th of March 2014, Singleton criticized popular studios for refusing to let African-Americans direct black-themed films. Speaking at Loyola Marymount University, he stated they want black people to be what they want them to be. He argued that homogenized films lacked special qualities despite being great products. The black films now are just products, he told students. They're not moving the bar forward creatively.
On the 17th of April 2019, Singleton suffered a stroke while returning from Costa Rica. He experienced weakness in his legs before entering intensive care. Reports claimed he entered a coma on April 25 though his daughter disputed this. Singleton was removed from life support on April 28 and died at age 51. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center confirmed his death. His official cause included acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and hypertension. Ice Cube called him brother, friend, and mentor after losing him. A private funeral occurred on the 6th of May 2019, in Los Angeles. Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills served as his final resting place. Dozens of actors and musicians paid tribute to his work. His first son Justice Maya Singleton was born in 1992 named after Poetic Justice lead character. He had children Maasai, Cleopatra, Hadar Busia-Singleton, Seven, and another with Mitzi Andrews. He married Akosua Gyamama Busia in October 1996 but divorced her in June 1997.
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Common questions
When was John Singleton born and where did he grow up?
John Daniel Singleton was born on the 6th of January 1968, in Los Angeles. He grew up in a black neighborhood where he rarely saw white people.
What film made John Singleton the youngest Best Director nominee ever?
Singleton made his feature film debut with Boyz n the Hood in 1991. At age 24, he became the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director and the first African-American to receive this nomination.
Which rappers and musicians frequently appeared in John Singleton films?
Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and André 3000 appeared in his films. Singleton stated that he came from the same place as rappers because hip-hop music shaped his upbringing.
How did John Singleton die and when did his death occur?
On the 17th of April 2019, Singleton suffered a stroke while returning from Costa Rica. He was removed from life support on April 28 and died at age 51 due to acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and hypertension.
When did John Singleton have legal issues involving domestic violence or traffic accidents?
John Singleton pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery charges in 1999 after attacking an ex-girlfriend during child visitation disputes. On the 23rd of August 2007, he struck jaywalking pedestrian Constance Russell in an automobile accident though no charges were filed against him.