Parks, Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan
1912-2006 · Contribution: 1969-1976
Photographer & Filmmaker
Directed 'The Learning Tree,' the first feature film by a Black director financed by a major Hollywood studio, and 'Shaft,' which co-created the Blaxploitation genre and introduced the Black action hero to mainstream cinema
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1912
- Active since
- 1948
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- First Black Life staff photographerDirected "The Learning Tree" & "Shaft"Co-founded Essence
Impact on the world
Parks wielded the camera as "a weapon" against poverty and racism, then broke the studio color line in directing. His images and films reshaped how America saw Black life.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
The Gordon Parks Foundation
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