Van Peebles, Melvin (Melvin Peebles)
1932-2021 · Contribution: 1971-1972
Filmmaker
Wrote, directed, produced, edited, scored, and starred in 1971's 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song,' the independently financed film that launched the Blaxploitation genre and was, at the time, the highest-grossing independent film ever made
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1932
- Active since
- 1967
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song"Launched BlaxploitationIndependent-film trailblazer
Impact on the world
Van Peebles proved a defiant, independently made Black film could be a massive commercial hit, forcing Hollywood to notice Black audiences. He kicked open the door for a new genre and generation.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Book or scholarly workFind
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Parks, Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan
1912-2006
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
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Lee, Spike (Shelton Jackson Lee)
1957-
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Grier, Pamela Suzette
1949-
First African American woman to headline an action film; defined the female-led Blaxploitation genre with starring roles in 'Coffy' and 'Foxy Brown'; survived a stage-four cancer diagnosis given an 18-month prognosis