60-513: Nate Parker (born November 18, 1979) is an American actor. He has appeared in Beyond the Lights , Red Tails , The Secret Life of Bees , The Great Debaters , Arbitrage , Non-Stop , Felon , and Pride . Parker's directorial debut feature film, The Birth of a Nation , in which he also starred, made history at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival when Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired
120-458: A hip-hop take on Romeo and Juliet that got cancelled and then re-released in 2008. Parker's title character, a modern day Romeo , was a Compton youth. Parker's rap performance in the film earned comparisons to Will Smith from Nathan Lee of The New York Times . In 2007, he had a small role in Pride , about an African American swim team. In 2007, Parker played the role of Henry Lowe in
180-566: A 17-year-old single mother. Although Parker's mother did not marry his biological father, Parker had a relationship with his father until his father died from cancer when Parker was 11. Parker's mother's first husband gave Parker his surname. After a divorce, Parker's mother then married her second husband, Walter Whitford, who was in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Bath, Maine . Parker has four younger sisters. At
240-516: A 2008 German-Canadian war film about tunnel rat soldiers during the Vietnam War . The film stars Michael Paré , Brandon Fobbs , and Wilson Bethel , and was written and directed by Uwe Boll . In 2008's The Secret Life of Bees , Parker played the good-hearted love interest of Alicia Keys ' character. Parker's character has to deal with the challenges of spurned love. The movie was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood , and based on
300-452: A 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with an average score of 5.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads: " Pride features a typically stellar performance from Terrence Howard, but ultimately falls victim to its over usage of sports movie clichés." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 55 based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The New York Times critic Matt Zoller Seitz noted that
360-553: A Brooklyn initiative called Leadership and Literacy through Debate. The Nate Parker Foundation was founded in 2015 and is based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2016, the foundation established the Nate Parker Summer Film Institute at Wiley College which was held yearly to use film as a medium of social transformation with 31 students who are either from Africa or of African descent . The foundation received
420-472: A Nation , which was also the directorial debut of Parker. Beyond the Lights Beyond the Lights is a 2014 American romantic drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood . The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Nate Parker , Minnie Driver , Machine Gun Kelly , and Danny Glover . The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014, and
480-462: A continuing relationship with Wiley College. in 2008, Parker performed in a pair of low-budget movies: Felon and Tunnel Rats . Despite these early light roles, Parker's onscreen charisma and general je ne sais quoi showed, earning Parker comparisons to Paul Newman . In Felon , Parker played a rookie guard dealing with inner turmoil. Parker appeared as Private Jim Lidford in Tunnel Rats ,
540-483: A dilapidated swimming pool, which Ellis rehabilitates. One day, Jim invites a group of black teens in for a swim. Andre, Hakim, Reggie, Puddin’ Head, and Walt prove to be fairly capable swimmers and with a few pointers, could become great swimmers. In parallel, Jim develops a romantic interest in Sue, Hakim's sister and guardian who wants Hakim to attend school before pool. With some help from Elston, Jim decides to try to save
600-491: A female student worker accused him of exposing himself to her. The student did not go to the police and Penn State dropped the matter. After the trial, Parker transferred to and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2002, where he was on the wrestling team and received a degree in management science and information systems. In 2012, the 1999 rape accuser died by suicide. In August 2007, Parker married Sarah DiSanto,
660-452: A flight there and expresses his love for her. Noni performs a song she has written to an enthusiastic audience. She brings Kaz onstage, tells him that she loves him too, and they embrace. On August 15, 2013, Relativity Media bought the worldwide rights to the film, originally titled Blackbird . Relativity Media also financed and distributed the film. Ryan Kavanaugh produced along with Stephanie Allain . On December 6, 2013, Relativity set
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#1732781149150720-552: A native of Erie, Pennsylvania , whom he met while they were attending Penn State. They were married in Erie's Frontier Park. The couple has three daughters in addition to two more daughters Parker had from previous relationships. Parker has said that he considers himself a Christian, and that he grew up in the church. According to a DNA analysis, some of Parker's ancestry is from the Tikar people of modern-day Cameroon . Nate Parker
780-654: A novelist with writer's block in the 2014 film About Alex as one of the more real performances in the film despite the "wrote" feel to the emotional developments. Mike D'Angelo of The A.V. Club also found the crises and conflicts that Parker's character was involved in to be petty. Parker's independent short film #AmeriCan was nominated in the Outstanding Independent Short category at the Black Reel Awards of 2015 and won. That same year, Parker reunited with Prince-Blythewood, playing
840-527: A program called Peace4Kids, which is a program for foster youths and underprivileged youth in South Los Angeles, California where kids are involved in daily activities that stimulate and nurture creativity and intellect. Parker has coached a wrestling team of 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds at Rosemead High School and has assisted in coaching wrestling at Rio Hondo College . Inspired by his experience with The Great Debaters , Parker began working with
900-582: A rapper. Principal photography commenced on August 21, 2013, in Los Angeles . Relativity Music Group released a soundtrack album for the film on November 10, 2014, which features the original song " Grateful ", written by Diane Warren and performed by Rita Ora . Three songs featured in the film but absent from the soundtrack are Beyoncé 's " Drunk in Love ," India.Arie 's "I Am Light" and Amel Larrieux 's "Don't Let Me Down". On Rotten Tomatoes ,
960-425: A short film called #AmeriCAN, which featured La La Anthony and is a thought piece about growing up as a young black person in a racially divided America. For over seven years, Parker worked on making a film based on the life of Nat Turner . In 2014, he announced that he had funding and was working on assembling his team, and that the film would be called The Birth of a Nation , in an ironic reappropriation of
1020-500: A short-lived rivalry before becoming good friends. In 1974, college-educated Jim Ellis is having a hard time finding employment. While struggling to find something better, Jim, a former competitive swimmer, works at the decrepit Marcus Foster Recreation Center in a poor neighborhood of Philadelphia. His job is to prepare the foreclosure of the Center, causing friction with Elston, the janitor whose job may disappear. The Center includes
1080-514: A six-month to one-year prison sentence in 2001, later raised to two to four years per state sentencing guidelines. His conviction was later overturned on appeal. The accuser dropped out of Penn State the following year, in 2000. She later filed a complaint against the university for failing to protect her from harassment, which was settled with Penn State for $ 17,500 in 2002. Parker was initially suspended from Penn State's wrestling team, before being reinstated in 2000 while facing trial. Within weeks,
1140-501: A web series about a family based in Los Angeles intent on protecting their son, Jamiel Chambers, and his basketball dreams from the dangers of inner-city American life. Parker sponsors scholarships for youth at East Texas Wiley College through the 100 Men of Excellence Initiative. Wiley opened a film school named The Nate Parker School of Film and Drama. Parker has been a supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America as well as
1200-551: A whole lot of money in him — sorry. You go into the 'life is too short' category." Noting that the first half of the New York Times review of The Birth of a Nation is taken up with the controversy, this person adds, "No matter what Nate Parker makes, ... this will always be the first paragraph." Other industry insiders note that, "unlike [Mel] Gibson — or Roman Polanski or Woody Allen, both accused of sexual assault (Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse) — Parker
1260-607: A wrestling scholarship in 1999. Parker placed third in the Virginia High School League state wrestling championships as a junior while attending Churchland High School . Parker's mother moved to the Great Bridge High School district so Parker could participate in its wrestling program. He was a member of the 1997–98 state champion Great Bridge wrestling team and was a state champion 135-pound (61 kg) wrestler who placed third in
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#17327811491501320-408: Is a 2007 American biographical film released by Lionsgate Entertainment on March 23, 2007. Loosely based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach James "Jim" Ellis , Pride stars Terrence Howard , Bernie Mac , and Kimberly Elise . The film was directed by Sunu Gonera. The film centers on Jim Ellis ( Terrence Howard ) and grouchy but caring janitor Elston ( Bernie Mac ). The two have
1380-424: Is also Noni's manager) that her record contract is conditional on a successful upcoming performance. However, during the performance, Kid Culprit sexually assaults and humiliates her, claiming that Noni attempted suicide because he'd broken up with her. He tries to strip Noni's clothes off on stage when Kaz rushes in to rescue her and punches Kid Culprit in her defense. Following this, Noni loses her record contract and
1440-427: Is at a low point emotionally, so Kaz takes her on a trip to Mexico away from the spotlight where they enjoy each other's company. Noni gets rid of her old hairstyle in favor of her natural hair, and a trip to a local karaoke bar leads to Noni giving an emotional performance of "Blackbird." The performance is uploaded to the internet and goes viral, causing Noni's mother and the paparazzi to find her. Macy tells Noni that
1500-546: Is just beginning his directing career and has not built up an acclaimed body of work that might encourage some to say they are willing to separate the artist from the art." In 2019, Parker wrote, directed, and starred in the film American Skin , which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August 2019. Following its release, American Skin has received $ 4 million over a fortnight and finished in
1560-520: Is not happy to be forced to lie to the media, and is initially cold to Noni. However, he later apologizes to her. Gradually, they connect and begin to fall in love, despite her mother's disapproval. Noni tells Kaz about the songs she has secretly written, and he is supportive of her creative ambitions. Noni decides to end the romantic relationship with Kid Culprit that her team has encouraged. In spite of her team's attempt to cover it up, rumors persist that Noni attempted suicide, and her label tells Macy (who
1620-473: Is the author of the book Birth of a Nation: Nat Turner and the Making of a Movement in which he writes about the resistance against oppression. The first half of his book is about Nat Turner's slave rebellion in the 19th century, and the other half explores the historical context of his rebellion and how it is relevant to modern events and discourse. The book was later adapted into a motion picture, The Birth of
1680-635: The Chicago Sun-Times found Parker and his detective partner Elizabeth Banks to have been overwhelmed in their roles. Travers also found the detectivework to be uncompelling. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter found Parker's performance to have had its moments. Parker played the role of Slim in the 2015 survival film, Eden . The film was directed by Shyam Madiraju, co-produced by Parker, Jaume Collet-Serra and Shyam Madiraju, and stars Ethan Peck , Jessica Lowndes , Diego Boneta , James Remar and Sung Kang . In 2012, Parker directed
1740-475: The New York Daily News described the role as that of a "silver-tongued orator and ladies' man". Other reviewers also noted the nuances of the character. Parker also performed on the soundtrack . Parker and co-stars Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington were all nominated for the 2008 NAACP Image Awards in the best supporting actor category, which Denzel Washington won. Parker would develop
1800-632: The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that events in the film move Parker with both "resolve and rage": Roger Ebert described Parker's Chavis as "energized and angered" in one of the two main storylines of the film that started with Chavis leading an economic boycott after an adverse court verdict. Parker's character was upstaged according to Scott and Ebert. However, Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune noted that Parker's portrayal infused dimension into Chavis, whose cousin's death
1860-498: The Denzel Washington -directed film The Great Debaters . The character was based on the real-life debater Henry Heights, from Wiley College . Parker attended a debate boot camp to make his performance more authentic. He portrayed a multifaceted character. Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Parker's portrayal as having depicted a "handsome, clean-cut youth with a lurking bad-boy streak", while John Clark of
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1920-656: The book of the same name by Sue Monk Kidd . In the 2010 film Blood Done Sign My Name , based on a true story of small-town racial turmoil set against a backdrop of segregation in 1970, Parker plays a 22-year-old Benjamin Chavis . Parker's Chavis was a teacher who had been born into an affluent African-American family and would later become the Executive Director of the N.A.A.C.P. A. O. Scott of The New York Times described Parker as "diffident" and his portrayal as "thoughtful, morally serious". Steven Rea of
1980-747: The High School National Wrestling Championships, while becoming a high school All-American. Parker earned a full scholarship to wrestle at Penn State University . At Penn State, Parker was nationally ranked as a freshman. After transferring to the University of Oklahoma , Parker continued to be ranked as a redshirt junior 141-pound (64 kg) wrestler. In 2002, Parker placed fifth at the National Collegiate Athletic Association wrestling championships and became an All-American at Oklahoma. Following his fifth-place finish, he
2040-417: The age of 14, after problems at home with his stepfather, Parker moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia to live with his maternal uncle, Jay Combs. Combs, a former wrestler, encouraged Parker to join the wrestling team at Princess Anne High School . He then attended Churchland High School and continued on their wrestling team, before moving to Great Bridge High School before attending Penn State University on
2100-446: The alleged rape and its impact on the marketing of the film. The sister of Parker's alleged victim said the invention of a rape scene and Parker playing the avenging hero caused her and her family immense pain. To try to defuse the public backlash, Bron Studios hired The Glover Park Group and Don McPherson to give Parker media training and public relations advice. In an October 2016 60 Minutes interview, Parker maintained that he
2160-531: The detriment of her happiness and mental health. Noni fires Macy as her manager. Meanwhile, Kaz has begun a political campaign and reflects on whether his career should take precedence over his personal happiness. Inspired by Kaz's honesty, Noni gives a television interview where she admits to having attempted suicide and says she is getting help. Noni prepares for her first live performance in London, and shortly before going onstage suddenly encounters Kaz, who has taken
2220-486: The distribution rights for $ 17.5 million, breaking the record for the most paid for a Sundance Film Festival production, surpassing Little Miss Sunshine , which had been acquired by Searchlight for $ 10 million ten years earlier. The film was ultimately unsuccessful in wide release and did not receive acclaim, after rape allegations against Parker resurfaced. Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia , to Carolyn Whitfield,
2280-564: The escorts for the World War II bombers in the face of Nazi fighter planes. While Peter Travers of Rolling Stone noted that Parker shone in his role, Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe felt Oyelowo stood out. Although the story is a fictionalization, Bilge Ebiri of New York and Holden note that the relationship between the two is the story's central one. Holden compared Parker's presence to that of Denzel Washington 's. In Arbitrage , Parker's talents were underutilized as
2340-457: The film Beyond the Lights that included Parker and director Gina Prince-Bythewood , Parker stated that in order to "preserve the black man" he would not be willing to act in certain character roles. The video was later taken down and is no longer available. In 2014, Parker also stated he would not take roles, such as gay characters, that he considered to be "emasculating". Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail described Parker's performance as
2400-411: The film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. The Hollywood Reporter praised Mbatha-Raw's performance as "incandescent" and Prince-Bythewood's script for its "surprising integrity." Hitfix said the film's excellence showed that writer/director "Gina Prince-Bythewood isn't working enough," while Variety called it "messy but undeniably entertaining." Pride (2007 film) Pride
2460-489: The film for a November 14, 2014 release date. Three stars— Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Nate Parker , and Danny Glover —were already in the ensemble cast on August 15; Raw played Noni Jean, a new singer. Parker played Kaz Nicol and Glover played Captain David Nicol. On September 25, 2013, Minnie Driver and Machine Gun Kelly also joined the cast; Driver played Noni's mother Macy Jean while Machine Gun Kelly played Kid Culprit,
Nate Parker - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-489: The film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 6.70/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Thanks to smart direction and a powerhouse performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights transcends its formulaic storyline to deliver thoroughly entertaining drama." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
2580-607: The first grant to make the HBCU Storytellers Project by the Kellogg Foundation’s Racial Healing and Reconciliation Fund in 2017. The grant covered four short documentaries which address racial issues and stereotypes. The first film series funded by the grant, Just Mercy , received four NAACP Image awards , Outstanding Ensemble Cast, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Motion Picture. In 2018,
2640-486: The foundation received funding from the Ford Foundation and private stakeholders. In 1999, while a sophomore at Penn State University , Parker and his roommate and wrestling teammate, Jean McGianni Celestin, cowriters on The Birth of a Nation (2016) together, were accused of raping a fellow student. She accused Parker and Celestin of having raped her while she was intoxicated and unconscious and stated that she
2700-477: The ground. In the present, an adult Noni is a hot new artist who has just won a Billboard Music Award for her collaboration with her boyfriend Kid Culprit and is primed for superstardom . However, the pressures of success cause her to nearly end her life by falling off a hotel balcony. She is saved by a young police officer, Kaz Nicol. Noni's team, including her mother, tells the media in a press conference that she fell by accident. Kaz, who has political ambitions,
2760-453: The infamously racist 1915 film of the same name. In addition to writing and directing, Parker cast himself as Turner. Aja Naomi King , Armie Hammer and Gabrielle Union were also cast in key roles. The Birth of a Nation attracted increased scrutiny due to rumored Oscar nominations, and because the film itself depicts a brutal rape, the 1999 rape allegations against Parker received significant press coverage. Fox Searchlight Pictures ,
2820-415: The male lead in her film Beyond the Lights . He was nominated for a 2015 Black Reel Award for Best Actor and an Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture . In Parker's role as a police officer moonlighting as a bodyguard, his onscreen chemistry with co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw was praised by Dana Stevens of Slate . Stevens noted Parker was destined for more substantive performances. The story
2880-480: The son of a chauffeur who gets caught in a murder coverup, according to David Denby of The New Yorker . Nonetheless, Ty Burr of The Boston Globe notes that Parker's portrayal of the Harlem native is the only sympathetic character of the film. Travers notes the role provides Richard Gere 's elitist character with his only interactions with a diverse character in the film. Parker's third and final film of 2012
2940-674: The studio releasing the film, went into damage control mode. Union, a rape victim and one of the main stars of The Birth of a Nation , wrote in the Los Angeles Times , "As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly." Parker chose to deflect questions about his past legal problems while doing press for The Birth of a Nation at the Toronto Film Festival. Shortly thereafter, Parker and his handlers chose to cut press interviews short when questions came up about his involvement with
3000-409: The swimming pool by starting the city's first all African-American swim team, the "PDR team" for both "Pride, Determination, Resilience" and "Philadelphia Department of Recreation." Once they are joined by Willie, a female swimmer more talented than any of the boys, the prospects of competing against much more experienced white teams begin to improve. However, Black swimmers are not welcome everywhere and
3060-420: The team has to fight overtly racist opposition and treachery, which is what Jim already experienced when he was competing 10 years ago. Throughout their struggles in and out of the swimming pool, Jim and Elston encourage and mentor the kids, helping them not only to become successful at swimming but also in their struggles against prejudice, crime, and poverty. Pride was met with mixed reviews from critics, with
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#17327811491503120-592: The top 10 on FandangoNow , Google Play , and Spectrum 's PVOD rental charts. Becoming one of the highest grossing titles for its distributor, Vertical Entertainment on PVOD. The Venice Film Festival’s Sconfini Section awarded the prize of "Best Film" to American Skin on September 7, 2019, the first film addressing the racial injustice theme to have won in the category. Parker's next film is Solitary , an American drama film written, directed, and produced by Nate Parker and stars David Oyelowo , Barry Pepper and Jimmie Fails . Parker directed 10 episodes of Baselines
3180-470: The viral success of her performance has caused her record label to reconsider, and Noni agrees to return home. Kaz tells Noni he is not convinced that anything will be different than it was before, and their relationship is put on pause. Noni wants to add a song she has written to her upcoming album, but Macy refuses. The two fight about their relationship and Noni tells her mother that even after her suicide attempt, Macy continued to focus only on her career to
3240-481: Was Spike Lee 's Red Hook Summer . Parker played a gang member named Box, whose role was not central to the film progression according to Phillips. In 2013, he had a supporting role in Ain't Them Bodies Saints that Richard Brody of The New Yorker described as being a bar owner who is among an "enticing array of characters". The role was minor according to Scott. In a 2014 interview with BET during publicity for
3300-407: Was hailed as a well-written believable romance with depth by many critics such as Travers and Ebiri, earning an 82% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes . In the airplane terrorism mystery film Non-Stop , Parker plays a computer programmer. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times notes that Parker's talents are well-employed in his supporting role. In Every Secret Thing , Richard Roeper of
3360-571: Was innocent of the crime and that he did not feel guilty about it, but conceded that, from the perspective of a 36-year-old man, he had done something morally wrong. In August 2016, Parker was honored with the Sundance Institute 's Vanguard Award. In evaluating the impact of the public's reaction to Parker's alleged 1999 rape of a fellow Penn State student, a film producer told The Hollywood Reporter about Parker's directing career, "His inability to act like he cared that people invested
3420-527: Was ranked second nationally as a redshirt senior. Parker, who was working as a computer programmer, was discovered by Los Angeles talent manager Jon Simmons while attending an event in Dallas with a model friend. Simmons had Parker audition and put himself on tape, and then encouraged Parker to move to Los Angeles where he gradually found work as an actor. In 2006, Parker played the male lead in Rome & Jewel ,
3480-675: Was released theatrically in the United States on November 14, 2014. In 2015, the song " Grateful " was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song . In 1998 in London , aspiring singer Noni Jean is taken by her mother Macy to a salon to get her hair done before her performance at a talent contest. Noni is happy to win second place for her performance of Nina Simone 's "Blackbird", but her mother refuses to accept anything but first place and forces Noni to smash her trophy on
3540-470: Was the subject of the film. Phillips noted that the role showed that with the right choices Parker had the potential to be a big star in the future. In 2012, Parker appeared as a World War II squadron commander in Red Tails , a film portraying Tuskegee Airmen . Parker's character drinks to cope with the stress of the fighter pilot lifestyle. In the movie, Parker plays Marty "Easy" Julian who commanded
3600-412: Was unsure of how many people had been involved. She also stated that the two harassed her after she pressed charges and that they hired a private investigator who showed her picture around campus, revealing her identity, which Parker and Celestin denied. Parker and Celestin were charged with rape soon after the incident. Parker was acquitted but Celestin was initially convicted of sexual assault and received
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