F. GARY GRAY
With over 25 years in the industry, Gray has been able to consistently and successfully maneuver between genres ranging from comedy to thriller to drama to action. For this work, Gray received the Excellence in the Arts Award in 2017 from the American Black Film Festival and he has received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Through his Fenix Studios production company, Gray is developing to direct a film based on the hit action video game "Saints Row", and has optioned the sci-fi video game "Echo".
Gray directed "The Fate of the Furious" (2017), the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious series, with Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Kurt Russell, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - that broke multiple box-office records including being the biggest global and international opening of all time with $542 million.
Gray directed and produced the critically acclaimed biopic "Straight Outta Compton" (2015), which follows the birth of the rap group N.W.A., nominated for numerous awards including Movie of the Year for the MTV Movie Awards, and Favorite Dramatic Movie for the People’s Choice Awards.
Gray’s other films include "Law Abiding Citizen", which starred Gerard Butler and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx; "Be Cool", based on Elmore Leonard’s best-selling novel and which starred Academy Award® nominees John Travolta and Uma Thurman; "The Italian Job", with an all-star cast, including Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg; "A Man Apart", which starred Vin Diesel; "Il negoziatore", which starred Samuel L. Jackson; the award-winning heist picture "Set It Off", with Jada Pinkett Smith and Golden Globe winner Queen Latifah; and "Friday", which launched the extremely popular Friday film franchise that starred rapper/producer Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
Gray is one of the most successful music video directors of all time garnering a Grammy nomination along with multiple MTV and Billboard awards for his work.
Gray is also a leading member of his community and has been an active supporter of numerous organizations, including the Tom Bradley Youth & Family Center, My Friend’s House Foundation and Urban Compass, among others. Gray also received the Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement award from the office of President Obama for his volunteer service.