An Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter best known for penetrating dramas that offer up a gritty slice of African-American life, John Singleton was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 6, 1968. He earned a degree from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1990.

With his debut feature, Boyz N the Hood (1991), Singleton made movie history. Not only was he the youngest director ever (at age 23) to be nominated for an Academy Award, he was also the first African-American to receive such an honor. He also nabbed an Oscar nod for Best Screenplay.

As the young director matured, he kept his cinematic eye trained on the realities of inner-city violence with films such as Poetic Justice, Higher Learning and Baby Boy. He also stepped in to produce the critically acclaimed indie Hustle & Flow (2005), which failed to garner major studio backing but won an Oscar for Best Original Song.