F. Gary Gray

Felix Gary Gray, better known as F. Gary Gray, stands as one of the most remarkable American directors and producers in the entertainment industry. Born on July 17, 1969, Gray commenced his career in the late 80s by directing a series of critically acclaimed music videos including 'It Was a Good Day' by Ice Cube, 'Natural Born Killaz' by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, and 'Ms. Jackson' by Outkast among others. His directorial debut in feature films was marked by the comedic hit Friday (1995), followed by successful films like Set It Off (1996), The Negotiator (1998), and The Italian Job (2003). One of his standout projects is the eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, The Fate of the Furious (2017), which is among the highest-grossing films of all time.

Contrary to his initial plan of directing his first feature film by the time he hit 45, Gray shifted this timeline considerably by directing his first film at age 26. This film was the buddy stoner comedy Friday with rapper-producer Ice Cube who co-wrote the film based on his experiences in Los Angeles. Since then, Gray's directorial prowess has been evidenced by hits like The Negotiator, which earned him Best Film and Best Director awards at the 1998 Acapulco Film Festival. He also received recognition for his work on The Italian Job (2003), an action-thriller featuring Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg, which earned over $100 million at the domestic box office. His later works include the thriller Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and the biographical drama Straight Outta Compton (2015). In 2017, Gray set a record for the best opening by an African-American director with The Fate of the Furious, which also became the first film directed by an African-American to surpass the $1 billion mark on the global box office.