Antoine Fuqua

Early life and education

Fuqua was born in Pittsburgh to Carlos and Mary Fuqua. He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1983. Before turning to filmmaking and music videos, Fuqua studied electrical engineering, with the hope of going on to fly jets in the military.

Fuqua pays tribute to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, a frequent collaborator of Akira Kurosawa's, saying his writing "affected a boy from Pittsburgh living in the ghetto." [Shinobu Hashimoto's writing] was so beautiful and poetic and powerful and heartbreaking. It was all about justice, it was all about sacrifice, and it made me want to be one of those guys. I came from a rough area, and I had my own version of watching poor people getting pushed down – whoever the person was who had the power, they would come in and take from other people.}}

Fuqua later said that his experience of violence shaped his adolescence, and played a role in his eventual choice of career. My first big break was when I got shot when I was fifteen. It changed my life and it made me not hang out in the streets as much, and go to the movies more. Those sort of things are wake up calls to have a better appreciation for life, and a better appreciation for the people around you. From that moment in my life I put all my energy into what I believed in, and at that time it was playing basketball and sports. That led me to a scholarship ... after that a professor said that I should take an art class ... I fell in love with an artist by the name of Caravaggio.}}

Career

Fuqua began his career directing music videos for popular artists such as Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. He directed Michelle Pfeiffer in the video Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio which was used to promote Jerry Bruckheimer's successful film Dangerous Minds. The movie became a big hit and Jerry Bruckheimer was kind enough to give me a lot of credit for it because they used my music video ... the irony was people thought I was the new French film director. No one had any idea I was this guy from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So I used to walk in the room and people would literally ask me to get coffee. And I would say, "No, no, I'm the director", and I loved watching their faces. That was fun.}}

From 1998 onwards, Fuqua began working primarily as a feature film director. In a tribute article for Time magazine, Fuqua expressed his early respect for Kurosawa as a filmmaker and how Kurosawa influenced his own perspective on filmmaking stating: "[screen writer Hashimoto's] ... working with Akira Kurosawa and Hideo Oguni, was so beautiful and poetic and powerful and heartbreaking. It was all about justice, it was all about sacrifice, and it made me want to be one of those guys".

His first feature films were the John Woo-produced action film The Replacement Killers (1998), starring Chow Yun Fat and the action comedy Bait (2000) starring Jamie Foxx. He then directed the crime thriller Training Day (2001), for which star Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor. His next films were the action war drama Tears of the Sun (2003), the Arthurian legend film King Arthur (2004), the conspiracy action thriller Shooter (2007), the crime film Brooklyn's Finest (2009), and the action thrillers Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and The Equalizer (2014), the latter of which again pairs Fuqua with Denzel Washington. In 2011, he directed CIA procedural Fox pilot Exit Strategy starring Ethan Hawke. [[File:Antoine Fuqua (29146083673).jpg|thumb|upright|Fuqua at the 2016 [[Toronto International Film Festival]]]] He co-created the comic-book miniseries After Dark with Wesley Snipes, which was written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Jeff Nentrup. He was slated to direct Tupac Shakur's official biopic but the project was postponed to allow Fuqua to direct rapper Eminem's second feature film, Southpaw (2015). Eminem later left Southpaw to focus on his music, and was replaced with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Fuqua's 2016 film, The Magnificent Seven, was a remake of the classic 1960 Western of the same name which itself was an American remake of Kurosawa's 1954 film, Seven Samurai. Denzel Washington plays the lead role of Sam Chisolm.

In early 2018, Fuqua worked as one of the executive producers on the Fox medical drama series The Resident. In the summer of 2018, his thriller sequel The Equalizer 2 (2018) was released with Denzel Washington returning in the main role. In June 2021, Fuqua's sci-fi film Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor was released.

In 2021, Fuqua and actor Will Smith announced that their upcoming film, Emancipation, would not be filmed in Georgia because of the recent passage of Georgia's new voting law. Smith and Fuqua released a joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access".

On December 3, 2021, he signed a first look deal with Netflix and renamed his production company from Fuqua Films to Hill District Media. He later signed an overall television deal with Paramount Television Studios and MTV Entertainment Studios.

In 2023, it was announced that Fuqua would be producing a television miniseries based on the life of Shaka.

In January 2023, Fuqua announced his next film project would be Michael, a biographical film about Michael Jackson, starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson and being produced by Graham King.

Personal life

thumb|Fuqua with his wife [[Lela Rochon]] in 2007 Fuqua and actress Lela Rochon became engaged in 1998 and married on April 9, 1999. Daughter Asia Rochon Fuqua was born on July 28, 2002, and son Brando in May 2004. Fuqua has a son, Zachary, from a previous relationship. He also has two granddaughters.

When asked by the BBC in September 2014 whether he believes in God, Fuqua said: "Absolutely."

Political activities

On October 16, 2023, following the Hamas attack, Antoine Fuqua, along with other 700 Hollywood figures, signed an open letter in support of Israel.

Filmography

Film

Producer only

• Bullet Train (2022)
• Rob Peace (2024)

Television

Executive producer only

• Shooter (2016–2018)
• Training Day (2017)
• The Resident (2018–23)
• FreeRayshawn (2020)
• Mayor of Kingstown (2021–present)
• The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (2025)

Documentary works

Producer only

• Bastards of the Party (2005)
• Forever Brothers: The '71 Pittsburgh Pirates Story (2016)
• Stans (2025)

Music videography

Other works

Commercials

• Pirelli – "The Call" (2006), featuring Naomi Campbell and John Malkovich

References

References

1. "'The Equalizer 3' Scene Breakdown with Director Antoine Fuqua".
2. (May 24, 2021). "Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 30-June 5".
3. (May 22, 2023). "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE 44th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS".
4. (December 8, 2022). "TV Talk: Pittsburgh native Antoine Fuqua directs Will Smith in 'Emancipation' on Apple TV+". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
5. [http://www.nthword.com/issue6/Interview_Antoine_Fuqua_on_Directing_part2.php ''nthWORD''] {{webarchive. link. (May 10, 2010 , April, 2010)
6. [https://time.com/5349528/shinobu-hashimoto-obituary/ "Antoine Fuqua Remembers the Storytelling Genius of Shinobu Hashimoto"]. ''[[Time (magazine). Time]]''.
7. {{YouTube. lmA4N-EmUIM
8. (22 January 2011). "Antoine Fuqua To Direct Fox Pilot 'Exit Strategy' Starring Ethan Hawke". IndieWire.
9. Nellie Andreeva. (21 January 2011). "Fox Picks Up 'Exit Strategy' Pilot Starring Ethan Hawke; Antoine Fuqua To Direct". Deadline.
10. (October 7, 2012). "Cover Artwork for After Dark Comic Issues No. 0 and #1". DreadCentral.
11. [http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2011/02/12/22582994.aspx Production On Tupac Film To Begin This Spring] {{webarchive. link. (September 19, 2011 [[AllHipHop]].)
12. (June 7, 2011). "Eminem's boxing movie may delay the Tupac Shakur biopic yet again". AV Club.
13. "Eminem cancels Southpaw".
14. Toro, Gabe. (11 March 2013). "Antoine Fuqua Says '24' Movie Is Dead, Still Waiting On The Script For Tupac Shakur Biopic". Indiewire.
15. "'Magnificent Seven' Director On Staying True To The Original Film's Message".
16. Sperling, Nicole. (April 12, 2021). "Will Smith's production pulls out of Georgia, citing the state's voting law.". The New York Times.
17. Kroll, Justin. (2021-12-03). "Antoine Fuqua Signs First-Look Film Partnership With Netflix".
18. Otterson, Joe. (March 22, 2022). "Antoine Fuqua Signs Overall TV Deal With MTV Entertainment Studios, Paramount". Variety.
19. (April 3, 2023). "''King Shaka'' Event Series Not Going Forward At Showtime, Expected To Be Shopped".
20. (January 18, 2023). "Antoine Fuqua to Direct Michael Jackson Biopic for Lionsgate, Set to Begin Shooting This Year".
21. Galuppo, Mia. (2023-01-30). "Michael Jackson's Nephew Jaafar Jackson to Play Him in Biopic".
22. Company, Johnson Publishing. (March 17, 2003). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company.
23. (24 September 2014). "Calling The Shots: Antoine Fuqua". [[BBC]].
24. [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/over-700-stars-sign-open-140807573.html Over 700 Stars Sign Open Letter In Support Of Israel: Billy Porter, Ziggy Marley, Mekhi Phifer And More], Jessica Bennett, [[Yahoo! Entertainment]], October 16, 2023
25. (May 16, 2025). "More Hollywood stars join protest letter over Gaza ‘genocide’".
26. (September 25, 2025). "Hollywood now has dueling open letters over the Israel film boycott".
27. Checkoway, Laura. (March 2007). "Shot in the Dark".
28. "Father MC Feat. Mary J. Blige: I'll Do 4 U". IMDb.com, Inc..
29. "Straight from video". [[Boston.com]].
30. Fuqua, Antoine. "Mint Condition - "Nobody Does It Betta"". mvdbase.com.
31. "Ladae - "Deep Down"". mvdbase.com.
32. Ducreay, Safra. (July 25, 2018). "How Naughty By Nature Played a Key Role in the Success of Zhane's 'Sending My Love'". [[Townsquare Media.
33. (April 8, 1995). "Music Video - Production Notes". BPI Communications.
34. Burgess, Omar. (July 21, 2011). "Throwback Thursday Revisits "Freedom (Theme From 'Panther')"". [[HipHopDX]].
35. Epstein, Dan. (August 7, 2015). "Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise': The Oral History of 1995's Pop-Rap Smash".
36. McCormick, Moira. (May 25, 1996). "'Hunchback' Soundtrack Tie-Ins Abound".
37. Champagne, Christine. (October 28, 2007). "Filmmaker on Guard with Citizen Soldier". [[Shoot (advertising magazine).
38. Osei, Anthony. (November 3, 2011). "Lil Wayne Taps Antoine Fuqua for "Mirror" Video". [[Complex Networks.