Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California.
He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the Black Messiah and Space Jam: A New Legacy. He is married to Zinzi since 2016.
Ryan grew up in Richmond, CA in the East Bay area north of Oakland, CA. He attended nearby Saint Mary’s College on a football scholarship, then transferred to Sacramento State College. Later he was a graduate student in the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
He partnered with Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker who agreed to develop and produce his first feature-film project, Fruitvale Station (2013).
He has worked as a security guard, and also with imprisoned youth at San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall.
Ryan cast his brother Keenan Coogler in his breakout debut film Fruitvale Station (2013). And like Ryan, Keenan was also a standout football player in a Bay Area college.
Ryan directed 1 actor to an Oscar nomination: Sylvester Stallone, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Creed (2015).
He is a member of the ‘Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ (AMPAS) since 2016 and the youngest director to direct a film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Well done!!
