Melvin Van Peebles is a founding father of not only modern African American cinema, but black Broadway theater as well. Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death, his first musical, has been compared to the work of Langston Hughes and called “a precursor to hip-hop.” It was released in tandem with his film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.
He has worked across several media as a novelist, musician, and composer; he was also the first black American to hold a seat on the American Stock Exchange. His achievements include the French Legion of Honor, the 1999 Chicago Underground Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, several Tony Award nominations, a Grammy Award nomination, a Gotham Award from MOMA, and the Independent Feature Project in December 2008.
He lives in New York City.
|
|
