George Tillman Jr. Biography

George Tillman, Jr. is a widely praised screenwriter, director, and film producer known for films such as Barbershop, Soul Food, Men of Honor, and Notorious. Tillman has directed several television productions, including Starz's Strength, Netflix/Luke Marvel's Cage, and NBC's dramedy This is Us, in addition to feature films. Tillman's career began in 1994 when he directed Scenes for the Soul, his first feature film. Since then, he's collaborated on more than twenty films, many of which have achieved wide distribution. After the success of his first feature, Tillman started writing Soul Food, a script apparently based on his own experience. Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, Irma P. Hall, and Brandon Hammond were among the cast members when Soul Food premiered in 1996. Soul Food opened to critical and financial acclaim, grossing over $43 million domestically on a modest $7 million budget. Men of Honor was Tillman's next film, an epic tale based on the life of Carl Brashear, who overcame bigotry, a lack of schooling, and the ruin of his leg to become the United States Navy's first African-American Master deepwater diver. The film featured Oscar winners Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro, as well as Charlize Theron, Michael Rapaport, Lonette McKee, Glynn Turman, and Hal Holbrook in an ensemble cast. The film had a $34 million budget and grossed $85 million worldwide. Tillman began producing after the success of Men of Honor. Tillman co-produced the beloved MGM Barbershop franchise films, which grossed over $200 million worldwide, Roll Bounce with Bob Teitel, and served as Executive Producer on 2017's Mudbound, which went on to score four Academy Award nominations, in addition to his role as Executive Producer of Soul Food: The Series for Showtime Networks. In 2007, Tillman returned to directing with the edgy biopic NOTORIOUS, which told the story of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. Jamal Woolard portrayed Christopher Notorious B.I.G. Wallace, Derek Luke portrayed Sean Puffy Combs, Angela Bassett portrayed Voletta Wallace, and Anthony Mackie portrayed Tupac Shakur. The film earned $36 million at the box office, making it Fox Searchlight's highest debut ever. Since then, he has directed the thriller Faster, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, as well as the romantic drama film The Longest Ride, based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same title, and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. The film was well-received by critics. Mister and Pete looked at the struggles of two young boys trapped in Brooklyn's housing projects unaccompanied and in deep poverty. Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright, Skylan Brooks, and Ethan Dizon star in the film. Lionsgate was in charge of distribution. THE HATE U GIVE, Tillman's most recent feature film, premiered to acclaim in October 2018 to critical acclaim. The HATE U GIVE is a film version of Angie Thomas's New York Times best-selling young adult novel The Hate You Give (Thug), which was distributed by 20th Century Fox. After the tragic shooting death of her friend by a white police officer, a 16-year-old African American girl struggles to regain her voice. Tillman most recently directed the pilot for ABC's critically popular legal and family drama FOR LIFE, featuring an incarcerated man who becomes a lawyer and litigates lawsuits for other prisoners while trying to reverse his own life sentence for a felony he didn't commit. The show premiered to acclaim and achieved the best viewer testing scores ever given to ABC. He is currently in pre-production for a new film with Sony, which he plans to start shooting in 2021.

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