Reginald Alan Hudlin[1] (born December 15, 1961)[1] is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers.[2] From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainment for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Hudlin has also written numerous graphic novels. He co-produced the 88th Academy Awards ceremony in 2016 as well as other TV specials.
Hudlin's breakout film was 1990's House Party.[3] He also directed the 1992 film Boomerang. Alongside Warrington, he executive produced the 1994 anthology television film Cosmic Slop, and directed the first of the film's three segments, "Space Traders". Hudlin worked as a producer on the 2012 film Django Unchained, directed by Quentin Tarantino, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Early life
Hudlin was born in Centreville, Illinois, the son of two teachers.[4] Hudlin's older brother, Warrington Hudlin, is also a film director, as well as an actor and producer.
The Hudlins grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, where the family had deep roots.[5] The Hudlin Brothers are paternal great-great-grandsons of Peter and Nancy Hudlin, who were part of the Underground Railroad. Their great uncle was tennis instructor Richard A. Hudlin, who mentored Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.[6]
The Hudlins attended Katherine Dunham's Center for the Performing Arts, an experimental school, Warrington for high school and Reginald for after school martial arts classes.[7] Hudlin has said that the experience was formative, and led to his older brother attending Yale University, and his attending Harvard University.[8] In 1979, Hudlin graduated from Assumption Catholic High School in East St. Louis.[9]
While an undergraduate at Harvard University, Hudlin directed his thesis project, a short film called House Party, which received numerous awards including first place at the Black American Cinema Society Awards.[10] The film was inspired by his experience growing up in East St. Louis. In 1983, Hudlin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a B.A. in Visual and Environmental Studies.[8] His short film thesis was the basis for his first feature film, House Party.[11]
Career
After college, Hudlin and his brother formed a production company and made music videos for such artists as Heavy D, Jamaica Boys, and others.[4]: 234 They additionally created the "Hey Love" 1980s TV commercial for a various-artists compilation record, that played regularly on late night TV.[12][13]
Hudlin directed—with older brother Warrington producing—his first feature-length film, 1990's low-budget teen hip-hop comedy House Party, which starred Kid 'n Play. One of the messages of the film was its promotion of safe sex. The film, distributed by New Line Cinema, was, according to Variety, one of the most profitable films of the decade.[14] New Line wanted to make sequels, but the Hudlins did not feel the compensation or deals were adequate.[15]: 446
In 1992, while making Boomerang, Hudlin wrote the animated film, Bebe's Kids, which was championed by Paramount's Brandon Tartikoff, and was made in memory of comedian Robin Harris, who had died in 1990.[17]
In 1994, the Hudlin Brothers produced the HBOanthology television film Cosmic Slop, of which Hudlin directed the segment "Space Traders". The segment is an adaptation of the short story "The Space Traders" by Derrick Bell, found in Bell's book Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism.[20][21]
Since 2013, Hudlin has been executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards.
In 2014, Hudlin produced the Black Movie Soundtrack celebration of Black music in movies, held at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl and hosted by Craig Robinson. Black Movie Soundtrack II, also hosted by Robinson, was held in 2016.[23]
On July 12, 2021, it was announced that Hudlin along with Ian Stewart will the executive producers for the 73rd Emmy Awards which will have a live audience on September 19, 2021 on CBS.[33][34]
Personal life
In 2002, Hudlin married Chrisette Hudlin (née Suter), a public relations consultant, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.[35][36] They have two children.[37]
1986: Black American Cinema Society (film archives of the Western States Black Research Center), Black Independent Video and Film-maker's Awards, $1,500 first prize for House Party (short)[10]
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Romita Jr., John (penciler); Janson, Klaus (inker); White, Dean (colors) (2005). Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-11748-3. OCLC780282040.
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Tan, Billy (pencils); Buckingham, Mark (pencils) (2005). Marvel Knights Spider-Man [Vol. 04], Wild Blue Yonder. New York: Marvel Comics. ISBN978-0-785-11761-2. OCLC830159672. – Contains material originally published in magazine form as Marvel Knights Spider-man #13-18
David, Peter; Straczynski, J. Michael; Hudlin, Reginald; Wieringo, Mike (artist); Deodato, Mike (artist); Lee, Pat (artist) (2006). Spider-Man: The Other. New York: Marvel Pub. ISBN978-0-785-12188-6. OCLC62714568.
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Eaton, Scot (pencils) (2006). Black Panther: The Bride (Direct ed.). New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12107-7. OCLC948817543.
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Eaton, Scot (penciler); Garcia, Manuel (penciler); Turnbull, Koi (penciler); To, Marcus (penciler) (2007). Black Panther: Civil War. New York, NY: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12235-7. OCLC144224099.
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Portela, Francis (pencils) (2007). Black Panther: Four the Hard Way. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12655-3. OCLC751756495. – Contains material originally published in single magazine form as: Black Panther #26-30
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Portela, Francis (penciler); Rodriguez, Carlos (penciler); Sharpe, Kevin (penciler); Cafu (penciler); Portela, Francis (inks); Hennessy, Bit & Andrew (inks); Staples, Val (colors) (2008). Black Panther: Back to Africa. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12452-8. OCLC540015636. – Also includes Black Panther: Black to the Future
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Stroman, Larry (pencils); Lashley, Ken (pencils); Paris, Roland (inks); Cuevas, Carlos (inks); Sibal, Jon (inks); Milla, Matt (colors); Staples, Val (colors); Petit, Cory (letters) (2008). Black Panther: Black to the Future. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12452-8. OCLC540015636.
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Portela, Francis (art) (2008). Black Panther: Little Green Men. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-12657-7. OCLC191890888. – Contains material originally published in magazine form as Black Panther #31-34
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Neary, Paul (inks); Lashley, Ken (pencils) (2009). Black Panther: The Deadliest of the Species. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-13342-1. OCLC765104721. – Collecting Black Panther #1-6
Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Cowan, Denys (pencils) (2010). Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers. New York: Marvel Worldwide. ISBN978-0-785-14401-4. OCLC780283834.
Maberry, Jonathan (writer); Hudlin, Reginald (writer); Conrad, Will (art) (2010). Black Panther: Power. New York: Marvel. ISBN978-0-785-13861-7. OCLC437299872. – Contains material originally published in magazine form as Black Panther #7-12
Tarantino, Quentin (adapted from the original screenplay by); Hudlin, Reginald (adaptation); Guéra, R.M. (art by); Latour, Jason (art by); Cowan, Denys (art by); Žeželj, Danijel (art by); Floyd, John (art by) (2014). Django Unchained. New York: Vertigo. ISBN978-1-401-24709-6. OCLC877860979. – Originally published in single magazine form in Django Unchained #1-7
Maberry, Jonathan (writer); Hudlin, Reginald (writer; Conrad, Will (artist); Eaton, Scot (artist); Moll, Shawn (artist); Gugliotta, Gianluca (artist) (2017). Black Panther: Doomwar. New York: Marvel Worldwide, Inc. ISBN978-1-302-90416-6. OCLC951950784. – Contains material originally published in magazine form as Doomwar #1-6
^Hudlin, Reginald; Hudlin, Warrington; Glicksman, Marlaine (May 1990). "They Gotta Have It". Film Comment. 26 (3): 65–69. JSTOR43454842.
^Hudlin, Reginald; Hudlin, Warrington; Kantor, Michael (1990). "Tearing the Roof Off the Sucker: An Interview with Reginald and Warrington Hudlin". Cinéaste. 18 (1): 22–23. JSTOR41687018.
^Alexander, George (2003). "Reginald Hudlin". Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema. New York: Harlem Moon. ISBN978-0-307-41959-0. OCLC53445264.
^Bell, Derrick (1992). "Chapter 9: The Space Trader". Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism. New York City, New York: Basic Books. pp. 158–194. ISBN978-0-786-72323-2. OCLC904402741.
Alexander, George (2003). "Reginald Hudlin". Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema. New York: Harlem Moon. ISBN978-0-307-41959-0. OCLC53445264.
Donalson, Melvin Burke (2003). "Chapter 9: Not Without Laughter: Directors of Comedy and Romance, Chapter 10: Off the Hook: Comedy and Romance with a Hip-Hop Flavor". Black Directors in Hollywood. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 204–277. ISBN978-0-292-79875-5. OCLC55731956.
Eichenbaum, Rose (2014). "Reginald Hudlin". In Hirt-Manheimer, Aron (ed.). The Director Within: Storytellers of Stage and Screen. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 82–90. ISBN978-0-819-57494-7. OCLC893600248.