Gordon Parks

Born Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks, November 30, 1912, in Fort Scott, KS; died of complications from high blood pressure and prostate cancer, March 7, 2006, in New York, NY. Photographer and director. A creative pioneer in several fields, Gordon Parks first became famous for his affecting photographs in the 1940s. He became the first black staff photographer at the prestigious Life magazine and eventually one of the most influential photographers of the mid-20th century. After 20 years chronicling the civil-rights movement and the suffering of the poor, he became Hollywood's first black director, producing a semi-autobiographical film and the classic black detective film Shaft . "No matter what medium he chose for his self-expression, he sought to challenge stereotypes while still communicating to a large audience," wrote Andy Grundberg of the New York Times . "In finding early acclaim as a photographer despite a lack of professional training, he became convinced that he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. To an astonishing extent, he proved himself right."