F. Gary Gray
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is honored to present acclaimed Director F. Gary Gray with the 2,665th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. The has been dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures located at 6426 Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Hollywood Suit Store.
“F. Gary Gray is a man with a mission. He is known as one of the industry’s most prolific and versatile directors known for pushing the envelope and delivering exciting content.” said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “He is a great addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and we welcome him with open arms!” added Martinez.
Gary Gray, though a native of New York, was raised primarily in South Los Angeles. Throughout his career, Gray has excelled at bringing the most predominant themes from the pop culture zeitgeist to the screen. With more than 25 years in the industry, Gray has been able to consistently and successfully maneuver between genres ranging from Comedy to Thriller to Drama to Action. For this work, Gray received the prestigious “Excellence in the Arts Award” in 2017 from the American Black Film Festival.
Gray’s films include “Law Abiding Citizen”, which starred Gerard Butler and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx; “Be Cool”, based on Elmore Leonard’s best-selling novel and which starred Academy Award® nominees John Travolta and Uma Thurman; “The Italian Job”, a visually arresting thriller with an all-star cast, including Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron and Academy Award® nominee Mark Wahlberg; “A Man Apart”, which starred Vin Diesel; The Negotiator, which starred Academy Award® nominee Samuel L. Jackson; the award-winning heist picture “Set It Off”, with Jada Pinkett Smith and Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Queen Latifah; and “Friday”, which launched the extremely popular “Friday” film franchise that starred rapper/producer Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. His film, “Straight Outta Compton” made over $160 million at the domestic box office, making Gray the highest-grossing African-American director.
Gray directed the 8th installment of the “Fast and Furious” series (“The Fate of the Furious”) with Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Kurt Russell, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Universal Pictures released the film in 2017 and was the No. 1 movie in the world at the domestic, international and global box office for two weeks. It broke multiple box-office records including being the biggest global and international opening of all time with $542 million ($443.2 million international, $98.8 million domestic) and highest-grossing film from an African American director ever. It has earned over $1.2 billion at the all-time worldwide box-office.
Away from the camera, Gray stays active in his community and has been an active supporter of numerous organizations, including the Tom Bradley Youth & Family Center, My Friend’s House Foundation and Urban Compass, among others. He has received multiple commendations from the city of Los Angeles for his philanthropic work. Gray also received the Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement award from the office of President Obama for his volunteer service.