Warrington Hudlin
About
Biography
Biography
A leader in the black independent cinema movement, Warrington Hudlin co-founded and has served as president of the Black Filmmakers Foundation which has fostered audience development and provided financial assistance to black filmmakers. Born and raised in East St Louis, IL, Hudlin graduated from Yale in 1974 and began his career as a documentary filmmaker. His work includes the personal "Black at Yale: A Diary" (made in 1974, released in 1978), the feature-length cinema verite, "Street Corner Stories," about black men in New Haven, who hang out and spin tales; and a behind-the scenes documentary on the making of Spike Lee's "School Daze" (1988). With his brother Reginald, he formed Hudlin Bros., Inc., a production company which has made music videos for MCA and Polygram Records.
Hudlin also produced the teenage hip-hop hit, "House Party" (1990), which was written and directed by Reginald. The comedy, starring the rap duo Kid N' Play (Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin), was a fairly realistic depiction of life among black teenagers and earned praise for its performances, message and high-energy visual style. The film, featuring a hilarious turn by comedian Robin Harris (who died in 1990) as Kid's strict father, spawned two sequels (which did not involve the Hudlins).
The brothers later collaborated on the popular Eddie Murphy vehicle "Boomerang" (1992), about a womanizing marketing expert who meets his match in a predatory female executive. The all-star romantic comedy also featured Halle Berry, Robin Givens, Eartha Kitt, Martin Lawrence and David Alan Grier, and grossed over $70 million domestically. Later that same year, the Hudlin brothers, in a tribute to Robin Harris, executive produced "Bebe's Kids," an animated musical comedy based on Harris' comic monologues.
The Hudlin brothers have made a few forays into TV, including the acclaimed HBO special "Cosmic Slop" (1994), a three-part anthology which combined fantasy and social issues. Warrington wrote and directed the segment entitled "The First Commandment," which explored the clash between Christianity and pagan beliefs. He also co-executive produced the unsuccessful pilot, "The Last Days of Russell," for ABC in 1995.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Life Events
1978
Co-founded the Black Filmmakers Foundation (BFF) with management consultant Alric Nembhard and historian-educator George Cunningham
1990
Produced feature film, "House Party"
1992
Produced first major Hollywood picture, "Boomerang" starring Eddie Murphy
1992
Co-executive produced (with Reginald Hudlin) "Bebe's Kids", an animated musical comedy based on the comic monologues of the late Robin Harris
1996
With brother Reginald, formed Hudlin Bros. Records; signed distribution deal with Epic Records division of Sony