Biography
John Ridley is an American screenwriter, novelist and television writer. Born on 1 October 1964 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he studied at New York University and began his career as a stand-up comedian before writing for sitcoms including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Ridley wrote the screenplay for 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He received a story credit on Three Kings (1999). His other screenwriting credits include U Turn (1997), Undercover Brother (2002), Red Tails (2012) and Ben-Hur (2016). He has also created and written for television series such as American Crime.
