Ryan Coogler

Director & actor · born 23 May 1986 · Oakland, California, USA

Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American filmmaker. His accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, ten Black Reel Awards, and fourteen NAACP Image Awards.

Coogler directed a few short films at the USC School of Cinematic Arts before his feature-length debut with Fruitvale Station (2013). He then transitioned to directing and writing franchise films, including the Rocky series spinoff Creed (2015), as well as the Marvel films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Coogler also produced the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and the supernatural horror film Sinners (2025), which he also wrote and directed. He received  Academy Award nominations for Best Picture for both films, while for Sinners he was also nominated for Best Director and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Where to start: Sinners (2025).