Photo: Rowland Scherman / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gordon Parks is, plainly, one of the giants. A photographer, filmmaker, composer, and author from Fort Scott, Kansas, he used the camera as a weapon against poverty and racial injustice across four decades, and the wall of honors from the Spingarn Medal to Living Legend status only hints at his reach. What moves me most is the tone of his work: not rage but a steady, unanswerable dignity that forced viewers to see Black American life on its own terms. He is among the rare artists who genuinely changed the world through expression, and I hold his eye in the highest regard.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gordon Parks
- Name (Japanese)
- ゴードン・パークス
- Reading
- ごーどん・ぱーくす
- Born
- November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rat
- Origin
- Fort Scott, Kansas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / photographer / actor / photojournalist / screenwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- St. Paul Central High School
- University
- Ricker College
Awards & achievements
- 1972 Spingarn Medal
- National Medal of Arts
- 2000 Library of Congress Living Legend
- 1998 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
- 1990 National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame
- 2004 Lucie Award
- 1973 Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
- 1991 Paul Robeson Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Gordon Parks born?
November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006.
Where is Gordon Parks from?
Gordon Parks is from Fort Scott, Kansas, United States.
What does Gordon Parks do?
Gordon Parks works as film director, photographer, actor, photojournalist, screenwriter.
Film director — see all → · Photographer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.