Photo: Rowland Scherman / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Gordon Parks, born on November 30, 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas, United States, was a film director, photographer and actor. Gordon Parks died on March 7, 2006, aged 93. Education on record includes St. Paul Central High School and Ricker College. Awards on record include Spingarn Medal (1972), National Medal of Arts, Library of Congress Living Legend (2000) and 5 more.
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
- Occupation
- film director / photographer / actor / photojournalist / screenwriter
2. Background
- 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. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Gordon Parks born?
Born November 30, 1912.
When did Gordon Parks die?
Died March 7, 2006, aged 93.
Where was Gordon Parks from?
Gordon Parks was from Fort Scott, Kansas, United States.
What did Gordon Parks do?
Gordon Parks worked as film director, photographer, actor, photojournalist, screenwriter.
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