Nate Parker

Versatile and committed to his craft, Nate Parker quickly made his mark in Hollywood by taking on intense and strong-willed parts in historical dramas. Parker landed his breakout role as one of the first African-American college debaters in 2007's "The Great Debaters," directed by and co-starring his idol Denzel Washington. Taking a page out of Washington's career playbook, Parker went after complex and humanistic roles that showcased his acting range rather than simple stereotypes. Even while playing a romantic leading man in the feature adaptation of "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008), Parker infused the role with emotional depth and authenticity. In 2012, Parker delivered three riveting performances in three very different films: the WWII epic "Red Tails," Spike Lee's urban drama "Red Hook Summer," and the financial thriller "Arbitrage." Whether he was playing a fighter pilot facing segregation, a converted street thug, or a young man embroiled in a high stakes game of deceit, Parker threw himself into each role while establishing a respectable and promising acting career. His debut as a writer and director, "The Birth of a Nation" (2016), was poised to be Parker's pop culture breakthrough, but strong early buzz for the film was largely derailed by controversy when it was revealed that Parker and the film's co-writer, Jean McGianni Celestin, were both charged with the rape of a fellow student while attending Pennsylvania State University in 1999 (Parker was acquitted; Celestin's sexual assault conviction was overturned); Parker was also accused of harassing his accuser, who committed suicide in 2012, after she filed charges.