Melvin Van Peebles

Melvin Van Peebles (born August 21, 1932, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died September 21, 2021, New York, New York) was an American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and starred in Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), a groundbreaking film that spearheaded the rush of African American action films known as "blaxploitation" in the 1970s. He also served as the film’s composer and editor. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A., 1953), Van Peebles traveled extensively in Europe, Mexico, and...