Peter Ramsey | |
|---|---|
 Ramsey at the 2018San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Peter A. Ramsey (1962-12-23)December 23, 1962 (age 62)[1] Crenshaw,California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles City College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Rise of the Guardians Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse |
Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker. He is best known for directingDreamWorks Animation'sRise of the Guardians (2012), becoming the firstAfrican American to direct a computer-animated film and the second to direct a major American animated film (Bruce W. Smith was the first African-American director withParamount Pictures'Bebe's Kids [1992]), and co-directingSony Pictures Animation'sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). ForSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, he became the first African American to be nominated for and win anAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Ramsey grew up in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles, and graduated in 1980 fromPalisades High School. He studied painting atUniversity of California, Los Angeles for two years before enrolling in film classes atLos Angeles City College.[2] He was raisedCatholic.[3]
His first job in Hollywood was painting a mural, but soon he was working as a storyboard artist and production illustrator on 26 films includingPredator 2,Backdraft,Independence Day,Fight Club andA.I. Artificial Intelligence. He was a second unit director forPoetic Justice,Higher Learning,Tank Girl andGodzilla.Aron Warner, the producer ofTank Girl, suggested he joinDreamWorks Animation.[4] After initially being uninterested, Ramsey joined DreamWorks as a story artist forShrek the Third andShrek the Halls.
In 2012, he directedRise of the Guardians, based onWilliam Joyce'sThe Guardians of Childhood books, making him the first African-American to direct a big-budget animated feature.[1] In 2018, he co-directedSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the2019Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[5] He is set to write and directBlood Count, a period vampire thriller distributed byParamount Pictures, as well as theRobert Johnson movieLove is Vain.[6][7] On April 16, 2021, he was set to direct the film adaptation of theMatthew Quick novelBoy21.[8]
In April 2022, Ramsey had been hired to direct an episode each of theStar Wars streaming seriesThe Mandalorianseason 3, which was released in March 2023, andAhsoka, which was released in August 2023.[9][10]
Ramsey is a member ofAMPAS, theDirectors Guild of America andThe Animation Guild.[11]
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Poetic Justice | John Singleton |
| 1995 | Higher Learning | |
| Tank Girl | Rachel Talalay | |
| 1998 | Godzilla | Roland Emmerich |
| Year | Award | Title | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Lost Ollie | Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program | Won | |
| 2022 | We the People | Outstanding Short Form Program | Won | ||
| 2019 | Academy Awards | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Best Animated Feature | Won | [17] |
| 2019 | Annie Awards | Directing in a Feature Production | Won | [18] | |
| 2019 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Animated Film | Won | [19] | |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Animated Feature | Won | [20] | |
| 2013 | Golden Globe Awards | Rise of the Guardians | Best Animated Feature Film | Nominated | [21] |
| 2019 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Won | [22] | ||
| 2019 | Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation | Won | [23] | |
| 2012 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Rise of the Guardians | Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature | Nominated | [24] |
