Gina Prince-Bythewood

Gina Prince-Bythewood Headshot

Director • Writer

Birth Date: June 10, 1969

Age: 54 years old

Birth Place: United States

Before making a splash at 2000's Sundance Film Festival with her debut feature "Love & Basketball," writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood worked in television, helming and penning episodes of series including NBC's "A Different World" and The WB's "Felicity." This UCLA graduate began working on "A Different World" in 1992 and saw three of her scripts on the small screen that season. She served as story editor of 1994's "South Central" (Fox) and wrote one of the comedy/drama series' ten aired episodes. Prince-Bythewood returned to NBC, where she was the executive story editor of the NBC courtroom drama "Sweet Justice" (1994-95). Here she also proved her writing skills, penning a pair of compelling and memorable episodes. She stayed with the courtroom drama genre after the demise of "Sweet Justice," co-producing and writing episodes of the short-lived CBS series "Courthouse" (1995). In 1995, Prince-Bythewood made her TV directing debut with the "CBS Schoolbreak Special" presentation "What About Your Friends?." A drama about three middle-class African-American teenage girls and their post-high school plans, the program featured sympathetic, multidimensional characters and was emotionally credible. Prince-Bythewood's fresh, even-handed style also helped to set the tone for the college-set drama "Felicity." She served as a consulting producer on the series, and wrote one of the series' most honestly affecting and believable episodes, where adopted Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) finds for her birth mother. Prince-Bythewood's own upbringing (adopted into a predominately Caucasian family at six months old) may have informed her sensitive and realistic portrayal of Julie's search, much as her love of sports surely enriched her feature debut, the time-spanning, court-set romance "Love and Basketball." Written and directed by Prince-Bythewood, the uniquely appealing romance starred Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan as the athletes in love. Prince-Bythewood won notice and acclaim for her Spike Lee co-produced debut, the African-American woman standing out in a field still overwhelming dominated by white males. Prince-Bythewood followed up "Love & Basketball" with an HBO-produced adaptation of Terry McMillan's popular novel "Disappearing Acts" (2000). A passionate and touching Brooklyn, New York-set romance, "Disappearing Acts" chronicled the unlikely and often tumultuous relationship between an intelligent but uninspired construction worker (Wesley Snipes) and an ambitious music teacher seeking a singing career (Sanaa Lathan). McMillan's multidimensional characters would benefit from Prince-Bythewood's proven ability to bring remarkably convincing human portrayals to the screen.

Credits

Genius: MLK/XStream

Executive Producer
Series
2024
71%

Project Greenlight: A New GenerationStream

Executive Producer
Reality
2023
86%

Project Greenlight: A New GenerationStream

Host
Reality
2023
86%

Oprah and Viola the Woman King

Guest
Special
2022

Women of the MovementStream

Director
Miniseries
2022
91%

Women of the MovementStream

Executive Producer
Miniseries
2022
91%

The Woman KingStream

Director
Movie
2022
94%

CBS Mornings

Guest
News
2021

What Happens in HollywoodStream

Self
Docuseries
2021

The Old GuardStream

Director
Movie
2020
80%

Nappily Ever AfterStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2018
67%

Shots FiredStream

Creator
Series
2017
84%

Shots FiredStream

Director
Series
2017
84%

Shots FiredStream

Executive Producer
Series
2017
84%

Shots Fired: Extras

Actor
Show
2016

Beyond the LightsStream

Director
Movie
2014
84%

Beyond the LightsStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2014
84%

The Social

Guest
Show
2013

Steve Harvey

Guest
Talk
2012

On Story

Guest
Show
2011

The Secret Life of BeesStream

Director
Movie
2008
59%

The Secret Life of BeesStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2008
59%

Everybody Hates ChrisStream

Director
Series
2005
95%

Tavis Smiley

Guest
Talk
2004

Biker BoyzStream

Producer
Movie
2003
22%

The Bernie Mac ShowStream

Director
Series
2001

GirlfriendsStream

Director
Series
2000

Love and BasketballStream

Director
Movie
2000
85%

Love and BasketballStream

Writer
Movie
2000
85%

Disappearing Acts

Director
Movie
2000

FelicityStream

Writer
Series
1998

Courthouse

Writer
Show
1995

Sweet Justice

Writer
Show
1994

South Central

Writer
Show
1994

A Different WorldStream

Writer
Series
1987

Schoolbreak

Director
Show
1983

Schoolbreak

Writer
Show
1983

News aboutGina Prince-Bythewood