Dianne Houston

Dianne Houston is an African-American film director, producer and screenwriter. She is the first, and thus far only, African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for work she directed.

Early life Dianne Houston was born on July 22, 1954, to Jack, an Army psychologist, and Edith, a schoolteacher. She grew up in the Lamond Riggs neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

She attended Woodrow Wilson High School, and was also a student at the Workshops for Careers in the Arts on the campus of George Washington University. She later returned to Washington, D.C., in order to earn a fine arts degree in theater direction from Howard University.

Houston's writing eventually caught the attention of Warner Bros. The company sought her out to provide "doctoring" on one of its screenplays. a continuation of the miniseries, The Women of Brewster Place, based on the Gloria Naylor novel of the same name.

In 1992, Houston was commissioned to write "The International Sweethearts of Rhythm,” a screenplay about an all-women’s 1940's jazz band, inspired by an article the producers read about Rosetta Reitz in The Wall Street Journal.

In 1994 Houston wrote the screenplay for "Override", a science fiction short film based on the short story, "Over the Long Haul," by Martha Soukup. The film, starring Emily Lloyd and Lou Diamond Phillips, was directed by Danny Glover.

Academy Award nomination In 1995, Danny Glover introduced Houston to the Chanticleer Films program, which gave industry professionals their first chance to direct. She was one of four people selected to participate from 1,000 applicants. Houston said of the film, "I have two elderly people with everything to live for and no way to do it in this society". At the time, blacks accounted for less than four percent of the Academy's 5,000 members, and only two percent of the Directors Guild, Writers Guild and Local 44 members, respectively.

As of 2020, Houston remains the only black woman to have ever been nominated for an Oscar for directing.

She is married with two children. She is a lesbian.

Filmography

Films Year Title Writer Director ProducerNotes 2021 The Melony Armstrong Story (announced) 2021 Seacole 2017 Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland TV movie 2016 Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le TV movie 2015 Runaway Island 2005 Knights of the South Bronx TV movie, Co-Writer 1996 Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story TV movie, Co-writer 1995 Tuesday Morning Ride Short Film 1994 Override TV Short Film

Television Year(s) Title Writer ExecutiveProducer DirectorNotes 2017-2020 Empire Directed 4 episodes 2017 When We Rise Wrote 1 Episode 2012 Single Ladies Directed 2 episodes 2004 Crossing Jordan Directed 1 Episode 2003 Soul Food Directed 1 Episode 2002 Strong Medicine Directed 1 Episode 2002 Presidio Med Directed 1 Episode 2002 The Education of Max Bickford Producer, Wrote 1 Episode 2002 NYPD Blue Directed 1 Episode 2000 City of Angels Executive story editor, Directed 1 Episode 1990 Brewster Place