John Ridley is an American screenwriter, novelist, television director, and a showrunner. Ridley was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has two sisters and he is the middle sibling. After writing and directing his debut film, Cold Around The Heart, a crime thriller, he and Oliver Stone co-adapted Ridley`s first novel, Stray Dogs. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for 12 Years a Slave. He is also the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed anthology series American Crime. Some of his renowned works as a screenwriter is 12 Years a Slave, Red Tails and Undercover Brother.