Gordon Parks, Jr.

Gordon Parks Jr. was the eldest son of acclaimed photojournalist/filmmaker Gordon Parks, one of the contributors to the blaxploitation genre. The younger Parks is most well-known for directing his debut film, Superfly, in 1972. With a memorable soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield, it remains a blaxploitation classic. His second film, Thomasine & Bushrod, never received a proper release. In 1974, he made the relatively obscure genre entry Three the Hard Way, starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and martial artist Jim Kelly. His last film was the romantic thriller Aaron Loves Angela, the film debut of Irene Cara, who would go on to enjoy a brief stardom in Fame (1980). On April 3, 1979, Gordon Parks Jr. was killed in a plane crash while shooting on-location in Africa.

~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide