Jordan Peele

Jordan Haworth Peele transformed the horror genre and proved that Black stories could dominate the box office when he wrote and directed Get Out (2017) — a social thriller about anti-Black racism disguised as liberal hospitality that grossed $255 million on a $4.5 million budget. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, becoming the first Black person to win in that category.

Born in New York City in 1979, Peele first gained fame as half of the comedy duo Key & Peele, whose Comedy Central sketch show ran from 2012 to 2015 and became one of the most critically acclaimed comedy series of its era. The show's sketches about race, identity, and the absurdities of American life showed Peele's ability to use humor to dissect serious subjects.

Get Out's success was a watershed moment for Black horror — a genre that had been treated as a curiosity rather than a category. Peele followed it with Us (2019) and Nope (2022), establishing himself as one of the most distinctive filmmakers in Hollywood. He founded Monkeypaw Productions, which has produced films, television series (The Twilight Zone, Lovecraft Country), and documentaries. His work consistently examines the horror embedded in the American racial experience, using genre conventions to reveal truths that realist drama often can't.