One of a generation of film directors who crossed over from the world of music videos, F. Gary Gray proved himself to be among the most inventive, creative and commercially successful of the crop. His feature film directorial debut, "Friday" (1995), was made for $3 million and grossed 10 times that much, with audiences applauding the collection of vignettes chronicling the life of Ice Cube during a day in South Central Los Angeles. But Gray really solidified his status as a filmmaker to be reckoned with the release of "Set It Off" (1996), which starred Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett in the story of four women from the 'hood who turn to bank robbing to break out of the cycle of poverty and degradation. A huge financial and critical success, "Set It Off" grossed more than $40 million at the box office and gained cult status, playing at some urban theatres a year after its initial release.

Born in New York City, NY and raised in South Central L.A., Gray was already involved in television while in high school, working at a local cable public access channel. After studying film and TV in college (although never amassing enough credits for a BA), he started his career working the camera for L.A.-based shows for Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Twentieth Television. Hewing to his career plan, Gray broke in by helming music videos, always filming in 35mm, even if it meant taking a lower fee in order to stay on budget. Among the artists for whom he shot videos were Ice Cube, Johnny Gill, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Tone Loc and Barry White. In 1995, Gray's direction of Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage" earned the Billboard Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best New Artist Video, while Gray's "It Was a Good Day" for Ice Cube was voted "One of the Top 100 Videos of All Time" by Rolling Stone. At the MTV Music Video Awards that same year, Gray's video for TLC's "Waterfall" was voted Video of the Year, and he also walked away with Best Rap Video for Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin'."

After the success of "Set It Off," Gray moved on to helm the actioner "The Negotiator" (1998) which teamed Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey in the story of a hostage mediator who is framed for a murder and takes a group of people as prisoners in order to discover the identity of the real killer. The director had been tapped to steer the sequel to the Eddie Murphy 1996 remake of "The Nutty Professor," but left the project over "creative differences." Instead, he turned his attentions to the small screen as executive producer and director of "Ryan Caulfield: Year One" (Fox, 1999), a short-lived drama about a 19-year-old rookie cop that went through a troubled preproduction and was cancelled after only two airings.

Gray's capable hand guided the Vin Diesel vehicle "A Man Apart" (2003), but it was on his follow-up, the 2003 remake of the heist thriller "The Italian Job," that the director's gifts fully flowered. He delivered a tautly paced, well-acted and action-packed crowd-pleaser that landed him on the short list of Hollywood's top creative and commercial directors. Gray firmly proved the extent of his diversity at the helm of the film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's "Be Cool" (2005), the amusing and entertaining sequel to "Get Shorty" (1995). Equally deft at handling A-list talent like John Travolta and Harvey Keitel and developing newcomers like musicians-turned-actors Christina Milian and André "3000" Benjamin, Gray continued his Hollywood winning streak.