Biography
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