Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter of Harriet and Remember the Titans, died on Friday in Miami.
The news was confirmed by his representative Jeff Sanderson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It came after Howard battled a brief illness. He was 70 years old.
Sad loss: Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter of Harriet and Remember the Titans, died on Friday in Miami
Howard moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s to pursue his dream of becoming a screenwriter.
Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, the talented writer rose to fame in the early 2000s after writing the Denzel Washington-directed film Remember the Titans.
The true story follows Herman Boone, an African-American football coach hired in 1971 to coach a high school team during their first racially integrated season of the sport.
The film earned him the distinction of being the first African-American screenwriter to write a $100 million script for a drama, Variety reports.
A dream come true: Howard dreamed of bringing the action-adventure film Harriet to life for two decades; photographed with movie star Cynthia Erivo in 2019
Howard, who earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from Princeton University, spent two decades dreaming of bringing the action-adventure film Harriet to life.
The idea came to him after studying the historical figure at Princeton.
The film, starring Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monae, received two Oscar nominations.
In a 2019 interview with Focus Features, the film’s writer-producer said, “To me, this film is my black women’s Valentine. I wish they could go to the cinema on Saturday and see this young black woman take on this incredible power structure and triumph over her.”
Outstanding: During his career, he won two NAACP Image Awards, the Howard University Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Excellence and the Heartland Film Festival Award for Outstanding Screenwriting; Taken in 2001
How it all began: After studying with Harriet Tubman at Princeton University, the author was inspired to write the screenplay
Gregory also earned a screenwriting credit for the film Ali, starring Will Smith and Jamie Foxx.
During his career, he won two NAACP Image Awards, the Howard University Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Excellence and the Heartland Film Festival Award for Outstanding Screenwriting.
Howard is a longtime Huffington Post writer and author of The Biggest Loser in 2016 and The Whitewashing of James Brown in 2017.
His most recent work was the civil rights project Power to the People, written for producer Ben Affleck and Paramount Pictures.
At the time of his death, Howard was working on a biopic about quarterback Marlin “The Magician” Briscoe titled “The Magician”.
Impressive: Gregory also earned a screenwriting credit for the film Ali, starring Will Smith and Jamie Foxx
He is survived by sister Lynette Henley and brother Michael Henley, nieces Robyn Bacon and Valencia Kamara, and nephew Robert Henley.
Howard is also survived by a second cousin and two second cousins, as well as cousins Pierre Gatling and the Honorable Patricia Cole, Deadline reported.
He was predeceased by siblings Camille Cole Howard and brother Ricardo J. Henley
Breakout: Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, talented writer rose to fame in the early 2000s after writing the Denzel Washington-directed film Remember the Titans
Source: Daily Mail
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
