Patrik-Ian Polk
| Patrik-Ian Polk | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 July 1973 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA |
| Occupation | Actor, director, screenwriter |
Patrik-Ian Polk (b. July 29, 1973 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, singer, and actor. Polk, who is openly gay, is noted for his films and theatre work that explore the African-American LGBT experience and relationships.
Polk made his feature film directorial debut with Punks, an independent feature that he also wrote and produced. Often described as a male Waiting to Exhale, Punks had its world premiere in January 2000 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film won several awards at festivals around the world and was released theatrically in November 2001. He also directed the film Blackbird in 2014.
Polk is also the creator of the television series Noah's Arc, which made its debut on the Logo television network in October 2005.
Born in 1973 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Polk was interested in television and movies as a child. He attended Brandeis University, where he was the arts editor of the college newspaper. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, then went on to study at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema-Television.
Polk served briefly as a producer's assistant for Amblin Entertainment's TV series known seaQuest DSV. He was then hired to work for MTV as a development executive in the newly formed, Paramount-based film division known as MTV Films. He helped with development of many productions including Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Election. The latter, a scandalous story about a high school election starring Reese Witherspoon, was nominated for an Oscar in 1999.
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