Paris Qualles
Encyclopedia
Paris Qualles is an American
screenwriter
and television producer
.
Qualles was born in Harlem
in New York City
and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey
. He attended Rutgers College where he majored in English literature
and minored in Photography
. He then went to UCLA
for graduate school
. His primary interest was theatre direction but he turned to writing when an agent offered to represent him in that field. His first professional credit was Amen
, a situation comedy
starring Sherman Hemsley
, where he worked as a researcher before writing scripts.
Qualles has written episodes for several television series, including Seaquest DSV
, The Cape, M.A.N.T.I.S.
, Law & Order
, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
, Quantum Leap, and China Beach
. His television movie
s include A Raisin in the Sun, The Rosa Parks Story
, The Color of Friendship, A House Divided, and The Tuskegee Airmen
.
Qualles won the Humanitas Prize
and the Writers Guild of America Award
for The Color of Friendship and the Black Reel Award for Best Network/Cable Screenplay
for The Rosa Parks Story. He was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Miniseries or a Special
for The Tuskegree Airman. In 2008, Qualles received the Humanitas Prize
for his Sundance Feature Film 'A Raisin in the Sun.
Qualles was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2001 and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Rutgers College that same year. In 2004 Qualles was inducted into the Long Branch High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
Qualles was born in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...
. He attended Rutgers College where he majored in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and minored in Photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. He then went to UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
for graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
. His primary interest was theatre direction but he turned to writing when an agent offered to represent him in that field. His first professional credit was Amen
Amen (TV series)
Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s...
, a situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
, where he worked as a researcher before writing scripts.
Qualles has written episodes for several television series, including Seaquest DSV
SeaQuest DSV
seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...
, The Cape, M.A.N.T.I.S.
M.A.N.T.I.S.
M.A.N.T.I.S. is an American Science fiction television series that aired for one season on the Fox Network between August 1994 and March 1995. The original two-hour pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and developed by Sam Hamm. It stars actor Carl Lumbly. The show is unique in that it depicts an...
, Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, Quantum Leap, and China Beach
China Beach
China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans...
. His television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s include A Raisin in the Sun, The Rosa Parks Story
The Rosa Parks Story
The Rosa Parks Story is a 2002 American television movie written by Paris Qualles and directed by Julie Dash. Angela Basset portrays Rosa Parks. It was broadcast by CBS on February 24, 2002.-Plot:...
, The Color of Friendship, A House Divided, and The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is a 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of an actual groundbreaking unit, the first African American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Force, that fought in World War II.-Plot:...
.
Qualles won the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
and the Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for The Color of Friendship and the Black Reel Award for Best Network/Cable Screenplay
Black Reel Awards of 2003
Here are the nominees and winners of the 2003 Black Reel Awards....
for The Rosa Parks Story. He was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Miniseries or a Special
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for The Tuskegree Airman. In 2008, Qualles received the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
for his Sundance Feature Film 'A Raisin in the Sun.
Qualles was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2001 and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Rutgers College that same year. In 2004 Qualles was inducted into the Long Branch High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.