Biography

Known primarily for his work in films and television, Paris has his roots as an actor and director in the theater. Dating back to his tenure as Artistic Director of The Paul Robeson Ensemble at Rutgers University, Paris spent more than 15 years on and around the stage before writing professionally in film and television.
Paris’s episodic television credits include CHINA BEACH, for which he received a Writer’s Guild of America nomination for Best Television Drama in 1991; EQUAL JUSTICE; LOIS & CLARK, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN; QUANTUM LEAP; LAW & ORDER; SEAQUEST; AMEN; TRIALS OF ROSIE O’NEIL; THE HEIGHTS; M.A.N.T.I.S.; THE CAPE and pilots for CBS & FOX.
Television movies include the Emmy-winning THE CAPE for syndication; SILENT WITNESS for USA Network; the Emmy, Cable-ACE, Image and Peabody Award- winning THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN for HBO Pictures; the Cable-ACE winning THE DITCHDIGGER’S DAUGHTERS for The (FOX) Family Channel; the Emmy, Writers Guild, Humanitas and Image Award-winning THE COLOR OF FRIENDSHIP for the Disney Channel; A HOUSE DIVIDED for Showtime Entertainment, nominated by the Writers Guild as best Adapted Screenplay for 2000 and the 3-Hour ABC Network Special, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Television Movie and Image Award for Writing. A RAISIN IN THE SUN was also the winner of the Humanitas Prize for Writing in the Sundance Feature Film category, a winner of a Christopher Award as well as an Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie of the year.
Other television movies/mini-series include the award-winning ROSA PARKS STORY (CBS); PROFOUNDLY NORMAL (CBS); STANDING AT THE SCRATCH LINE (Showtime Networks), CHESS KINGS (Disney Channel), CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS? (TNT), THE HAIRSTONS (Lifetime/Hallmark), MEMORIAL DAY (Hallmark), ABUSE AS DIRECTED (Lifetime/Fox), the ESPN mini-series, RING FEVER: THE TIMES AND LIFE OF JACK JOHNSON, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Viacom/BET) and THE LINDA BIEHL STORY (Sony/Lifetime).
Feature Films include THE INKWELL for Touchstone Pictures; BROTHERS for Warner Brothers; HANNIBAL, for Columbia/TriStar Pictures, SADGWAR for Lawrence Bender/Brownhouse Productions, LIBERTY’S CHILDREN for ImageMovers/DreamWorks and the historical biography, CHEVALIER (Griot Pictures) and BARBARA JORDAN (Painted Pony Prods.).
Currently in development is the feature film SOLDADERAS and the television series projects, THE FARM and UPTOWN.
Paris was also the credited screenwriter for a pair of cutting-edge computer games, THE OUTFIT (THQ) and the multi-award winning Game of the Year, COMPANY OF HEROES (Relic Entertainment).