Ernest Dickerson Biography

Ernest Dickerson is a filmmaker and cinematographer known best for his work in early Spike Lee films, including Do The Right Thing (1989), Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992).

Dickerson also directed the feature films Juice (1992, with Tupac Shakur) and Bones (2001, with Snoop Dogg).

Dickerson started out studying architecture, but switched to studying film at New York University, where he met Spike Lee.

Dickerson’s first job as a cinematographer was in the John Sayles film Brother From Another Planet (1984). He worked on music videos and the TV series Tales From the Dark Side (1984), then photographed Lee’s debut, She’s Gotta Have It (1986).

That film took off and made Spike Lee a famous filmmaker, and Dickerson’s early career was spent working mostly with Lee. Dickerson’s directorial debut was Juice.

The second half of Dickerson’s career has been as the director of some of television’s most critically acclaimed series, including The Wire (2003-8), Treme (2010-13) and The Walking Dead (2010-14).