Nate Parker made history with his debut film The Birth of a Nation before he was knocked down by the media machine for rape that was raised against him. The roller coaster ride that resulted from the event of his success and the subsequent review shot him into the public eye in a way the actor, producer, director, musical actor, and author had to struggle with. Below we look beyond the media focus to give you a more complete picture of Nate Parker and his evolving career.
Nate Parker Bio
Nate Parker was born on November 18, 1979, in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He was born to a single mother, Carolyn Whitfield, who was 17 years old at the time. She never married his biological father, but Nate Parker managed to have a relationship with his father. Unfortunately, his father died of cancer when he was just 11 years old. Parker was actually the last name of his mother’s first husband. Carolyn Whitfield later divorced her first husband and married a second man – Walter Whitford. The actor has four younger sisters.
He moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia when he was just 14 years old after having a fight with his stepfather. In Virginia, he lived with a motherly uncle, Jay Combs. His uncle encouraged him to join a wrestling team in high school. This led him to attend Penn State University with a wrestling scholarship in 1999. In the first year of his university, Nate Parker and his roommate and fellow fighter Jean McGianni Celestin were accused of raping a student.
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According to the prosecutor, the two had raped her when she was drunk. She also said she was unconscious and therefore not sure how many people were involved. Among her allegations was the allegation that the two men harassed her after she filed charges, and they hired a private investigator to show pictures of her on campus and reveal her identity.
The local authorities received a recorded telephone conversation in which Nate Parker confessed to the prosecutor that he and Celestin had slept with her. Nate Parker was acquitted on all charges brought against him, but his roommate was convicted of sexual violence. Their prosecutor, unfortunately, committed suicide in 2012. Nate Parker, who had been suspended from the Penn State Wrestling Team, was reinstated in 2000 during the trial. Soon after, he was accused again by a woman of exposing himself to her. The matter did not go far enough when the woman did not go to the police. After the trial, he moved to the University of Oklahoma in 2002, where he rejoined the wrestling team and earned a degree in Management Science and Information Systems.
Nate Parker switched to acting after being discovered by Los Angeles talent manager Jon Simmons when he attended an event in Dallas with a model friend. Simmons encouraged him to move to Los Angeles, where the former wrestler slowly began to find acting work. Since then he has appeared in films such as The Great Debaters (2007), Felon (2008), and Arbitrage (2012). His directorial debut The Birth of a Nation (2016), in which he also starred, broke records at the Sundance Film Festival 2016. Distribution rights were acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures for $17.5 million.
The birth of a nation led to Parker attracting a lot of attention for possible Oscar nominations. There is a brutal rape scene in the film, in which he plays the hero and Parker saw his past strongly influence the marketing of the film.
Family – Who Is Nate Parker’s Wife? Daughter
Nate Parker is married to Sarah DiSanto. They married in August 2007. His wife is from Erie, Pennsylvania, and they met while they were both students at Penn State University. Together they have four daughters. He also had a daughter from a previous relationship and also adopted his sister’s son.
Nate Parker’s Net Worth
Nate Parker’s net worth is $3 million, despite all the controversy that has surrounded him. His numerous acting achievements over the years undoubtedly contribute to his value, especially his revenue from the Great Debaters and the profits from the birth of a nation.
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Other Facts
- DNA analysis has shown that Nate Parker’s ancestry comes from the Tikar people in today’s Cameroon.
- Parker is involved in the public charity organization. He sponsors scholarships for youth at East Texas Wiley College. Scholarships for people between 17 and 25 years of age are made possible by the 100 Men of Excellence Initiative.
- He identifies himself as a Christian and grew up in the church.
- Parker recently took a job as a director for a drama based on the true story of an LAPD detective.
- His first independent short film, #AmeriCAN, was nominated and won the Outstanding Independent Short Film category at the Black Reel Awards 2015.
