James L. White

Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, James L. White grew up in a small town about 35 miles east of Lexington, where he was raised by his single mother. His interest in writing was sparked by a love of reading, leading him to pursue a career as a writer. After serving in the U.S. Navy and attending the University of Massachusetts for a year, White began working various jobs in the Boston area before moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s to focus on screenwriting. There, he gained his first break when actor Sidney Poitier hired him in 1992 to write the screenplay for the thriller Red Money, although the film was never produced. This marked the beginning of White's successful screenwriting career, including notable projects such as the biopic on Ray Charles, for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay.