Paris K.C. Barclay (1956- )

February 05, 2014 
/ Contributed By: Michelle Dartis

Paris Barclay at DGA National Biennial Convention where he was elected DGA President on June 22

Paris Barclay at DGA National Biennial Convention where he was elected DGA President on June 22

Photo by DGA (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Paris K.C. Barclay is an award-winning American television director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. In 2013, he broke new ground when he was named President of the Directors Guild of America, making him the first openly gay male and the first African American to hold the post. Barclay was born on June 30, 1956, in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Harvey, Illinois. His parents married at a young age and had seven children. Their marriage was not happy, but they remained together for over 20 years.

A precocious child, Barclay excelled academically and athletically while attending La Lumiere School for Boys, a Catholic college preparatory school in La Porte, Indiana, on a football scholarship.ย  He was also one of the first African Americans to attend the school.ย  In 1975, Barclay enrolled at Harvard University, where he majored in English literature.ย  Additionally, he participated in musical theatre productions and writing musicals, two of which were produced as part of the institutionโ€™s Hasty Pudding shows.

After graduating in 1979, Barclay went to New York with the intent of continuing theatre work but ended up working as a copywriter.ย  Undaunted, Barclay continued writing and later met Stephen Sondheim, a prominent American composer and lyricist who became his mentor.ย  In 1984, Barclayโ€™s โ€œOn Hold with Musicโ€ was produced off-Broadway; though it was not a successful production, it led him to direct commercials and music videos for numerous recording artists, including Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson, and most notably LL Cool J, whose music video โ€œMama Said Knock You Out,โ€ directed by Barclay, won MTVโ€™s Video Music Award for Best Rap Video in 1991.

In the mid-1990s, Barclay relocated to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in film and television.ย  His directorial film debut came in 1996 with Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, a comedy that featured Shawn, Marlon, and Keenen Ivory Wayans.ย  He then joined the production team for ABCโ€™s NYPD Blue, where he won the 1998 and 1999 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

In 2008, Barclay married his long-time partner, Christopher Mason, who was an executive in the food industry.ย  As supporters of Barack Obama (who was, at that time, a Presidential candidate), their ceremony was also a fundraising event for Obama and for Equality Californiaโ€™s campaign against Proposition 8.ย  Recognizing the fact that African American males are the least likely to be adopted, the couple welcomed sons William and Cyrus into their family.ย  The boys served as ring-bearers in their wedding.

In recognition of his LGBT activism, Barclay won the 2001 Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Stephen F. Kolzak Award.ย  He is also a proud supporter of a number of causes, including the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the Human Rights Campaign, and Project Angel Food.

About the Author

Author Profile

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Michelle Dartis is a self-published author, adjunct faculty member, freelance writer, and works as a therapist and as a behavior consultant. She holds a bachelorโ€™s degree in social work and three distinct graduate degrees in library science, higher education with a specialization in leadership for student success, and human and social services. Recently, she earned a Ph. D. degree in Human and Social Services.

Michelle is the recipient of various awards, including theย Indiana Librarians Leading in Diversity MLS Fellowship Projectย and the American Library Association/Spectrum Institute REACH 21 Scholarship Initiative.ย  She has over thirty-five years of professional experience in mental health, behavior management, therapy, developmental disabilities, sexual assault counseling, case management, and teaching.

Michelleโ€™s debut novel, โ€œThis Ainโ€™t That: An Erotic Novelโ€ was published in September 2021 on Amazon.com and became a first-time childrenโ€™s book author in December 2023 by publishing โ€œTrinityโ€™s Earthly Arrival from Heaven.โ€ This book is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. Her forthcoming second childrenโ€™s book, โ€œI Wish I Was White: Racial Identity and Self-Esteem.โ€ This book is based on a real event that took place a few years ago when Michelleโ€™s granddaughter Trinity said one day to her unexpectedly, โ€œI wish I was White.โ€ Trinityโ€™s statement had such a profound impact on her, that it led her to write a book based on her comment. The book is about strengthening racial identity and uplifting self-esteem in todayโ€™s youth (no matter what they find โ€œwrongโ€ with them), especially Black girls.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Dartis, M. (2014, February 05). Paris K.C. Barclay (1956- ). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/barclay-paris-k-c-1956/

Source of the Author's Information:

Linda Rapp and Paris Barclay, eds., An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture (Chicago: GLBTQ, Inc., 2014), retrieved from
http://www.glbtq.com/arts/barclay_paris.html; Evan Puschak, โ€œBarclay Becomes First Black President of the Directorโ€™s Guild,โ€ retrieved from http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/paris-barclay-becomes-first-black-president-o; Harvard University, โ€œProminent Harvard Alumni,โ€ retrieved from http://www.gocrimson.com/information/mediacenter/Alumni_Media_Center.

Further Reading