- Director
- Filmmaker
- Screenwriter
- Writer
- American
- Black
Ernest R. Dickerson (born 1951, Newark, New Jersey) is a legendary American director and cinematographer who established himself as one of the most important visual voices in Black American cinema. A graduate of Howard University and NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he became Spike Lee's primary cinematographer, shooting She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X.
Dickerson made his directorial debut with Juice (1992), starring Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps, co-written with Gerard Brown. He went on to direct Surviving the Game, Bones, and dozens of landmark television episodes including The Wire, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Treme, Bosch, House of Cards, and DMZ. He is an eight-time NAACP Image Award nominee, winning twice for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.
Dickerson made his comic book writing debut in Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics) with Noh Face, co-written with Rose Geddes and illustrated by Julian Shaw.
Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics) received a 2026 Eisner Award nomination for Best Anthology.
Noh Face (Noir Is the New Black Season 2, FairSquare Graphics, co-writer with Rose Geddes; art by Julian Shaw)
Juice (1992, director/co-writer)
The Wire (HBO, director)
The Walking Dead (AMC, director)
Dexter (Showtime, director)
Bosch (Amazon, director)
Treme (HBO, director)
House of Cards (Netflix, director)
Malcolm X (1992, cinematographer)
Do the Right Thing (1989, cinematographer)
She's Gotta Have It (1986, cinematographer)
2026 Eisner Nomination: Best Anthology, Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics); NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (2x winner); 8x NAACP Image Award nominee