Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 13, 1944, Charles Burnett moved with his family to the Watts area of Los Angeles at an early age.
He describes the community of having a robust mythical connection with the South as a result of having so many Southern transplants, an atmosphere which has informed much of his work. Burnett went to UCLA, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking.
In 1988, Burnett received the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the «genius grant»), which helped him support his young family and concentrate on his then, newest script.
