
Person profile
Ernest Tidyman
Woke Score
3/ 100
Lower is better
0 personal • 9 work
- Published titles
- 1
- Crew roles
- 1
- Cast roles
- 0
- Profile updated
- June 5, 2026
- TMDB person ID
- 6483
Creator Context
Summary
White American novelist, screenwriter, and former journalist (1928–1984) best known for creating the Shaft books and co-writing the 1971 film. He aimed to portray a sophisticated, intelligent Black detective who used “black rage” as one resource among intelligence and courage. He won an NAACP Image Award for the work and wrote for Black newspapers earlier in his career. No record of modern political activism or identity-driven advocacy; his output belongs to a pre-contemporary social-justice era.
Known Work

