| 1932 | Born on the South Side of Chicago, the son of a tailor. |
| 1953 | Attends Ohio Wesleyan University on combined art and ROTC scholarship; graduates with a major in English. |
| 1953 | Commissioned officer in Air Force; serves as a navigator and bombardier on B-47s in Strategic Air Command. |
| 1955 | Travels through Mexico working as portrait painter. |
| 1956 | Marries Maria; they have two children, Mario and Megan. |
| 1956 | Family moves to San Francisco. Works as brake man on trolley. |
| 1957 | Publishes The Big Heart, a book about life working on a cable car. |
| 1958 | While working in post office, writes and directs three short films: "A King," "Sunlight" and "Three Pick-Up Men for Herrick." |
| 1959 | Commences Ph.D. studies in astronomy at University of Amsterdam in Holland. |
| 1961 | Short films screened in Cinemateque du Paris; moves to Paris. |
| 1962-67 | Works as a journalist, writing crime stories for France Observateur. Literary editor of Hara Kiri, a weekly illustrated satirical periodical. Writes five novels (in French): Un Ours Pour le F.B.I. (A Bear for the F.B.I.), Le Chinois XIV, La Fête a Harlem (A Harlem Party), Un Americain En Enfer (English title: The True American) and La Permission (English title: The Story of a Three-Day Pass). |
| 1967 | Writes and directs his first feature film, La Permission, adapted from his novel. Selected as official French entry in 1967 San Francisco Film Festival; wins festival, earning three-picture deal with Columbia Pictures. |
| 1968 | Moves back to United States. |
| 1968 | Brer Soul album; A&M. |
| 1969 | Aint Supposed to Die a Natural Death album; A&M. |
| 1970 | Writes and directs his second feature film, Watermelon Man. |
| 1971 | Writes, produces, directs, stars in and scores Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song; soundtrack album released on Stax |
| 1971 | As Serious as a Heart-Attack album; A&M. |
| 1971 | Aint Supposed to Die a Natural Death musical opens on Broadway; earns seven Tony nominations. Aint Supposed to Die a Natural Death cast album; earns two Grammy nominations (composer and producer). |
| 1972 | Dont Play us Cheap (adapted from his novel La Fête a Harlem) opens on Broadway; earns two Tony nominations. Dont Play us Cheap cast album Dont Play us Cheap feature film |
| 1974 | What the...You Mean I Can’t Sing?! album; Atlantic |
| 1976 | Writer, “Just an Old Sweet Song;” TV film. Runs in Boston Marathon |
| 1981 | Writer & director of Emmy winning, “Sophisticated Gents” TV film; adapted from John Williams’s novel, The Junior Bachelor Society. |
| 1982 | Waltz of the Stork opens on Broadway. |
| 1983 | Earns his options trading license; becomes first black trader on the American Stock Exchange. |
| 1984 | Writer & director, “The Day they Came to Arrest the Book,” TV film; earns Emmy nomination. |
| 1985 | Co-writer, Greased Lightning. |
| 1986 | Bold Money published; a best-selling guide to options trading for laymen. |
| 1989 | Directs fifth feature film, Identity Crisis, starring his son Mario. Directs short film, “Vroom, Vroom, Vroom”. |
| 1990 | No Identity Crisis: A Father and Son’s Own History of Working Together published. |
| 1992 | Dirty Pictures published by Simon & Schuster. |
| 1994 | The Making of ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’ published by Neo-Press Receives honorary doctorate degree from Hofstra University. |
| 1994 | Host, NPR’s “Blue Stage” |
| 1995 | Ghetto Gothic album; Capitol Publishes novel Panther; adapts screenplay for film, directed by Mario. |
| 1998-99 | Performs in NYC cabarets and nightclubs with his band Roadkill. |
| 2000 | Sixth feature film, Le Conte du ventre plein (English title: Bellyful); adapted from La Bonne a tout faire, from the story collection Le Chinois XIV. |
| 2002 | Awarded a chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. |
| 2002 | Appears in Baltimore, a multi-media art installation by Isaac Julien; Baltimore & NYC. |
| 2003 | Appears in Baltimore, a multi-media art installation by Isaac Julien; Baltimore & NYC. |
| 2004 | Concert tour in France performing original songs along with adaptations of Aristide Bruant's music. |
