Boots Riley

Biography

Raymond Lawrence 'Boots' Riley (born April 1, 1971) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist activist. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature-film directorial debut with Sorry to Bother You (released July 2018), which he also wrote. In 2023, the streaming series I'm a Virgo premiered on Prime Video, which Riley wrote and directed.

Directed

1. Sorry to Bother You (2018) — Director
2. I Love Boosters (2026) — Director
3. I'm a Virgo (2023) — Director
4. The Coup: The Best Coup DVD Ever (2006) — Director
5. Mr. Burns — Director

Also appeared in

1. The Daily Show (1996) — Self - Guest
2. Fremont (2023) — Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
3. Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (2015) — Self
4. Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme (2000) — Himself
5. I'm Charlie Walker (2022) — Bartender Ray
6. Rope a Dope 2 (2015) — Mayor
7. 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (2013) — Self
8. First Earth: Uncompromising Ecological Architecture (2009)
9. Hollywood Black (2024) — Self
10. The Last Critic (2026)
11. In Prison My Whole Life (2008) — Self
12. The Coup: The Best Coup DVD Ever (2006) — Self
13. When I See Them, I See Us (2021)