Joe Torry

Joe studied television, radio and print at Lincoln University where he received a B. A. in Mass Communications / Journalism Broadcasting.

In 2001, Joe was awarded The President's Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater. He was also inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, where he joined other great inductees such as Thurgood Marshall, Langston Hughes and Martin Luther King, Jr. In May of 2002, Joe also received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humane Letters.

Torry established MO Films in 2003, which is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. This company will produce screenplays in the Midwest.

Joe has written feature films and videos such as "Back at Home", "2 Chefs a Stripper and a Preacher", and "The P. I. Brothers", which stars Joe and his talented brother, Guy Torry. "I want to bring Hollywood to the Midwest and provide the same opportunities for thriving artists right here in St. Louis, MO and abroad."

In the past, Joe has written and appeared in various projects for film and television. His talent was also recognized in the commercial world by big corporations with national spots for Anheuser Busch (2005 NFL Playoffs), Pepsi ('96 Super Bowl), Nike ("The Barber Shop", NBA Greats) and Gold Beer (Tyson II). These successful projects have led Joe to pursue directing and producing.

Joe feels that working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and establishing great relationships has compelled him to take God's blessing to another level with MO Films.

"People just don't know how beautiful St. Louis really is until they visit."

Torry's close-knit family provided him the background of love and support needed to maintain his strong values. Based on his foundation of love from early childhood, he founded a non-profit organization called the "Giving Back the Love" Foundation on Christmas Day 1996. Joe and wife, Chrystal, a native of St. Louis, reside in Los Angeles, CA with their two sons, Kameron and toddler, Joseph II.

Some of Joe's new projects include: the feature film, "Beauty Shop", with Queen Latifah, Kellita Smith, produced by Magic Johnson; "The Great Commission", a trilogy on the Showtime network; the feature film "Motive", starring Vivica Fox and Shemar Moore; the comedy special/DVD "Family Business", starring Guy and Joe; and the DVD film "Haunted House Party". Joe and Guy also have a television project in the works.

Some of Joe Torry's past and current work includes the following films: "Lock Down", "Commitments", "Flamingo Rising", "Poetic Justice", "Spring", "Tales From The Hood", "Fled", "Back In Business", "Strictly Business", "Talking Dirty", and "House Party 3". Television debuts include four episodes on "ER", "NYPD Blue", "Amen", "Dangerous Minds", host of HBO's "Def Comedy Jam", guest host of BET's "LA Live", and guest on the Conan O'Brien Show.

Torry grew up in West St. Louis near Wellston and graduated from Southwest High School and currently resides in Los Angeles, California