Tyler Perry

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Biography

Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry, Jr. ; September 14, 1969) is an American actor, director, screen and playwright, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman (film)|Diary of a Mad Black Woman ..
Perry is estimated to have earned around $75& nbsp;million by 2008. , June 8, 2011. In 2011, Forbes named him the highest paid man in entertainment, earning $130 million between May 2010 and 2011.

Early life

Perry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana , as Emmitt Perry, Jr. His family consisted of three siblings, his mother, Willie Maxine Perry (née Campbell), and his father, Emmitt Perry, Sr., a carpenter. Perry once said his father's "only answer to everything was to beat it out of you". As a child, Perry once went so far as to attempt suicide in an effort to escape his father's beatings. In contrast to his father, his mother took him to church each week, where he sensed a certain refuge and contentment. J Rank's biography website article
At age 16, he had his first name legally changed from Emmitt to Tyler in an effort to distance himself from his father. Biography.com listing for Tyler Perry

Many years later, after seeing the film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire|Precious , he was moved to relate for the first time. CNN. October 6, 2009. accounts of being molested by a friend's mother at age 10; he was also molested by three men previous to this, and later found out his own father had molested his friend.

While Perry did not complete high school, he earned a General Educational Development|GED . In his early 20s, watching an Oprah Winfrey talk show, he heard someone describe the sometimes therapeutic effect the act of writing can have, enabling the author to work out his or her own problems. This comment inspired him to apply himself to a career in writing. He soon started writing a series of letters to himself, which became the basis for the musical, ''I Know I've Been Changed.

Stage

Around 1990, he moved to Atlanta , where two years later ''I Know I've Been Changed'' was first performed at a community theater, financed by the $12,000 life savings of the 22-year-old Perry. It included Christian themes of forgiveness, dignity and self-worth, while addressing issues such as child abuse and dysfunctional families . The musical initially received a "less than stellar" reception and was a financial failure. Perry persisted, and over the next six years he rewrote the musical repeatedly, though lackluster reviews continued. In 1998, at age 28, he succeeded in retooling of the play in Atlanta first at the House of Blues , then at the Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre . Perry continued to create new stage productions, touring with them on the so-called " chitlin' circuit " (now also known as the "urban theater circuit") and developing a large, devoted following among African-American audiences. In 2005, Forbes reported that he had sold "more than $100& nbsp;million in tickets, $30& nbsp;million in of his shows and an estimated $20& nbsp;million in merchandise" and that "the 300 live shows he produces each year are attended by an average of 35,000 people a week."

Film

Perry received a $5.5& nbsp;million budget to fund his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman , which went on to gross $50.6& nbsp;million domestically, while scoring a 16 percent approval rating at the film review web site, Rotten Tomatoes . On its opening weekend, February 24–26, 2006, Perry's film version of '' Madea's Family Reunion opened at "Number 1" at the box office with $30.3& nbsp;million. The film eventually grossed $65& nbsp;million. Perry and his co-stars promoted the film on The Oprah Winfrey Show . As with Diary , almost all of the Madea''s' earnings have been generated in the United States.

Perry's next Lions Gate Entertainment|Lionsgate project, '' Daddy's Little Girls '', starred Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba and was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2007. It grossed over $31& nbsp;million. Perry wrote, directed, produced and starred in his next film, Why Did I Get Married? , released on October 12, 2007. It opened at number one, grossing $21.4& nbsp;million that weekend. It is loosely based on his play of the same name. Filming began March 5, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia , Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver , then moved to Atlanta, where Perry had opened his own studio. Janet Jackson , Sharon Leal , Jill Scott and Tasha Smith appeared in the film. Perry's 2008 film, Meet the Browns (film)|Meet the Browns , released on March 21, opened at "Number 2" with a $20,082,809 weekend gross. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/? page=weekend& id=meetthebrowns.htm The Family That Preys opened on September 12, 2008, and grossed over $37.1& nbsp;million.

Madea Goes to Jail opened at number one on February 20, 2009, grossing $41& nbsp;million and becoming his largest opening to date. This was Perry's seventh film with Lionsgate Entertainment. At the request of director J. J. Abrams ,Christian, Margena A. Becoming Tyler. Ebony. October 2008: 83. Perry had a cameo appearance in Star Trek (film)|Star Trek as the Starfleet Academy commandant Admiral Barnett, which opened on May 8, 2009. This was his first film appearance outside of his own projects.

Perry next wrote, directed, and starred in I Can Do Bad All By Myself (film)|I Can Do Bad All By Myself , a film structured around his Madea character. This was Perry's eighth film and also made number one at the box office. In 2009, Perry teamed with Oprah Winfrey to present Precious, a film based on the novel Push (novel)|Push by Sapphire (author)|Sapphire .

Why Did I Get Married Too? , the sequel to Why Did I Get Married? , opened in theaters on April 2, 2010. It featured Janet Jackson , Cicely Tyson , Louis Gossett, Jr. , Jill Scott and Malik Yoba . As of April 18, the film has grossed over $54& nbsp;million domestically, with $29& nbsp;million made the opening weekend.

Perry directed a For Colored Girls|film adaptation of Ntozake Shange 's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf . It was released November 5, 2010., All Things Considered , March 8, 2010. He appeared in the stage show '' Madea's Big Happy Family , which toured the U.S. and was a movie in 2011, written, directed by, and starring Perry. Madea's Big Happy Family (film)|Madea's Big Happy Family raked in $25.8& nbsp;million at the box office, taking 2nd place.

Perry is also slated to take over the role of James Patterson 's Alex Cross from Morgan Freeman in the pending film adaptation of I, Alex Cross .

Perry's films are co-produced and distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment; he retains full copyright ownership under the corporate name Very Perry Films, and places his name in front of all titles.Christian, Margena A. Becoming Tyler. Ebony. Oct. 2008: 78. Perry's movies have seen very limited release outside North America, but in May 2010 Lionsgate announced plans to begin releasing his films in the United Kingdom.Diana Lodderhose, , Variety (magazine)|Variety , May 26, 2010.

Perry's next film with Lionsgate is set to be Good Deeds (film)|Good Deeds , as he again will work behind and in front of the camera. Perry will be playing lead character, Wesley Deeds. Good Deeds is a romantic drama film written, directed by and starring Tyler Perry. The film was released on February 24, 2012. It is the tenth out of eleven films directed by Perry that he appears in .Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 29% rating out of 25 reviews and 82% of 8,563 users said they liked the film. The film opened with a box office $16,000,000. The movie is also set to star Thandie Newton , Rebecca Romijn , Gabrielle Union , Eddie Cibrian , Jamie Kennedy , Phylicia Rashad and others.

, Perry's films had grossed over $500& nbsp;million worldwide.

Television

Perry produces a television show entitled '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne '', which follows an African-American household of three generations. The show demonstrates the family members' struggles with faith and love, as well as living with different generations. The show ran in the spring of 2006 as a 10-show pilot. After the successful pilot run, Perry signed a $200& nbsp;million, 100-episode deal with TBS (TV network)|TBS . On June 6, 2007, the first two episodes of ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne ran on TBS. After receiving high ratings, House of Payne entered broadcast syndication . Reruns were played through December 2007 before the second season began. The third season began on March 5, 2008 and the fourth season on June 4, 2008. House of Payne airs on TBS.

The Writers Guild of America, West has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that Perry's production company, House of Payne, unlawfully fired four writers in October 2008 in retaliation for their trying to get a union contract. The dispute was settled a month later, when Tyler Perry Studios agreed to be a WGA signatory.

Perry wrote, directed and produced the sitcom Meet the Browns (TV series)|Meet the Browns , which premiered on TBS on January 7, 2009. Another show, '' Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse , based on his films Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too? , premiered on TBS November 25, 2011.

Perry has said he may produce another sitcom entitled ''Floyd's Family , a spin off of House of Payne featuring the character Floyd.

In early 2009, Perry threatened legal action against Mo' Money Taxes, a tax preparation company based in Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis , for running a Television advertisement|TV spot that he felt offensively parody|parodied his work, in particular Madea Goes to Jail . The ad features a large White people|Caucasian male (John Cowan) in Drag (clothing)|drag , named "Ma'Madea". The offending ad was dropped from circulation.Griffin, Dee. , May 14, 2009.

Books

Tyler Perry's first novel, '' Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings|Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life '', appeared on April 11, 2006. The book sold fewer than 30,000 copies. The hardcover reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the list for 12 weeks. It was voted Book of the Year, Best Humor Book at the 2006 Quill Awards .

Stylistic trademarks

Perry always uses possessory credit in his works' titles (e.g., '' Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? ''). Several recurring narrative themes surface in Perry's work and his films and plays feature predominantly black casts.

Criticism

Criticism of Perry’s work focuses mainly on a perception that it perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

Despite praising Perry in 2006, in 2009 director Spike Lee criticized his work when interviewed by Ed Gordon (journalist)|Ed Gordon on Our World with Black Enterprise , saying, "Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is 'coonery' and buffoonery. I know it's making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better … I see these two ads for these two shows and I am scratching my head ... We got a Barack Obama|black president and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Willie Best|Sleep 'n' Eat ? " When Gordon cited Perry’s success among black audiences and asked Spike if Perry wasn’t just giving black America what they wanted, he responded, "We've had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton , people came out to see Boyz n the Hood , but when he did Rosewood (film)|Rosewood , nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us. You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and the man has a huge audience, Tyler's very smart. …We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm D. Lee|Malcolm Lee . As African Americans, we're not one monolithic group so there is room for all of that, but at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to '' Amos 'n' Andy ."

In September 2009, Jamilah Lemieux made similar remarks on National Public Radio . While thanking Perry for employing blacks in front of and behind the camera and for making work with humor and "positive messages about self-worth, love and respect", she criticized him for making television shows "marked by old stereotypes of buffoonish, emasculated black men and crass, sassy black women." She took him to task for his Madea character saying that through this, "the country has laughed at one of the most important members of the black community: Mother Dear, the beloved matriarch. Our mothers and grandmothers deserve much more than that." She stated that she appreciated that he was dismissive of critics' comments concerning his work, "but many black folks have expressed some of the very same attitudes about your work that white critics have." She stated that blacks "have been fed the same images of ourselves over and over and over because they sell." She felt that his success had been "mired with the worst black pathologies and stereotypes" and called on him to "stop dismissing the critics as haters and realize that black people need new stories and new storytellers."

Lemieux’s criticism of Perry was cited and expanded upon by the author Tom Burrell in his 2010 book Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority . Burrell cited Perry’s 2008 film Meet the Browns as an example of when "we black people pull the trigger for our own image assassination." Burrell also stated, "…it's not entirely fair to expect Perry to chart a new course alone. His movies and TV shows would not be so successful if blacks didn't have a raging appetite for messages and images that project us as dysfunctional or incompetent. Nothing that occurred during Amos 'n' Andy’s radio and television reign could match the words and actions of black comedies like Madea and The Browns. Our attraction to self-demeaning images came way before, and goes far beyond, Tyler Perry." Burrell called for new images of blacks in entertainment and a new vision of black self-image.

Perry (and Madea) were satirized in a June 2010 Pause (Boondocks)|episode of the Adult Swim animated series The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks ; the Los Angeles Times called this episode "one of the sharpest public criticisms of Perry".

In February 2011, actor Idris Elba caused controversy when he criticised Perry. Elba, who has previously starred in one of Perry's romantic comedies (''Daddy's Little Girls ), lamented the trend for cross-dressing caricatures of black characters – a phenomenon many would recognize from films such as the The Klumps and Big Momma's House series – describing it as "buffoonish". Elba maintains the view that change should occur in Hollywood to address the recent under-representation of black actors in Hollywood and the controversy it has caused. Elba said: "Imagine a film such as Inception '' with an entire cast of black people – do you think it would be successful? " Elba asks. "Would people watch it? But no one questions the fact that everyone's white. That's what we have to change."

Cultural critic Touré stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview that "Tyler Perry is perhaps the worst filmmaker in Hollywood" and was quoted as saying earlier that Perry is the " KFC of black cinema".

On May 4, 2011, Perry was satirized by South Park in the episode " Funnybot ". At the South Park Elementary Special Education Department Comedy Awards, Perry was presented the Kathy Griffin Award, "given to the celebrity most likely to show up". Following the awards presentation, Perry annoyingly remained in South Park, now dressed as Madea, cracking wise and uttering non sequiturs while constantly being given money by Token (South Park character)|Token , the only black student; Token explains that "I can’t help myself". The South Park writers further satirized Perry by showing Barack Obama|President Obama addressing the nation, stating he was going to watch "a Tyler Perry movie. I know, it’s embarrassing. But I simply can’t help myself." Finally, in a surprise twist, Perry is forever buried, encased in steel, because, as Barack Obama|President Obama puts it, "I am pleased to announce that the greatest threat to mankind has now gone forever. Justice has been done."

In an article for The Boulevardier, the magazine’s editor-in-chief Alexander T. MacGregor, Jr. heavily rebuked the works of Tyler Perry in his article entitled “Mental Slavery of the Modern African-American”, stating “I would argue that he is one of the most dangerous men in America, as his machinations have only worked to feed African-American stereotypes, and validate the ignorant behaviour of some African Americans in society by giving their actions credence.”

Responses

In October 2009, during a 60 Minutes interview, Perry was read a quote of Spike Lee's comments about his work and responded, "I would love to read that to my fan base. …That pisses me off. It is so insulting. It's attitudes like that, that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist, and that is why there is no material speaking to them, speaking to us." Perry also stated that "all these characters are bait – disarming, charming, make-you-laugh bait. I can slap Madea on something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family, any of those."

Perry’s work has also been defended by Oprah Winfrey , who joined Perry in promoting Lee Daniels ' film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire|Precious . She told an interviewer, "I think grew up being raised by strong, black women. And so much of what he does is really in celebration of that. I think that's what Madea really is: a compilation of all those strong black women that I know and maybe you do too? And so the reason it works is because people see themselves."

Goldie Taylor , of The Grio and MSNBC, stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview regarding Perry's target audience: "I don't think Tyler Perry is talking to Touré . I don't think he's talking to me, but I know that he's speaking directly to my mother, my sister, my cousins and meeting them at their point of need, and that's what art and filmmaking is about." In the same interview, NPR's Michele Norris reported Tyler Perry had said a week earlier that "Spike Lee can, quote, 'go straight to hell.'"

Personal life

Perry identifies as a devout Christian. He has become good friends with Oprah Winfrey , Will Smith and Janet Jackson . Many of the themes in Perry's work reflect theology and social behaviour indicative of the predominantly Black church|African American church culture. Many scenes in both Perry's stage and screen work include church settings and worship styles commonly found in predominantly African American churches, including showcasing gospel music and artists.

In 2007 Perry bought a -estate in the Paces (Atlanta)|Paces neighborhood of Buckhead (Atlanta)|Buckhead , Atlanta . http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/tyler-perry-pays-massive-fine-for-cutting-trees/nFBKD/

On July 20, 2009, Perry sponsored 65 children from a Philadelphia day camp to go to Walt Disney World , after reading that a suburban swim club (Valley Swim Club, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania|Huntingdon Valley , Pennsylvania) had shunned them. Perry wrote on his website, "I want them to know that for every act of evil that a few people will throw at you, there are millions more who will do something kind for them."

On December 8, 2009, Tyler's mother, Willie Maxine Perry, died at the age of 64, following an illness.. Los Angeles Times , December 9, 2009. As of 2011, Perry remains unmarried. CBN Lionsgate news interview with Perry re: marriage.
He lives and works in Southwest Atlanta where he operates the Tyler Perry movies and TV studios. Grand opening announcement for Tyler Perry Studios
In August 2010, it was reported that Perry had purchased Dean Gardens , a estate in the Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek, Georgia|Johns Creek . Perry was reportedly planning to tear down the existing mansion and build a new, environmentally friendly home on the property.Katherine Q. Seelye, , New York Times , August 22, 2010.Michelle E. Shaw, , Atlanta Journal Constitution , August 18, 2010.

Filmography

Film work

Year	Film	Credited as
Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Actor	Role
2005	Diary of a Mad Black Woman (film)	no	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe, Brian
2006	'' Madea's Family Reunion	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe, Brian
2007	'' Daddy's Little Girls	yes	yes	yes	no	style="text-align:left;"
2007	Why Did I Get Married?	yes	yes	yes	yes	Terry Brock
2008	Meet the Browns (film)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe (cameo)
2008	The Family That Preys	yes	yes	yes	yes	Ben
2009	Madea Goes to Jail	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe, Brian
	Star Trek (film)	no	no	no	yes	Admiral Barnett
	I Can Do Bad All By Myself (film)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe
	Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire	no	no	yes	no	style="text-align:left;"
2010	Why Did I Get Married Too?	yes	yes	yes	yes	Terry Brock
2010	For Colored Girls	yes	yes	yes	no	style="text-align:left;"
2011	'' Madea's Big Happy Family (film)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe
2012	Good Deeds (film)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Wesley Deeds
	I, Alex Cross	no	no	no	yes	Alex Cross
	'' Madea's Witness Protection	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea, Joe
2013	The Marriage Counselor (film)	yes	yes	yes	no	style="text-align:left;"

Play work

Year	Play	Credited as
Year	Play	Director	Writer	Producer	Actor	Role
1999	'' I Know I've Been Changed	yes	yes	yes	yes	Joe
2000	I Can Do Bad All By Myself (play)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2001	Diary of a Mad Black Woman (play)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Daddy Charles / Madea
2002	'' Madea's Family Reunion (play)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2003	'' Madea's Class Reunion	yes	yes	yes	yes	Dr. Willie Leroy Jones / Madea
2004	Why Did I Get Married? (play)	yes	yes	yes	no
2005	Meet the Browns (play)	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea (voice)
2006	Madea Goes to Jail (play)	Yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2007	'' What's Done in the Dark	yes	yes	yes	no
2008	The Marriage Counselor	yes	yes	yes	no
2009	Laugh to Keep from Crying	yes	yes	yes	no
2010	'' Madea's Big Happy Family	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2011	A Madea Christmas	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2012	'' Aunt Bam's Place	yes	yes	yes	no
2012	'' I Don't Want To Do Wrong!	yes	yes	yes	no
2012	The Haves And The Have Nots	yes	yes	yes	no
2012	Madea Gets a Job	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea

Television work

Year	Show	Credited as
Year	Show	Director	Writer	Producer	Actor	Role
2006-present	'' Tyler Perry's House of Payne	yes	yes	yes	yes	Madea
2009-2011	'' Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (TV series)	yes	yes	yes	no	Madea (mentioned)
2011-present	'' Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse	yes	yes	yes	yes	Therapist

Awards and nominations

Awards won are in bold

BET Comedy Awards

*' 2005, Outstanding Actor in a Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

*' 2005, Outstanding Writing for Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

Black Movie Awards

*2006, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

*2006, Outstanding Motion Picture ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

*' 2005, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

*2005, Outstanding Motion Picture (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

Black Reel Awards

*2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (Meet the Browns)

*2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (The Family That Preys)

*2007, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

*2005, Best Breakthrough Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

*2005, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted: (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

Image Awards

*2009, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (The Family That Preys)

*2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Why Did I Get Married? )

*2007, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

*2007, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards

*2010, Best Actor (Madea Goes To Jail)

MTV Movie Awards

*2006, Best Comedic Performance ''(Madea's Family Reunion)

*2006, Breakthrough Male Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

Copyright Citations

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