| Tyler Perry |
| Born |
Emmitt R. Perry, Jr.
September 14, 1969 (1969-09-14) (age 39)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Occupation |
Actor, Screenwriter, Theatre director, Film director, Television director, Playwright, Film producer, and Television producer |
| Official website |
Tyler Perry (born September 14, 1969)1 is an American playwright, screenwriter, actor and director and producer of indie films and stage plays. His best-known character is "Madea", who is a physically imposing and overbearing but well-intentioned woman who serves both as comic relief and as the loud voice of conscience for the protagonists of Perry's works.
Personal life
Perry was born Emmitt R. Perry, Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana (he now lives in Atlanta, Georgia).2 He changed his first name to Tyler because of his troubled relationship with his father. His father, Emmitt, Sr., was a carpenter and construction worker, and his mother, Maxine, was a pre-school teacher who worked at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center for most of her life.3456 Perry dropped out of school when he was 16, but later went back to obtain his GED. Perry is a Christian. He is good friends with rapper/actor Will Smith and Bishop T.D. Jakes.7 He has never been married.
Plays
Perry has written and toured with ten stage plays: "I Know I've Been Changed," " I Can Do Bad All by Myself," "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," "Madea's Family Reunion," "Madea's Class Reunion," "Why Did I Get Married?," "Meet the Browns," "Madea Goes to Jail," "What's Done in the Dark," and "The Marriage Counselor."
Some of Perry's play have been adapted into films, usually with different actors. The stage plays feature more singing than the movies, and are sometimes classed as musicals. Except for "I Know I've Been Changed," they are all available on DVDs in their own right.
TV & Movies
Perry has full ownership of his movies; Lionsgate Entertainment serves as his distributor.8
His first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, produced on a budget of $5.5 million, became an unexpected commercial success prompting widespread discussion among industry watchers about whether middle-class African-Americans were simply not being addressed by mainstream Hollywood movies. Its final gross box office receipts were $50.6 million, although it was critically panned scoring only 16 percent approval rating on the website, Rotten Tomatoes.9 On its opening weekend, February 24, 2006, Perry's film version of Madea's Family Reunion opened at #1 with $30.3 million. The film eventually grossed $65 million and, like Diary, almost all of it in the United States. The film was jump-started by an hour-long appearance by Perry and his co-stars on the influential Oprah Winfrey show.10
His next project for Lions Gate, Daddy's Little Girls, starring Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2007. It grossed over $31 million.11 Perry wrote, directed, produced and starred in his next movie, Why Did I Get Married?, which was released on October 12, 2007. It opened #1, grossing $21.4 million at the box office that weekend. It is loosely based on his play of the same name. Filming began March 5, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia, Vancouver, then Atlanta, where Perry opened his own studio. Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott and Tasha Smith appear in the film. Perry's 2008 film, Meet the Browns, which was released on March 21, opened at #2 with a $20,082,809 weekend gross.12 The Family That Preys opened on September 12, 2008, and grossed over $35.1 million as of October.
Madea Goes to Jail opened #1 on February 20, 2009, grossing $41 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,13 Perry had a cameo appearance in the movie Star Trek, which opened on May 8, 2009. This was his first movie appearance outside of his own projects. Tyler's next movie project, I Can Do Bad All By Myself is scheduled for a late 2009 release. The movie is centered around Madea and is a drama romance movie.
Tyler Perry Studios
Tyler Perry Studios is the first African-American owned studio in the country and had its grand opening on October 4, 2008. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the studio occupies two former airline-affiliated buildings and includes 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of sets and office space. The opening was attended by Sidney Poitier, Will Smith, Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey and Hank Aaron among others.14 Through 34th Street Films, a production arm of Tyler Perry Studios, Perry will guide the work of other filmmakers.15
Television
Perry produces a television show entitled Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which follows an African-American household with three generations of family in it. The show seeks to illustrate struggles with faith and love, as well as showing how to coexist with the generation gap. The show ran briefly in spring of 2006 as a 10-show pilot. After a successful pilot run, Perry signed a $200 million, 100-episode deal with TBS. On June 6, 2007, the first two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne ran on TBS. Due to high ratings, House of Payne is now in 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 now airs on The CW and has aired 100 episodes.
The Writers Guild of America, West has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that House of Payne unlawfully fired four writers in October 2008 in retaliation for trying to get a union contract with Tyler Perry’s production company, House of Payne, LLC..16
Meet The Browns, another sitcom that is written, directed, and produced by Perry, premiered on TBS on January 7, 2009.
Perry has stated that he may produce another series titled "Floyd's Family."
In early 2009, Perry threatened legal action against Mo' Money Taxes, a tax preparation company based in Memphis, for running a TV spot that he felt offensively parodied his work, in particular Madea Goes to Jail. The ad features a large Caucasion male (John Cowan local Memphis Actor) in drag, named "Ma'Madea". The offending ad was dropped from circulation.
Books
Perry's first novel, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, hit bookstores April 11, 2006. The book sold more than 25,000 copies.17 The hardcover hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the list for 12 weeks. It was voted the "Book of the Year" and "Best Humor Book" at the 2006 Quill Awards. He is also working on a book about his troubled childhood.
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 they feature a predominantly African-American cast.
The recurring character of Mabel "Madea" Simmons surfaces in many of Perry's work. Perry portrays Madea by cross-dressing18 in his plays and films. Perry based Madea on an aunt who lives in Georgia, as well as his mother, according to Perry himself. In Madea's appearances, she dispenses wisdom in a "no-nonsense manner", and is usually involved in physical comedy and/or a sight gag. The nickname "Madea" comes from a Southern African-American contraction of the words "mother dear", which is commonly used as a term of affection. It is also used as a reference to a great-grandmother.
Tyler often references Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which he notes as one of his favorite movies. Perry's plays also make references to 1970s R&B and soul music, and the differences between that and the current state of rap/hip-hop music and other music popular among the black community.
Other references include singers Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Ike & Tina Turner, the movie Forrest Gump, the television sitcom Good Times, rapper Missy Elliott, and the singer Tweet.
Filmography
- Why Did I Get Married Too (2010) - director, actor, writer, producer
- I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Star Trek (2009) - Admiral Barnett
- Madea Goes to Jail (2009) - director, actor, writer, producer
- The Family That Preys (2008) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Meet the Browns (TV) (2009) - writer, producer
- Meet the Browns (2008) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Why Did I Get Married? (2007) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007; TV) - writer, executive producer
- Daddy's Little Girls (2007) - director, writer, producer
- Madea's Family Reunion (2006) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Madea Goes to Jail (Play) (2006) - director, actor, writer, producer
- Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) - actor, writer, producer
Awards and nominations
- BET Comedy Awards
- 2005: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner
- 2005: Outstanding Writing for a Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner
- Black Movie Awards
- 2006: Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- 2006: Outstanding Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- 2005: Outstanding Motion Picture (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
- 2005: Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner
- Black Reel Awards
- 2007: Outstanding Screenplay Adapted or Original (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- 2006: Outstanding Screenplay Adapted or Original (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
- 2006: Best Breakthrough Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
- Image Awards
- 2008: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Why Did I Get Married?), Nominated
- 2007: Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- 2007: Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- MTV Movie Awards
- 2006: Best Comedic Performance (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
- 2005: Best Comedic Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
References
- ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler. Ebony. October 2008: 83
- ^ Tyler Perry Biography - Inspired by Oprah, Perseverance Paid Off, Concentrated on Madea Character
- ^ Tyler Perry Discusses Tyler Perry's Daddy Little Girls Movie
- ^ Frankly, Madea, Tyler Perry's appeal is universal
- ^ Tyler Perry's Aha! moment
- ^ AT HOME WITH: Tyler Perry; God Must Love Gilt - New York Times
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/01/14/steroid.raid.ap/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz Paper: Entertainers named in steroid report - CNN.com
- ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler.Ebony. Oct. 2008: 78.
- ^ "Diary of Mad Black Woman". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/diary_of_a_mad_black_woman. Retrieved on 2008-10-29.
- ^ Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
- ^ Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
- ^ Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results
- ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler.Ebony. Oct. 2008: 83.
- ^ Tyler Perry Unveils Studio
- ^ Ty-Light Zone
- ^ Mitchell, Gregg (2008), Writers at Tyler Perry Studio to Take Strike Action – Will Picket Grand Opening and Ask Invited Guests Not To Attend, http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=2970
- ^ Exclusive: Tyler Perry's Madea Has Scored Again, This Time in Bookstores
- ^ Littleton, Darryl (2006), Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh, Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 300, ISBN 1557836809
External links
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Tyler Perry |
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| Books |
Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life
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