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Tyler Perry

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For other uses, see Perry (disambiguation).
Tyler Perry
Born
Emmitt R. Perry, Jr.
Occupation(s)Actor, Screenwriter, Theatre director, Film director, Television director, Playwright, Film producer, and Television producer
Websitehttp://www.tylerperry.com/_Home/

Tyler Perry (born September 13, 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. He is currently single and has never been married.

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.[3][4][5][6] 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.[7]

Theatre

One day in 1992, while he was watching The Oprah Winfrey Show, Perry took the advice that it can be cathartic to put feelings down on paper, which inspired him to write letters of his painful childhood. These letters eventually became his plays. This was Perry's first foray into writing, when he began keeping a journal, in part to cope with the repercussions of abuse. He developed different characters to voice different ideas in the journal. This work eventually became the musical I Know I've Been Changed about child abuse.

Perry moved to Atlanta in 1992, and worked in a restaurant and as a used car salesman. He managed to save up $12,000 to stage his first play. It was not a success and over the next six years he struggled living in Atlanta, but persevered until the play finally had a successful run in 1998, first at the House of Blues, also known as the Tabernacle, located near the CNN Center and the Georgia Aquarium, and later at the Fox Theatre. His following play, a staging of Bishop T. D. Jakes's book Woman Thou Art Loosed, was an immediate hit, grossing over $5 million in five months.[8] A film version was later created starring Kimberly Elise and Loretta Devine, and was released in theaters in September 2004.

Perry, whose work is aimed at a primarily black audience, ultimately created a successful touring theater company. Recordings of some plays were subsequently sold on video and DVD. As of March 2005, Perry's plays had grossed over $75 million in ticket and DVD sales.

Perry stated in a January 2004 interview in Ebony magazine that his theater productions were designed to be a bridge between the traditional urban theater circuit—historically and pejoratively referred to as the "chitlin' circuit"—and a more traditional theater format.[9]

Perry's other highly successful plays include Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea's Class Reunion, and Madea Goes to Jail. He also wrote and created the hit plays/DVDs Why Did I Get Married? and Meet the Browns. Why Did I Get Married? featured R&B singers Cheryl "Pepsii" Riley and Tony Grant, famous artist Jill Scott and world renowned singer and performer Janet Jackson. Meet the Browns featured Terrell Phillips, Terrell Carter, and David and Tamela Mann.

On Christmas of 2004, Tyler Perry did an original special on stage for the Christian Television Network (CTN) called Madea's Christmas. He starred in the special as Madea and also portrayed both Madea's next door neighbor, Brown, and her saved daughter, Cora, who visit a rich christian family's mansion for Christmas dinner. In 2005, Perry returned to the stage with another successful hit, Madea Goes to Jail. Another play, What's Done in the Dark, which Perry wrote and directed but does not appear in, went on tour from September 2006 through May 2007 and returned for another run in September 2007. The video was filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was released on February 12, 2008. Perry's most recent stage production is The Marriage Counselor, which premiered in January 2008. This production features Tony Grant, Palmer Williams, and Tamar Davis. Perry is now penning a new play called My Brother's Keeper based on the bible parable of the same name, which he plans to put into production by August.

Films

Perry has full ownership of his movies; Lionsgate Entertainment serves as his distributor.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13] 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 the play. 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.[14] 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,[15] Perry will also have a cameo appearance in the movie Star Trek, which will open on May 8,2009. This will be his first movie appearance outside of his own projects. Tyler's next movie project, A Jazzman's Blues is scheduled for a late 2009 release. The movie is centered around World War II and is a drama romance movie. It will be followed by Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself.[citation needed] It is set to star Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Taraji P. Henson.

Accusation of plagiarism

Playwright Donna West filed suit for $50 million against Perry, contending that he stole material from her 1991 play Fantasy of a Black Woman for Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Veronica Lewis, Perry's attorney, said her client doesn't have the original copy of his script because he sends all his work to the Library of Congress for a copyright. West's attorney, Aubrey "Nick" Pittman, suggested that Perry copied ideas from other movies and incorporated them into his box office hit. Pittman asked Perry whether he had taken concepts from Mrs. Doubtfire, The Color Purple, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Big Momma's House. Perry testified by saying, "I never stole anything from anybody—never." Perry also claims his screenplay is an original work.[16] On December 9, 2008, West lost her federal lawsuit against the entertainer because she did not present evidence to support her claim of copyright infringement.[17]

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.[18] Through 34th Street Films, a production arm of Tyler Perry Studios, Perry will guide the work of other filmmakers.[19]

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 will begin on March 5, 2008, and the fourth season will begin on June 4, 2008. House of Payne now airs on The CW and has aired 100 episodes.

In early October 2008, four writers of the House of Payne were fired after trying to get a union contract with Tyler Perry’s production company, House of Payne, LLC. 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 retaliation for their union activity.[20]

Meet The Browns, another sitcom that is written, directed, and produced by Perry, premiered on TBS January 7, 2009.

Perry stated that he may produce another series titled "Floyd's Family"

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.[21] 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.

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-dressing[22] 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

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

  1. ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler. Ebony. October 2008: 83
  2. ^ Tyler Perry Biography - Inspired by Oprah, Perseverance Paid Off, Concentrated on Madea Character
  3. ^ Tyler Perry Discusses Tyler Perry's Daddy Little Girls Movie
  4. ^ Frankly, Madea, Tyler Perry's appeal is universal
  5. ^ Tyler Perry's Aha! moment
  6. ^ AT HOME WITH: Tyler Perry; God Must Love Gilt - New York Times
  7. ^ [http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/01/14/steroid.raid.ap/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz Paper: Entertainers named in steroid report - CNN.com
  8. ^ Tyler Perry
  9. ^ How Tyler Perry rose from homelessness to a $5 million mansion | Ebony | Find Articles at BNET.com
  10. ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler.Ebony. Oct. 2008: 78.
  11. ^ "Diary of Mad Black Woman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  12. ^ Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
  13. ^ Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
  14. ^ Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results
  15. ^ Christian, Margena A., Becoming Tyler.Ebony. Oct. 2008: 83.
  16. ^ "Tyler Perry takes the stand in copyright lawsuit". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  17. ^ "Tyler Perry wins suit over copyright infringement". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  18. ^ Tyler Perry Unveils Studio
  19. ^ Ty-Light Zone
  20. ^ Mitchell, Gregg (2008), Writers at Tyler Perry Studio to Take Strike Action – Will Picket Grand Opening and Ask Invited Guests Not To Attend
  21. ^ Exclusive: Tyler Perry's Madea Has Scored Again, This Time in Bookstores
  22. ^ Littleton, Darryl (2006), Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh, Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 300, ISBN 1557836809

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