Tyler Perry

Actor, writer, filmmaker

• Born: September 13, 1969
• Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana

Known for his larger-than-life characters and faith-infused story lines that blend comedy and drama, Tyler Perry enjoyed success as a writer, producer, director, and actor on film, stage, and television. His numerous productions, though occasionally the subject of significant criticism, helped prove the commercial viability of entertainment by and for Black Americans.

Early Life

Tyler Perry was born Emmitt Perry Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of four children, Perry had a difficult childhood because of an abusive father. His writing career was sparked when he heard on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show that writing about tough experiences could lead to personal breakthroughs. A series of letters to himself evolved into his first musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed (1998), which he starred in, directed, and produced. Dealing with child abuse and forgiveness, the show was thought-provoking but sold few tickets and closed quickly. Perry’s perseverance paid off, however, when the show reopened later at the House of Blues in Atlanta, Georgia, and played to sellout crowds. Amid critical acclaim, the show became a commercial success.

Life’s Work

Perry’s breakthrough character debuted in his play I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2000). Madea Simmons, a pistol-packing, sharp-tongued grandmother, is also an insightful, protective, and compassionate matriarch for family, friends, and others throughout her community. According to Perry, the Madea character is a combination of his mother, his aunt, and several other mature women in his life. Portrayed by Perry himself, Madea went on to appear in plays such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2001), Madea’s Family Reunion (2002), Madea’s Class Reunion (2003), and Madea Goes to Jail (2005), as well as the plays’ film adaptations.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) marked Perry’s first film adaptation of one of his plays. The story blends comedy and drama in dealing with emotional abuse and neglect, infidelity, and the effects of substance abuse. Perry won a BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Theatrical Film for his role as Madea and a Black Movie Award for Outstanding Writing; he was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male. Budgeted at $5.5 million, the film earned more than $50 million, largely fueled by its appeal to a previously untapped audience of churchgoing African Americans. This success gave Perry—and his unconventional style of entertainment—newfound power and status in Hollywood.

In 2006, Perry brought Madea’s Family Reunion to the big screen. He played three characters (including the title role), wrote, directed, and executive produced the film. The film was nominated for several awards, and box-office grosses again far outstripped its modest budget. He capitalized on the widespread popularity of his best-known character with a book, Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life (2006).

Over the following years, Perry continued making films that examined issues of family and faith, such as Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Daddy’s Little Girls (2007), The Family That Preys (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009), and I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009). He also branched out into television with the syndicated series Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. The show features three generations of a supportive African American family dealing with life’s ups and downs. Perry also wrote, directed, and produced the television series Meet the Browns, which premiered in 2009. In 2008, he opened Tyler Perry Studios, a full-service production facility in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2009, he joined Winfrey in presenting the Academy Award-winning film Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire.

In 2007, 2009, and 2010, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) honored Perry with Image Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series for House of Payne. In 2008, he was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Why Did I Get Married?, and in 2009, he was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie for The Family That Preys. In 2010, he received the NAACP Chairman’s Award for special achievement and phenomenal public service. The same year he wrote, directed, and produced For Colored Girls, an adaptation of the play for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (1975) by Ntozake Shange.

2011 saw the release of Perry's film Madea's Big Happy Family, based on his play of the same title from the year before, as well as the first season of his television program Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse and several more stage productions. Two more films that saw him continue to juggle the roles of director, writer, producer, and actor all at once followed in 2012: Good Deeds and Madea's Witness Protection. Perry also debuted two new television series in 2013, Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots and Tyler Perry's Love Thy Neighbor. Other films directed by Perry included Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), A Madea Christmas (2013), and The Single Moms Club (2014). Yet another television series, Tyler Perry's If Loving You Is Wrong, debuted in 2014. He also continued acting in a variety of works by others, including Gone Girl (2014) and the animated Madea's Tough Love (2015). He continued his Madea franchise with Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween in 2015, Tyler Perry's: Madea on the Run in 2017, and Boo 2! A Madea Halloween in 2017.

In 2018, Perry wrote and directed the romance thriller Tyler Perry's Acrimony, starring Taraji P. Henson, and the comedy Nobody's Fool, starring Tiffany Haddish. The same year, he created the new television comedy The Paynes, a spin-off of the comedy House of Payne. He returned to the big screen as Madea in 2019's A Madea Family Funeral, before creating and directing two more television series, the drama The Oval and the comedy Sistas. He then appeared in and directed the drama thriller A Fall from Grace (2020); he also debuted several more television programs in 2020, including Young Dylan, Ruthless, Bruh, and Assisted Living. In 2021 Perry lent his voice to the animated film PAW Patrol: The Movie and also appeared in the films Those Who Wish Me Dead and Don't Look Up, while launching the series All the Queen's Men. He premiered yet another spinoff TV show in 2022, Zatima, while directing the films A Madea Homecoming (2022; in which he also appeared) and A Jazzman's Blues (2022).

In November 2014 Perry and his girlfriend, Gelila Bekele, had a son, Aman Tyler. In 2020 Perry announced that he and Bekele had separated.

Significance

Perry initially gained success in the theater with memorable characters, such as Madea, who encouraged audience participation. Over time, Perry’s savvy use of common African American theatrical devices like verve, spirituality, and the oral tradition of storytelling brought his work to wider audiences in various media. Perry’s distinctive contributions as a writer, producer, director, and actor brought African American–centered entertainment to greater prominence. Perry also advanced inclusion in the entertainment industry by demonstrating the commercial viability of works by and about Black people. While some African Americans in the film industry, such as Spike Lee, expressed some concerns over the deeper social implications of Perry's typically comedic portrayals of Black characters, other commentators praised the fact that Perry's works resonated with people potentially ignored by most mainstream media. Indeed, Perry's cultural impact was substantial enough that in 2022 it was reported that a course had been created at Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia examining the filmmaker's influence and legacy in the context of the Black American experience.

Bibliography

Bell, Jamel Santa Cruze, and Ronald L. Jackson. Interpreting Tyler Perry: Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. New York: Routledge, 2014. Print.

Bellamy, Claretta. "Inspired By Tyler Perry, a College Professor Creates a Course About His Legacy." NBC News, 28 Sept. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/inspired-tyler-perry-college-professor-creates-course-legacy-rcna49762. Accessed 29 Dec. 2022.

Hira, Nadira A. “Diary of a Mad Businessman: Bringing Urban Theater to the Screen Has Made Tyler Perry a Star.” Fortune Feb. 2007. Print.

Hughes, Zondra. “How Tyler Perry Rose from Homelessness to a Five-Million-Dollar Mansion.” Ebony Jan. 2004: 85. Print.

Kirschling, Gregory. “Mad Props: How Diary of a Mad Black Woman Became an Underdog Movie Hit.” Entertainment Weekly 7 Mar. 2005. Print.

Lee, Shayne. Tyler Perry's America: Inside His Films. New York: Rowman, 2015. Print.

Perry, Tyler. Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

"Spike Lee on Tyler Perry: 'One Day We Might Work Together." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.