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Tyler Somnomed, Tyler Sleep Apnea Appliances, Tyler CPAP Alternatives,... tylersleep.com |
Tyler Perry (born September 14, 1969) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and author.[1] As of July 2009[update], Tyler Perry's films have grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, not including his plays.[2] In 2008, Perry earned around $75 million, placing him just outside the top five highest-paid men in Hollywood.[3]
[edit] PlaysPerry has written and toured with twelve stage plays:
Some of Perry's plays have been adapted into films, usually with different actors. The stage plays feature more singing than the movies and are sometimes classed as musicals.[citation needed] [edit] FilmPerry has full ownership of his movies, and places his name in front of all titles in which he is involved; Lionsgate Entertainment serves as his distributor.[5] Produced on a budget of $5.5 million, his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, became an unexpected commercial success. Industry watchers suggested this showed that middle-class African Americans were not being addressed by mainstream Hollywood movies.[citation needed] Its final gross box office receipts were $50.6 million. Film critics did not receive the movie as well as audiences, and the film scored only 16 percent approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.[6] 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; as with Diary, almost all of it was earned in the United States. Perry's and his co-stars' promoted "Reunion in an hour-long appearance on Oprah Winfrey show.[7] Perry's next project for LionsGate, 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.[8] Perry wrote, directed, produced and starred in his next movie, Why Did I Get Married?, 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, released on March 21, opened at #2 with a $20,082,809 weekend gross.[9] The Family That Preys opened on September 12, 2008, and grossed over $37.1 million. 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,[10] 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. Perry next wrote, directed, and starred in I Can Do Bad All By Myself, a film structured around his Madea character.[11] Perry also teamed with Oprah Winfrey to present Precious, a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire.[12] [edit] TelevisionPerry 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 briefly in the 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. 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 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 Perry's production company, House of Payne, unlawfully fired four writers in October 2008 in retaliation for their trying to get a union contract.[13] Perry wrote, directed and produced the sitcom Meet The Browns, premiered on TBS on January 7, 2009. Perry has said he may produce another series entitled 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 Caucasian male (John Cowan) in drag, named "Ma'Madea". The offending ad was dropped from circulation.[citation needed] [edit] BooksPerry's first novel, 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 more than 25,000 copies.[14] The hardcover reached #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. [edit] Stylistic trademarksPerry 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 appears in much of Perry's work. Perry portrays Madea by cross-dressing[15] in his plays and films. Perry has said he based Madea on an aunt who lives in Georgia, as well as on his mother. Madea dispenses wisdom in a "no-nonsense manner", and she 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. Perry often refers to Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which he notes as one of his favorite movies. Perry's plays refer 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. [edit] Personal lifePerry is known to be a devout Christian.[16] Perry has become good friends with Oprah Winfrey, rapper/actor Will Smith and Bishop T.D. Jakes.[17] 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) had shunned them.[18] 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."[19] In December 2009, Tyler's mother, Willie Maxine Perry, died at the age of 64, following an illness. [20] [edit] Filmography[edit] Film roles
[edit] Television work
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: Actors from Louisiana | African American actors | African American dramatists and playwrights | African American film directors | African American screenwriters | American Christians | American film directors | American dramatists and playwrights | American film producers | American screenwriters | People from New Orleans, Louisiana | 1969 births | Living people | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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