Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry
(born September 13, 1969) is an American actor, director, playwright,
screenwriter, producer, and author. Already a successful artist in
Southern theatre, Perry began to make national celebrity status in 2005
with the release of his first movie, Diary
of a Mad Black Woman. In 2009, Perry was ranked by Forbes magazine
as the sixth highest-paid man in Hollywood. As of July 2009, Perry's
films had grossed nearly $400 million worldwide. Perry was born in New
Orleans, Louisiana as Emmitt Perry, Jr., named after his father, a
carpenter. His family consisted of three siblings, his mother, Willie
Maxine Perry, and his father. His childhood was far from ideal. Perry
once said of Emmitt Sr., "his 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.
Tyler received a $5.5 million budget to fund his first movie, Diary
of a Mad Black Woman, which went on to gross $50.6 million
domestically. Perry's film version of Madea's
Family Reunion opened at number one at the box office with $30.3
million, Perry's next 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 million. Perry wrote, directed, produced
and starred in his next movie, Why
Did I Get Married? released on October 12, 2007. It opened at
number one, grossing $21.4 million that weekend. It is loosely based on
his play of the same name.
Why Did I Get Married Too? the sequel to Why Did I Get Married?, opened
in theaters on April 2, 2010. It featured an award winning cast,
featuring Janet Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett Jr., Jill Scott and
Malik Yoba, just to name a few. As of April 18, the movie has grossed
over $54 million domestically, with $29 million made the opening
weekend. Chances are there may be yet another sequel because of the
movie's unexpected ending.
