Pic credit: The Atlantan
Tyler Perry
From directing, producing, and starring in the musical I Know I’ve Been Changed in 1992, Perry has built an entertainment empire that consists of successful films, plays, and a best-selling book. Considered one of the most commercially successful African American filmmakers in history with a net worth of $600 million, the Atlanta-based writer, producer, and performer opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta in 2008, the first major film studio in the nation to be owned by an African American. He is best known for his signature character, Madea (the trash-talking, gun-toting grandmother) whom he has portrayed in several successful stage plays and films.
The success of his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which included the legendary Madea and grossed more than $50 million, showed Hollywood that there was a market for urban African American comedies. Perry continued to make successful films in the Madea franchise, including Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011), Madea’s Witness Protection (2012), A Madea Christmas (2014), the animated movie Madea’s Tough Love and Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016).
The Madea character, which he often played himself, was largely comedic though it addresses other serious issues such as drug abuse, domestic violence and other social ills. Other film projects include the romantic dramas Good Deeds (2012), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013) and the comedy-drama The Single Moms Club (2014).
