Spike Lee Biography

Shelton Jackson Lee
(Spike Lee)

Born: March 20, 1957
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia

Major Notes:

Spike Lee is considered one of the most original yet controversial film makers in the world today.
He came from an artistic family in that his father was a jazz composer and his mother an art teacher.
His mother started calling him "Spike" when he was just a youngster and the name stuck.
Growing up, Spike Lee had a keen interest in sports and had hoped to be a major league baseball pitcher.
After high school, Lee attended the black all-male Moorehouse College and developed his first interest in film making.
Lee attained a BA degree from Moorehouse and then went on to qualify for a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982 from New York University.
Early in his career, Lee spurred controversy by trying to make a film without the use of union actors.
In 1986, Spike Lee directed and acted in an award winning film called She's Gotta Have It; produced for $175,000 and eventually grossed over 7 million dollars.
Lee produced a film in 1989, Do It Right, which dealt with racial tension and went on to secure a nomination for an Academy Award.
Since his university days, Lee had felt movies generally stereotyped black roles and he was determined to correct this in his films.
For example, a 1991 film, Jungle Fever, featured the complications of an interracial romance.
Lee directed an ambitious and controversial movie, Malcolm X, in 1992 in which he was forced to solicit funds from some black entertainers of the day in order to complete the film.
The leading actor in the film, Denzel Washington, was nominated for an Academy Award.
Over the years, Lee has written, directed, or acted in many films depicting aspects of the black culture.
Spike Lee was awarded the most prestigious Wexner Prize in 2007, awarded for exceptional innovation and the highest artistic standards.

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Major Notes:

Spike Lee is considered one of the most original yet controversial film makers in the world today.

He came from an artistic family in that his father was a jazz composer and his mother an art teacher.

His mother started calling him "Spike" when he was just a youngster and the name stuck.

Growing up, Spike Lee had a keen interest in sports and had hoped to be a major league baseball pitcher.

After high school, Lee attended the black all-male Moorehouse College and developed his first interest in film making.

Lee attained a BA degree from Moorehouse and then went on to qualify for a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982 from New York University.

Early in his career, Lee spurred controversy by trying to make a film without the use of union actors.

In 1986, Spike Lee directed and acted in an award winning film called She's Gotta Have It; produced for $175,000 and eventually grossed over 7 million dollars.

Lee produced a film in 1989, Do It Right, which dealt with racial tension and went on to secure a nomination for an Academy Award.

Since his university days, Lee had felt movies generally stereotyped black roles and he was determined to correct this in his films.

For example, a 1991 film, Jungle Fever, featured the complications of an interracial romance.

Lee directed an ambitious and controversial movie, Malcolm X, in 1992 in which he was forced to solicit funds from some black entertainers of the day in order to complete the film.

The leading actor in the film, Denzel Washington, was nominated for an Academy Award.

Over the years, Lee has written, directed, or acted in many films depicting aspects of the black culture.

Spike Lee was awarded the most prestigious Wexner Prize in 2007, awarded for exceptional innovation and the highest artistic standards.