Spike Lee
Spike Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker and actor. He was born Shelton Lee in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. His father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a school teacher. His mother dubbed him Spike, due to his tough nature. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating, he went to the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program. He made a controversial short, The Answer (1980), a reworking of D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) -- a ten-minute film. Lee went on to produce a 45-minute film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), which won a student academy award. Lee's next film, "The Messenger," in 1984, was somewhat biographical. In 1986, Spike Lee made the film, She's Gotta Have It (1986), a comedy about sexual relationships. The movie was made for 175,000 dollars, and made seven million. Since then, Lee has become a well-known, intelligent, and talented film maker. His next movie was School Daze (1988), which was set in a historically black school and focused mostly on the conflict between the school and the Fraternities, of which he was a strong critic, portraying them as materialistic, irresponsible, and uncaring. Lee went on to do his landmark film, Do the Right Thing (1989), a movie specifically about his own town in Brooklyn, New York. The movie garnered an Oscar nomination, for Danny Aiello, for supporting actor. It also sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee went on to produce the jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues (1990) which showed his talent for directing and acting, and was the first of many Spike Lee films to feature Denzel Washington. His next film, Jungle Fever (1991), was about interracial dating. Lee's handling of the subject proved yet again highly controversial. Lee's next film was the self-titled biography of Malcolm X (1992), which had Denzel Washington portraying the civil rights leader. The movie was a success, and resulted in an Oscar nomination for Washington. His next films were the comparatively light, Crooklyn (1994), and the intense crime drama, Clockers (1995). In 1996, Lee directed two movies: the badly received comedy, Girl 6 (1996), and the politically pointed, Get on the Bus (1996), about a group of men going to the Million Man March. His next film, He Got Game (1998), proved to be another excursion into the collegiate world as he shows the darker side of recruiting college athletes. The movie, in limited release, yet again featured Denzel Washington. In 2000 came Bamboozled which made a mockery out of television and the way African-Americans are perceived by white America and the way African-Americans perceive themselves. The movie, however, was a resounding critical success. Lee also has produced films like New Jersey Drive (1995), Tales from the Hood (1995), and Drop Squad (1994). He also has produced and or directed movies about Huey P. Newton, Jim Brown, and has commented in many documentaries about varied subjects. Lee is an obsessive New York Knicks fan. He and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, have two children.
Known For
Credits
- 2023 · Samuel L. Jackson: Did I Stutter? as self
- 2022 · Denzel Washington : Un modèle américain as Self
- 2022 · Sidney as Self
- 2022 · A Daughter's Tribute to Her Father: Souleymane Cissé as Self
- 2022 · Seen It All as Mars Blackmon
- 2022 · They Call Me Magic as Self
- 2021 · A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks as Self
- 2021 · Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist as Self
- 2021 · This Is Pop as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · Pretend It's a City as Self
- 2020 · Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn as Self (archive footage)
- 2020 · Dear... as Self
- 2019 · Tamron Hall as Self - Guest
- 2019 · Desus & Mero as Self - Illustrious Guest
- 2018 · Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists as Self
- 2018 · Basketball: A Love Story as Self (archive footage)
- 2018 · Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 as Self
- 2017 · She's Gotta Have It as Drum Major
- 2017 · Plankton Salesmen as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · Be Truly Free as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Birth of a Movement as Self
- 2017 · Axé: Music of a People as Self (archive footage)
- 2016 · Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall as Self
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2015 · French Cinema Mon Amour as Self
- 2015 · Director Spike Lee's New York City as Self
- 2015 · Champs as Self
- 2015 · Ray Allen/AKA- Jesus Shuttlesworth as
- 2014 · Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2014 · We the People: From Crispus Attucks to President Barack Obama as
- 2012 · Bad 25 as Self
- 2012 · Red Hook Summer as Mr. Mookie
- 2012 · Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ as Self
- 2012 · Brooklyn Boheme as Self
- 2011 · A Man's Story as Self
- 2011 · Guest as Self
- 2011 · On the Shoulders of Giants as
- 2010 · Four Days in October as Self (archive footage)
- 2010 · Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks as Self
- 2010 · Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- 2009 · PoliWood as Self
- 2009 · Do the Right Thing: 20 Years Later as Self
- 2009 · Kobe Doin' Work as Self
- 2008 · 40 x 15: The Forty Years of the Directors' Fortnight as Self
- 2008 · Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies as
- 2007 · Pixote In Memoriam as Self
- 2007 · Lights, Action, Music as Self
- 2005 · It's the Shoes as Self
- 2005 · Life O' The Party: On the Road with Prince and the New Power Generation as Self
- 2005 · Street Fight as Self
- 2005 · How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) as
- 2005 · By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' as Self
- 2005 · Through the Fire as
- 2004 · Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove' as Self
- 2004 · No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat as Self
- 2004 · Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers as Self
- 2003 · The Evolution of an American Filmmaker as Self
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2002 · New York at the Movies as Self
- 2002 · It's Black Entertainment as Self
- 2002 · The Making and Meaning of 'We Are Family' as Self
- 2002 · Johnny Vaughan Tonight as Self
- 2001 · 3 A.M. as Filmmaker
- 2001 · The Making of 'Bamboozled' as Self
- 2000 · Lisa Picard Is Famous as Spike Lee
- 2000 · Michael Jordan to the Max as Self
- 1999 · The Early Show as Self
- 1999 · Summer of Sam as John Jeffries
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · 4 Little Girls as Interviewer (voice) (uncredited)
- 1997 · The Chris Rock Show as
- 1996 · The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money as Self
- 1996 · When We Were Kings as Self
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1996 · The Universal Story as Self (archive footage)
- 1996 · Girl 6 as Jimmy
- 1995 · Clockers as Chucky
- 1994 · A Century of Cinema as Self
- 1993 · Seven Songs for Malcolm X as
- 1991 · MTV's 10th Anniversary Special as Self
- 1990 · Lonely in America as Spike Lee
- Future · Megadoc as Self
- Future · Number 4 as Self
- 1995 · Below the Rim as
- 1994 · Hoop Dreams as Self
- 1994 · Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- 1994 · Crooklyn as Snuffy
- 1993 · Farewell, Babylon! as Self
- 1993 · The Last Party as Self
- 1992 · Malcolm X as Shorty
- 1992 · Ghostwriter as Special Agent Pete (archive footage)
- 1992 · Ghostwriter as Special Agent Pete
- 1992 · Our Hollywood Education as Self
- 1991 · Sous les marches du palais as Self
- 1991 · Jungle Fever as Cyrus
- 1991 · Branford Marsalis: Steep as Self
- 1990 · Mo' Better Blues as Giant
- 1990 · In Living Color as
- 1990 · Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella as Self
- 1989 · Decade as Self
- 1989 · Making 'Do the Right Thing' as Self
- 1989 · First Works as Self
- 1989 · Do the Right Thing as Mookie
- Future · Do The Right Thing 25 Year Anniversary A Beats Music Experience as Spike Lee
- Future · Be A Part of It as Self
- 1989 · Public Enemy: Fight the Power... Live! as
- 1988 · Yo! MTV Raps as Self
- 1988 · School Daze as Darrell 'Half-Pint' Dunlap
- 1986 · She's Gotta Have It as Mars Blackmon
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Mars Blackmon
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self (uncredited)
- 1971 · Great Performances as Self
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self