Spike Lee

68 years old Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American filmmaker and actor. 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.

Recent movies

# Name Character Rating
1 Sidney (2022) Self -
2 Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist (2021) Self 8
3 David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) Director / Writer 7.5
4 Da 5 Bloods (2020) Director / Writer 7.3
5 Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 (2018) Self -
6 Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018) Self -
7 BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Oscars winners 2019 		Director / Writer 7.8
8 Pass Over (2018) Director / Writer -
9 Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) Director / Writer 8
10 Chi-Raq (2015) Director / Writer 7
11 Champs (2015) Self 1
12 Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2015) Director / Writer 5
13 Katt Williams: Priceless: Afterlife (2014) Director / Writer 7
14 Jerrod Carmichael: Love at the Store (2014) Director / Writer 7.3
15 Oldboy (2013) Director / Writer 7
16 Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth (2013) Director / Writer 7
17 Bad 25 (2012) Director / Writer -
18 A Man's Story (2011) Self -
19 Guest (2011) Self -
20 Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks (2010) Self 8.5
21 Kobe Doin' Work (2009) Director / Writer -
22 Miracle at St. Anna (2008) Director / Writer 6.2
23 Inside Man (2006) Director / Writer 7.5
24 Street Fight (2005) Self -
25 All the Invisible Children (2005) Director / Writer 10
26 She Hate Me (2004) Director / Writer 5
27 Sucker Free City (2004) Director / Writer -
28 Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002) Director / Writer 6
29 Jim Brown: All-American (2002) Director / Writer -
30 25th Hour (2002) Director / Writer 7.7
31 3 A.M. (2001) Filmmaker -
32 A Huey P. Newton Story (2001) Director / Writer -
33 The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) Director / Writer -
34 Lisa Picard Is Famous (2000) Spike Lee -
35 Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) Self -
36 Bamboozled (2000) Director / Writer 6
37 Summer of Sam (1999) Director / Writer 5
38 John Leguizamo: Freak (1998) Director / Writer -
39 He Got Game (1998) Director / Writer 7.5
40 HIStory on Film, Volume II (1997) Director / Writer 7
41 4 Little Girls (1997)
Oscars 1998 		Director / Writer 9
42 Get on the Bus (1996) Director / Writer 8
43 When We Were Kings (1996) Self 8.3
44 Girl 6 (1996) Director / Writer 6
45 Clockers (1995) Director / Writer 9
46 Hoop Dreams (1994) Self 6.8
47 Crooklyn (1994) Director / Writer 9
48 Malcolm X (1992) Director / Writer 7.8
49 Jungle Fever (1991) Director / Writer 7
50 Mo' Better Blues (1990) Director / Writer 6.5
51 Do the Right Thing (1989) Director / Writer 7.5
52 Public Enemy: Fight the Power... Live! (1989) - -
53 School Daze (1988) Director / Writer 10
54 She's Gotta Have It (1986) Director / Writer 6.5