Spike Lee - Biography

Last Editor: pdharmendra1				Spike Lee Biography -   Name : Spike Lee Profession : film director, producer, writer, and actor Birth Details : born March 20, 1957 Birth name : Shelton Jackson Lee Height : 5' 5" (1.65 m) Personal quotes : "I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to tak Spouse : Tonya Lewis Lee (2 October 1993 - present) 2 children Trade mark : Frequently casts himself. Frequently casts John Turturro,Samuel L. Jackson, Delroy Lindo, and Roger Guenveur Smith His films frequently involve

Spike Lee Trivia -

Cousin of Malcolm D. Lee. Big New York Knicks fan: Has courtside seats for all games. Partially responsible for the "off colored" baseball caps, as he started wearing a red Yankees cap during the 1996 World Series. His production company is 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks. Son of Bill Lee. Brother of Joie Lee and David Lee. Brother of Cinqué Lee. After the Columbine high school shootings Spike said that National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston should be shot. Heston replied that if Spike wanted to take a shot at him he should go ahead and try it. Lee later apologized for the comments. Serves as a master teacher of film at the Tisch School of the Arts and Harvard University. Graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1982. Graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1979. Children, with Lewis, Satchel (b. 1994) and Jackson (b. 1997). Dated model Veronica Webb. His grandmother, Zimmie Shelton, an alumna of Spelman College (class of 1929), sent him to Morehouse College, the historically black all-male institution affiliated with the all-female Spelman College. His grandmother, Zimmie Shelton, helped fund his first full-length feature film, She's Gotta Have It (1986). He has never learned how to drive an automobile. He and producer/director Monty Ross are frequent collaborators and were classmates and graduates of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Between the making of his award-winning student short, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), and his debut feature, She's Gotta Have It (1986), Lee attempted to make a featured called "Messenger". Over $100,000 was raised, but the film never materialized. The name of his production company, "40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks", came from an unfulfilled promise that many politicians made to freed slaves after the Civil War. Was a Visiting Lecturer in Afro-American Studies and Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University in the early 1990s. Was featured in numerous Nike campaigns in the early '90s Is now (2002) the Artistic Director of the graduate division of the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The position gives Lee an advisory position, allowing him to teach and advise third year students, as well as aid with industry networking. Vied for the director's seat on Ali (2001). Says that he knew he wouldn't get the job after speaking to the movie's star, Will Smith (one of the many financiers on Lee's Get on the Bus (1996)), who wanted Lee to make a film with "a broader appeal". Has been trying for more than ten years to direct his dream project: a film about the life and times of Jackie Robinson. Says that he personally promised to Robinson's widow, Rachel Isum, to make the film. Another as-of-yet (2003) project he has often spoke of but has yet to do is a film on the boxing match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling. Was voted the 48th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Often casts real-life family members in his films. In Do the Right Thing (1989) , for example, he cast Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (real-life husband and wife), himself and Joie Lee (real-life siblings), and Danny Aiello and Rick Aiello (real-life father and son). Other films he does this in include School Daze (1988), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). Grandson of Zimmie Shelton, who helped finance his featurette, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983). She received a producing credit on the film, which went on to win a Merit Award at the Student Academy Awards. Is a fan of Michael Moore's films. Bowling for Columbine (2002) was his favorite film of 2002. Is a huge Arsenal fan and personal friend of team captain Theirry Henry. Is often known to wear Arsenal jerseys while on set. When Norman Jewison was originally hired to direct "Malcolm X", Lee met with him and convinced him he needed to "sit this one out". Feeling that only a black director was qualified and would bring the necessary perspective, Lee then stepped in as director with Jewison's blessing.

Spike Lee Detailed Biography -

Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957), better known as Spike Lee, is a controversial film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his many films dealing with social and political issues. He is also a distinguished documentarian and teaches film at New York University. Born in Atlanta, Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn when he was a small child. In Brooklyn he attended John Dewey High School. Lee studied film at Clark Atlanta University before receiving his B.A. in Mass Communications from Morehouse College and, in 1982, a Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. At their best, Lee's films are penetrating and energetic portraits of people and places, interweaving psychology and context, time and place. Lee's movies have examined diverse and complex issues, ranging from race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and political issues. Many of his films include a distinctive use of music. Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, is a jazz bassist and responsible for the music in some of Spike's films, including Mo' Better Blues starring Denzel Washington. Lee's films have garnered considerable critical acclaim. Film critic Roger Ebert has described Spike Lee as one of the greatest filmmakers in America today. Lee's film Do the Right Thing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. His documentary 4 Little Girls was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award in 1997.