Tyler Perry (born September 13, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an African American playwright and actor, whose work plays primarily to African American audiences. Having started writing plays at age 18, Perry created a successful touring theater company, videos of whose performances were sold on DVD. As of March 2005, the plays had grossed over $75 million in ticket and DVD sales. His first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, became an unexpected hit, prompting widespread discussion among industry watchers about whether middle-class African Americans were simply not being addressed by mainstream Hollywood movies.
The nickname "Madea" of his running character Mabel "Madea" Simmons (a female character played by Perry himself) comes from a Southern African American contraction of the words "mother dear." Madea was modeled after an aunt of Perry's who lives in Houston.
Perry is currently writing his first novel: Don't Make a Black Woman Take Her Earrings Off: Madea's Commentaries on Love and Life.
Madea's Family Reunion (video 2002, film 2006)
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (video 2002, film 2005)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (video 2002)
Madea's Class Reunion (video 2003)
Meet the Browns
Madea Goes to Jail
Madea's Day Care
More about Mr. Perry: Tyler Perry became America's most successful young playwright and the writer, producer and co-star of the box office hit Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But it was a long hard road. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) In 1992 Perry wrote letters to himself in an effort to deal with his childhood pain. These would provide the basis for the musical I Know I've Been Changed about adult survivors of child abuse. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) Tyler Perry saved $12,000 and moved to Atlanta in 1992, where he tried to stage the play. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) Initially, however, I Know I've Been Changed was a flop. Hardly anyone came to the shows and over the next 6 years, Tyler Perry found himself homeless on several occasions, and doing dozens of different jobs to support his determination that the play would succeed. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) He had come to the point of giving up on the show, when in 1998, the turning point came. I Know I've Been Changed opened at the House of Blues and sold out eight times over before moving to the Fox Theater where it sold out 9,000 seats for two shows. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) Since then Tyler Perry has been on a roll. His next production, Woman Thou Art Loosed based on the book by Bishop T.D. Jakes grossed over $5 million in five months. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) Further productions including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Behind Closed Doors, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea's Class Reunion, Meet the Browns, and Madea Goes to Jail have meant that the once broke Perry has now earned tens of millions of dollars. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) In a USA Today article, 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' reveals Tyler Perry, Perry is quoted as saying: "I've got millions of loyal fans, predominantly African-Americans, who have supported me over the years. My plays bring in 30,000 to 40,000 people a weekend, but my entire story has been completely underground." (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html) Tyler Perry turned Diary of a Mad Black Woman into a film. As well as writing the screenplay, he had three parts in the film including a role as his long-time character, Madea. The film cost only $5 million to produce but became a firm box office favourite. (http://www.biogs.com/famous/perrytyler.html)
