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Spike Lee



 
 
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
-winning and Academy Award-nominated American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
, writer
Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scenarists are scriptwriters who write the screenplays from which films and television programs are made.Most screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation....
, and actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
, noted for his films dealing with controversial social
Society

A society is a group of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions....
 and political
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 issues. He also teaches film at New York University
New York University

New York University is a private university, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan....
 and Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks is the production company of noted American filmmaker Spike Lee .The company is named for a famous episode of early Reconstruction era of the United States....
, has produced over 35 films since .

was born in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, the son of Jacqueline Shelton, a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee III
Bill Lee (musician)

William "Bill" James Edwards Lee III is an United States musician. He has played the bass for many artists including Aretha Franklin, Odetta and Bob Dylan....
, a jazz musician, and composer.






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Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
-winning and Academy Award-nominated American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
, writer
Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scenarists are scriptwriters who write the screenplays from which films and television programs are made.Most screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation....
, and actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
, noted for his films dealing with controversial social
Society

A society is a group of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions....
 and political
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 issues. He also teaches film at New York University
New York University

New York University is a private university, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan....
 and Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks is the production company of noted American filmmaker Spike Lee .The company is named for a famous episode of early Reconstruction era of the United States....
, has produced over 35 films since .

Early life

Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, the son of Jacqueline Shelton, a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee III
Bill Lee (musician)

William "Bill" James Edwards Lee III is an United States musician. He has played the bass for many artists including Aretha Franklin, Odetta and Bob Dylan....
, a jazz musician, and composer. Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn
Brooklyn

Brooklyn is one of the five Borough of New York City, located at the western end of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 when he was a small child. The Fort Greene neighborhood is home to Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks is the production company of noted American filmmaker Spike Lee .The company is named for a famous episode of early Reconstruction era of the United States....
, and other Lee-owned or related businesses. As a child, his mother nicknamed him "Spike." In Brooklyn, he attended John Dewey High School
John Dewey High School

John Dewey High School is a public school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, founded and based on the educational principles of John Dewey. It opened in the Fall of 1969 and is located at 50 Avenue X at the Gravesend/Bensonhurst-Bath Beach border of Brooklyn....
. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College
Morehouse College

Morehouse College is a Private university, Men's colleges in the United States, Historically Black colleges and universities college located in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia ....
 where he made his first student film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn. He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University is a Private school, Historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia . It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University....
 and graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin language Artium Baccalaureus, is an Undergraduate education bachelor's degree awarded for either a course or a program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
 in Mass Communication
Mass communication

Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time....
 from Morehouse College
Morehouse College

Morehouse College is a Private university, Men's colleges in the United States, Historically Black colleges and universities college located in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia ....
. He then enrolled in New York University
New York University

New York University is a private university, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan....
's Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts

Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University .The school was founded in 1965. It has 2,700 undergraduates and 500 graduate students ....
. He graduated in 1978 with a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts

In the United States, a Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring two to three years of study beyond the bachelor's degree level and usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, or theater/performing arts....
 in Film & Television.

Film career

Lee's thesis
Thesis

A dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification....
 film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads
Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads

Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads is a 1983 in film independent film that Spike Lee submitted as his master's degree thesis at the Tisch School of the Arts....
, was the first student film to be showcased in Lincoln Center's New Directors New Films Festival.

In 1985, Lee began work on his first feature film
Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial Film distributor in Movie theater and being the "main attraction" of the screening ....
, She's Gotta Have It
She's Gotta Have It

She's Gotta Have It is a 1986 in film comedy-drama film screenwriter and film director by Spike Lee. It was also Lee's first feature-length film....
. With a budget of $175,000, the film was shot in two weeks. When the film was released in 1986, it grossed over $7,000,000 at the U.S. box office
Box office

A box office is a place where Ticket s are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket ....
.

The reception of She's Gotta Have It led Lee down a second career avenue. Marketing executives from Nike
Nike, Inc.

Nike, Inc. is a major Public company sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, near the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon....
 offered Lee a job directing commercials for the company. They wanted to pair Lee's character from She's Gotta Have It, the Michael Jordan-loving Mars Blackmon
Mars Blackmon

"Mars Blackmon" was a fictional character from the 1986 in film film She's Gotta Have It. He is also the alter-ego of filmmaker Spike Lee. In the film, he was a "Brooklyn-loving", sports-loving, die-hard New York Knicks fan....
, and Jordan himself in their marketing campaign for the Air Jordan
Air Jordan

Air Jordan, known colloquially as Air Jordans, Jordans, "Jay's", "Js", or "MJs" are a brand of shoes produced by Nike, Inc which was designed for and endorsed by professional basketball player Michael Jordan....
 line. Later, Lee would be a central figure in the controversy surrounding the inner-city rash of violence involving Air Jordans. Lee countered that instead of blaming manufacturers of apparel, "deal with the conditions that make a kid put so much importance on a pair of sneakers, a jacket and gold". Through the marketing wing of 40 Acres and a Mule, Lee has also directed commercials for Converse
Converse

Converse is an United States shoe company that has been making shoes since the early 20th century. As of 1998, Converse also produces a wide range of occupational safety shoes that resemble their regular athletic shoes, by the licensee Warson Group, Inc which is located in St....
, Jaguar
Jaguar (car)

Jaguar Cars, Ltd. is an Automotive_industry of luxury and executive cars operating under the Jaguar marque. The company's headquarters are in Coventry, England, where it was founded by William_Lyons in 1922....
, Taco Bell
Taco Bell

Taco Bell is a chain restaurant based in Irvine, California, specializing in Mexican-inspired fast food. It is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands. Most restaurants are located in North America, but there are also many in other countries....
 and Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's is a brand of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, Vermont, United States, with the main factory in Waterbury, Vermont....
.

Lee's movies have examined race relations
Race relations

Race relations is the area of sociology that studies the social, political, and economic relations between Race at all different levels of society....
, the role of media
Mass media

Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a mainstream such as the population of a nation state....
 in contemporary life, urban
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
 crime
Crime

Societies define Crime as the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some Government or force may ultimately prescribe a punishment.The word crime originates from the Latin crimen , from the Latin root cerno and Greek ????? = "I judge"....
 and poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
, and other political issues.

Awards, honors and nominations

Lee's film Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 in film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells a tale of bigotry and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the year....
 was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. Many people, including some in Hollywood, such as Kim Basinger, believed that Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 in film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells a tale of bigotry and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the year....
 also deserved a Best Picture nomination. "Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 in film film adapted from the Alfred Uhry Driving Miss Daisy for Warner Bros. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford with Morgan Freeman reprising his role and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy....
" won Best Picture that year and according to Spike in an April 7, 2006 interview with New York Magazine, this hurt him more than his film not receiving the nomination.

His documentary
Documentary film

Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and new media productions that can be either direct-to-video or made for a televis...
 4 Little Girls
4 Little Girls

4 Little Girls is a 1997 historical documentary film about the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America....
 was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 in 1997.

On May 2, 2007, the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival honored Spike Lee with the San Francisco Film Society's Directing Award. He was most recently named the recipient of the next Wexner Prize.

Trademarks

  • The borough of Brooklyn
    Brooklyn

    Brooklyn is one of the five Borough of New York City, located at the western end of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area....
     is the setting for many of Lee's theatrical releases.
  • Lee often has a role in his films ranging from small cameo
    Cameo appearance

    A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television....
     (Clockers
    Clockers

    Clockers is a 1995 in film film directed by Spike Lee. The screenplay, written by Lee and Richard Price , is based on Price's Clockers. The film stars Mekhi Phifer in his first role and was filmed In Gowanus Projects in Brooklyn, New York....
    ) to leading role (Do the Right Thing
    Do the Right Thing

    Do the Right Thing is a 1989 in film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells a tale of bigotry and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the year....
    ).
  • His films are referred to in their credits as "A Spike Lee Joint", except When the Levees Broke
    When the Levees Broke

    When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina....
    , which is referred to as "A Spike Lee Film".
  • There is commonly a sequence using a "floating" effect, when a character seems to glide in the air like a ghost instead of walking to make it look like they are in a world of their own. Usually the actor is on a camera dolly
    Camera dolly

    A camera dolly is a specialized piece of film equipment designed to create smooth camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and Focus puller usually ride on it to operate the camera....
    , framed in a way that the viewer cannot see their feet. Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington

    Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. is an United States actor and film director. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B....
     has been the focus of this shot in Mo' Better Blues
    Mo' Better Blues

    Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also film director. It follows a period in the life of a fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career....
    , Malcolm X
    Malcolm X (film)

    Malcolm X is a 1992 in film biographical film directed by Spike Lee about the African American activist and black nationalist Malcolm X. The story is based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley....
    , and Inside Man
    Inside Man

    Inside Man is a 2006 in film crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay is written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer....
    . Mekhi Phifer
    Mekhi Phifer

    Mekhi Thira Phifer is an United States actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile ....
     is given the same treatment in Clockers
    Clockers

    Clockers is a 1995 in film film directed by Spike Lee. The screenplay, written by Lee and Richard Price , is based on Price's Clockers. The film stars Mekhi Phifer in his first role and was filmed In Gowanus Projects in Brooklyn, New York....
    , as well as Laurence Fishburne
    Laurence Fishburne

    Laurence John Fishburne III is an Academy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning United States actor of film and theater, as well as playwright, film director, and Film producer....
     in the film School Daze
    School Daze

    School Daze is a 1988 in film Musical film-drama film, screenwriter and film director by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin....
    . Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman

    Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American stage and film actor and director.Hoffman began his professional acting career in television in 1991, and the following year began appearing in films....
     and Anna Paquin
    Anna Paquin

    Anna Helene Paquin is an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning, Emmy Award-nominated, New Zealander actress. Her breakthrough performance was in the New Zealand film The Piano, which earned her an Academy Awards for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994....
     have similar shots in 25th Hour
    25th Hour

    25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin....
    .
  • Lee incorporates something related to baseball in every one of his movies. Examples include the New York Mets
    New York Mets

    The New York Mets are a professional baseball based in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the National League East of Major League Baseball's National League....
     in Mo' Better Blues
    Mo' Better Blues

    Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also film director. It follows a period in the life of a fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career....
     and Jungle Fever
    Jungle Fever

    Jungle Fever is a 1991 drama film directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. It was Lee's fifth feature-length film....
    , Dwight Gooden
    Dwight Gooden

    Dwight Eugene Gooden , also known as Doc Gooden or Dr. K, is a former major league baseball player. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s, but his career declined precipitously, primarily due to injuries and drug abuse....
     and Roger Clemens
    Roger Clemens

    William Roger Clemens is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, two more than any other pitcher.Clemens debuted in the majors with the Boston Red Sox in ....
     in Do The Right Thing
    Do the Right Thing

    Do the Right Thing is a 1989 in film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells a tale of bigotry and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the year....
    , Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente
    Roberto Clemente

    Roberto Clemente Walker was a professional baseball player and a Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children....
     in Clockers
    Clockers

    Clockers is a 1995 in film film directed by Spike Lee. The screenplay, written by Lee and Richard Price , is based on Price's Clockers. The film stars Mekhi Phifer in his first role and was filmed In Gowanus Projects in Brooklyn, New York....
    , Reggie Jackson
    Reggie Jackson

    Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitter in the postseason, is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for five different teams from to ....
     and the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees

    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball based in the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of the American League East of Major League Baseball's American League....
     in Summer of Sam
    Summer of Sam

    Summer of Sam is a 1999 in film crime film-drama film based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee....
    , and Jackie Robinson
    Jackie Robinson

    Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Although not the first African-American professional baseball player in United States history, Robinson's 1947 Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately 60 years of baseball Racial_segregation#United_States_...
     in Malcolm X
    Malcolm X (film)

    Malcolm X is a 1992 in film biographical film directed by Spike Lee about the African American activist and black nationalist Malcolm X. The story is based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley....
    , amongst other recurring themes in his movies such as She Hate Me
    She Hate Me

    She Hate Me is a 2004 in film LGBT independent comedy-drama feature film directed by Spike Lee and starring Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, and Ellen Barkin....
    .


Recurring actors

A number of actors have appeared in multiple Spike Lee productions. Joie Lee
Joie Lee

Joie Susannah Lee is an United States screenwriter, film producer, film director and actor. She has appeared in many of the films directed by her brother, Spike Lee, including She's Gotta Have It , School Daze , Do the Right Thing , and Mo' Better Blues ....
 (Spike's sister) and John Turturro
John Turturro

John Michael Turturro is an United States of America actor, writer, and director best known for his performances in Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , and O Brother, Where Art Thou? ....
 lead the list, each having appeared in nine Spike Lee films. They are followed closely by Roger Guenveur Smith
Roger Guenveur Smith

Roger Guenveur Smith is an American writer, director, and actor.Smith was born in Berkeley, California, the son of Helen, a dentist, and Sherman Smith, a judge....
 and the late Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis was an American film actor, film director, poet, playwright, writer, and activism....
, who each participated in seven of Lee's projects.
Actor Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads
Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads

Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads is a 1983 in film independent film that Spike Lee submitted as his master's degree thesis at the Tisch School of the Arts....

(1983)
She's Gotta Have It
She's Gotta Have It

She's Gotta Have It is a 1986 in film comedy-drama film screenwriter and film director by Spike Lee. It was also Lee's first feature-length film....

(1986)
School Daze
School Daze

School Daze is a 1988 in film Musical film-drama film, screenwriter and film director by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin....

(1988)
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 in film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells a tale of bigotry and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the year....

(1989)
Mo' Better Blues
Mo' Better Blues

Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also film director. It follows a period in the life of a fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career....

(1990)
Jungle Fever
Jungle Fever

Jungle Fever is a 1991 drama film directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. It was Lee's fifth feature-length film....

(1991)
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (film)

Malcolm X is a 1992 in film biographical film directed by Spike Lee about the African American activist and black nationalist Malcolm X. The story is based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley....

(1992)
Crooklyn
Crooklyn

Crooklyn is a 1994 in film semi-autobiographical film screenwriter and film director by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York during the 1970s....

(1994)
Clockers
(1995)
Girl 6
Girl 6

Girl 6 may refer to:*Girl 6 , a 1996 film by Spike Lee*Girl 6 , the soundtrack for the film, composed by Prince*Girl 6 , the title song for the soundtrack...

(1995)
Get on the Bus
Get on the Bus

Get on the Bus is a 1996 film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March....

(1996)
4 Little Girls
4 Little Girls

4 Little Girls is a 1997 historical documentary film about the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America....

(1997)
He Got Game
He Got Game

He Got Game is a 1998 in film list of sports films-drama film film written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Denzel Washington and then-Milwaukee Bucks guard Ray Allen as a father and son trying to reconcile on the eve of the signing day for his son, the #1 prep player from Abraham Lincoln High School , and under pressure to decide...

(1998)
Freak
Freak (film)

Freak is a 1998 film directed by Spike Lee. The film is a live performance of John Leguizamo's one man show on Broadway theatre of Freak . Leguizamo's show was semi-autobiographical as he would talk about many aspects of his life....

(1998)
Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam

Summer of Sam is a 1999 in film crime film-drama film based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee....

(1999)
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy

The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 in film stand-up comedy film, directed by Spike Lee, and featuring the comedy routines of Steve Harvey, D.L....

(2000)
Bamboozled
Bamboozled

Bamboozled is a 2000 satire film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success....

(2000)
A Huey P. Newton Story
A Huey P. Newton Story

A Huey P. Newton Story is a 2001 film directed by Spike Lee. It is a filmed performance of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show of the same name....

(2001)
25th Hour
25th Hour

25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin....

(2002)
She Hate Me
She Hate Me

She Hate Me is a 2004 in film LGBT independent comedy-drama feature film directed by Spike Lee and starring Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, and Ellen Barkin....

(2004)
Inside Man
Inside Man

Inside Man is a 2006 in film crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay is written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer....

(2006)
When the Levees Broke
When the Levees Broke

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina....

(2006)
Miracle at St. Anna
Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna is a 2008 in film war film directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride , based on McBride's novel of the same name....

(2008)
Rick Aiello  
Michael Badalucco
Michael Badalucco

Michael Badalucco is an American actor most famous for his role as lawyer Jimmy Berluti on the American Broadcasting Company legal drama The Practice....
 
Thomas Jefferson Byrd
Thomas Jefferson Byrd

Thomas Jefferson Byrd is an United States actor. He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc....
 
Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis was an American film actor, film director, poet, playwright, writer, and activism....
 
Kim Director
Kim Director

Kim Director is an United States actress....
 
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is an United States film and television actor....
 
Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli

James Michael Imperioli , commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos....
 
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson is an United States film and television actor. Jackson came to fame in the early 1990s, after a series of well-reviewed performances, and has since become a major film star and cultural icon, having appeared in a large number of high-grossing films....
 
Joie Lee
Joie Lee

Joie Susannah Lee is an United States screenwriter, film producer, film director and actor. She has appeared in many of the films directed by her brother, Spike Lee, including She's Gotta Have It , School Daze , Do the Right Thing , and Mo' Better Blues ....
 
John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo

John Leguizamo is a Colombian American and Puerto Rican American comedian, actor, voice actor and Film producer....
Delroy Lindo
Delroy Lindo

Delroy Lindo is a British-born American actor. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony Award and Screen Actors Guild Award awards, and has won a Satellite Award....
 
Lonette McKee
Lonette McKee

Lonette McKee is an American film and television actress, music composer/producer/songwriter, screenwriter and director....
 
Coati Mundi
Coati Mundi

Coati Mundi is the stage name of Andy Hernandez, vibraphone player and member of Kid Creole and the Coconuts as well as Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band....
 
Charlie Murphy
Charlie Murphy

Charles Quinton "Charlie" Murphy is an United States actor, comedian, and writer, best known for his role on the sketch-comedy series, Chappelle's Show....
 
Bill Nunn
Bill Nunn

Bill Nunn is an American actor....
 
Christopher Perez  
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce is an American actor who is most famously known for his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland on the hit HBO drama The Wire....
 
Dania Ramirez
Dania Ramirez

Dania Ramirez is a Dominican-American television actress film actor.She is most recently known for playing List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Blanca Selgado during the last season of The Sopranos and as Maya Herrera in Heroes ....
 
Theresa Randle
Theresa Randle

Theresa E. Randle is an United States stage, film and television actress.Randle was born in Los Angeles, California. She began her performing career by studying dance and comedy....
 
Roger Guenveur Smith
Roger Guenveur Smith

Roger Guenveur Smith is an American writer, director, and actor.Smith was born in Berkeley, California, the son of Helen, a dentist, and Sherman Smith, a judge....
 
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes

Wesley Trent Snipes is an United States actor, film producer and martial artist. He has starred in action-adventures, thrillers, and dramatic feature films but is best known for his role as Blade in the Blade ....
 
Leonard L. Thomas  
John Turturro
John Turturro

John Michael Turturro is an United States of America actor, writer, and director best known for his performances in Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , and O Brother, Where Art Thou? ....
Nicholas Turturro
Nicholas Turturro

Nicholas Turturro, Jr. is an United States film, television and prolific on-stage character actor, perhaps best known for his role as Dennis Franz's rookie plainclothes detective and Gordon Clapp's partner, Sgt....
 
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. is an United States actor and film director. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B....
 
Isaiah Washington
Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington IV is an NAACP Image Award and Screen Actors Guild winning American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for blowing his role as Preston Burke on the American Broadcasting Company medical drama Grey's Anatomy....
 
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington is an United States actor. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Kay Amin in The Last King of Scotland , and Alicia Masters in the 2005 live action Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer....
Steve White
Steve White (actor)

'Steve White' is an African American actor and comedian, best known for his roles in Spike Lee films. He has worked with Lee five times . From 1992 to 1997, White performed stand-up comedy on Russell Simmons's Def Comedy Jam on HBO and he also had a recurring role on the Fox Network comedy series Hangin' With Mr....
 


Public figures as actors

Several well-known public figure
Public figure

Public figure is a law term applied in the context of defamation actions as well as invasion of privacy. A public figure cannot base a lawsuit on incorrect harmful statements unless there is proof that the writer or publisher acted with malice ....
s have appeared in Spike Lee films portraying characters other than themselves, particularly in Malcolm X. They include
  • Ray Allen
    Ray Allen

    Walter Ray Allen , commonly referred to as Ray Allen, is an United States professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics at the position of shooting guard....
     (He Got Game)
  • Travis Best
    Travis Best

    Travis Eric Best is an United States professional basketball player, formerly in the National Basketball Association and currently playing for S.S....
     (He Got Game)
  • Mark Breland
    Mark Breland

    Mark Anthony Breland is a former world champion boxing, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics....
     (Summer of Sam)
  • Jim Brown
    Jim Brown

    James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an United States former professional American football player who has also made his mark as an actor and social activist....
     (He Got Game, She Hate Me, Sucker Free City)
  • Rick Fox
    Rick Fox

    Ulrich Alexander "Rick" Fox is a Canada television actor and retired professional basketball player....
     (He Got Game)
  • Evander Holyfield
    Evander Holyfield

    Evander Holyfield is a professional boxing from the United States and a multiple world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"....
     (Summer of Sam)
  • William Kunstler
    William Kunstler

    William Moses Kunstler was an American self-described "radical lawyer" and civil rights activist....
     (Malcolm X)
  • Nelson Mandela
    Nelson Mandela

    Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99....
     (Malcolm X)
  • Bobby Seale
    Bobby Seale

    Robert George "Bobby" Seale , is an United States civil rights activist, and revolutionary, who along with Huey P. Newton, co-founded the Black Panther Party on October 15, 1966....
     (Malcolm X)
  • Al Sharpton
    Al Sharpton

    Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an United States American Baptist Churches USA minister, political and African-American Civil Rights Movement /social justice activist, and Talk radio host....
     (Malcolm X)
  • Wyatt Tee Walker
    Wyatt Tee Walker

    Wyatt Tee Walker is a United States black pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was Chief of Staff for Dr....
     (Malcolm X)


Controversy

Lee has never shied away from controversial statements and actions involving race relations
Race relations

Race relations is the area of sociology that studies the social, political, and economic relations between Race at all different levels of society....
. In 2002, after headline-grabbing remarks made by Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 Senator Trent Lott
Trent Lott

Chester Trent Lott Sr. is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party . He has served in numerous leadership positions in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate, including Party whips of the United States House of Representatives, Party leaders of the United States Senate, Part...
 regarding Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond

James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina and as a United States Senate. He also ran for the President of the United States in United States presidential election, 1948 as the segregationist Dixiecrat candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 Electoral College ....
's failed presidential bid, Lee charged that Lott was a "card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan

Ku Klux Klan is the name of several past and present secret domestic militant organizations in the United States, originating in the southern states and eventually having national scope, that are best known for advocating white supremacy and acting as terrorists while hidden behind conical hats, masks and white robes....
" on ABC's Good Morning America
Good Morning America

Good Morning America is an Daytime Emmy Awards breakfast television talk show that is broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network, debuting on November 3, 1975....
.

Lee was the executive producer of the 1995 film New Jersey Drive
New Jersey Drive

New Jersey Drive is a 1995 in film film about African-American youths in Newark, New Jersey, the unofficial car theft capital of the world. Their favorite pastime is that of everybody in their neighborhood: stealing cars and joyriding....
, which depicted young African-American auto thieves in northern New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
. At the time, the city of Newark
Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest City in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it not only List of Municipalities in New Jersey but also the 65th List of United States cities by population Newark is also home to major corporations, such as Prudential Financial....
 had the highest automobile theft
Motor vehicle theft

Motor vehicle theft, sometimes referred to as grand theft auto by the media and police departments in the US and UK, is the crime of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle, including an automobile, truck, bus, motorcycle, snowmobile, trailer or any other motorized vehicle....
 rate in the country, and Newark mayor Sharpe James
Sharpe James

Sharpe James is a Democratic Party politician and convicted felon from New Jersey, who served as New Jersey Senate for the New Jersey Legislature#District 29 and was 35th List of mayors of Newark, New Jersey....
 refused to allow filming of New Jersey Drive within the city limits. Years later in the hotly-contested 2002 Newark mayoral campaign, Lee endorsed James's opponent, Cory Booker
Cory Booker

Cory Anthony Booker is the current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, New Jersey. He is a Democratic Party politician and former Newark Councilman and community activist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2002 against longtime incumbent Sharpe James....
.

In May 1999 The New York Post
New York Post

The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continually as a daily, although -- like most other papers -- its publication has been interrupted by labor actions....
 reported that Lee said of National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association of America, or NRA, is an American 501#501.28c.29.284.29 group which lists as its goals the protection of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights, marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting an...
 President Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston was an United States actor of film, theater and television.Heston is known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments , Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes , El Cid in El Cid , and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur , for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor....
, "Shoot him with a .44 Bulldog." Lee contended, "I intended it as ironic, as a joke to show how violence begets more violence," Lee said Thursday. "I told everyone there it was a joke. I said I did not want to read in the papers, 'Shoot Charlton Heston.'" Insisting that he has no reason to apologize, Lee further explained that the remark was in response to a question about whether Hollywood was responsible for the then-recent rash of school shootings, saying, "The problem is guns," he said. Republican
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
 House
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 Majority Leader
Majority leader

In U.S. politics, the majority leader is a partisan position in a legislature body. If the presiding officer of the body is not elected by the body itself, the majority leader is the floor leader of the majority caucus; otherwise, the majority leader is the second-most senior member of the majority caucus, while the floor leader becomes the...
 Dick Armey
Dick Armey

Richard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former United States House of Representatives from Texas's and Party Leaders of the United States House of Representatives ....
 issued a statement condemning Lee as having "nothing to offer the debate on school violence except more violence and more hate."

In 2003, Lee filed suit against the Spike TV
Spike TV

Spike , a division of MTV Networks, is an United States cable television television network designed for an audience described demographically as "young adult males." The network began life as The Nashville Network , founded by WSM, Inc....
 television network
Television network

A television network is a distribution wiktionary:Network for television content whereby a central operation provides television program for many television stations....
 claiming that they were capitalizing on his fame by using his name for their network. The injunction order filed by Spike Lee was eventually lifted.

More recently, Lee commented on the federal government's response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina catastrophe
Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
. Responding to a CNN
CNN

Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major US Cable News Network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States....
 anchor's question as to whether the government intentionally ignored the plight of black Americans during the disaster, Lee replied, "It's not too far-fetched. I don't put anything past the United States government. I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans." On Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs weekly on Home Box Office, hosted by stand-up comedy and political satire Bill Maher. Much like his previous show, Politically Incorrect on American Broadcasting Company , Real Time features a panel of guests that discuss current events in politics and the media....
, Lee cited the government's past atrocities including the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.

Spike Lee is well-known for his devotion to the New York Knicks
New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers are a professional basketball team based in New York City. The team plays in the National Basketball Association ....
 professional basketball team. Much of the blame for the Knicks' loss (93-86 to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association . The team is based in the state's capital and largest city, Indianapolis, Indiana, located in the center of the state....
) in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals

The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern conference and Western conference Championship series of the NBA. The Conference Finals are best of seven series like the NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals....
, in which "Knick-killer" Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller

Reginald Wayne Miller is a retired American professional basketball player and one of the greatest NBA players of the 90s. Miller spent the entirety of his 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers....
 scored 25 points in the 4th quarter, was given to Lee. Lee was apparently taunting Miller throughout the 4th quarter, and Miller responded by making shot after shot. Miller also gave the choke sign to Lee. The headline of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News

The Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 703,137, as of March 30, 2008....
 the next day sarcastically said, "Thanks A Lot Spike".

Lee sparked controversy on a March 28, 2004 segment on ABC when he said that basketball player Larry Bird
Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a retired American National Basketball Association basketball player, widely considered one of the best players of all time and one of the top clutch performers in the history of U.S....
 was overrated because of his race, saying, “The most overrated player of all time, I would say it'd be Larry Bird
Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a retired American National Basketball Association basketball player, widely considered one of the best players of all time and one of the top clutch performers in the history of U.S....
. Now, Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, but listen to the white media, it's like this guy was like nobody ever played basketball before him--Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird.”

At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival Lee, who is making Miracle at St. Anna
Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna is a 2008 in film war film directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride , based on McBride's novel of the same name....
, about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, criticized director Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood

Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American actor, film director, film producer and composer. He is known for his tough guy, anti-hero acting roles in Action films and western films, particularly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s....
 for not depicting black Marines in his own WWII film, Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers (film)

Flags of Our Fathers is a 2006 in film Cinema of the United States war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr....
. Citing historical accuracy, Eastwood responded that his film was specifically about the soldiers who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which makes up the southern end of the Ogasawara Islands. The island is located 1,200 kilometers south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Bonin Islands, one of eight villages of Tokyo....
, pointing out that while black soldiers did fight at Iwo Jima, the U.S. military was segregated during WWII, and none of the men who raised the flag were black. Eastwood also pointed out that his 1988 film Bird, about the Jazz musician Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker

Charles Parker, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Parker is widely considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians, along with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington....
 featured 90% black actors, and sarcastically said that his upcoming movie about post-apartheid South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 will not feature a white actor in the role of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99....
. He angrily said that Lee should "shut his face". Lee responded that Eastwood was acting like an "angry old man", and argued that despite making two Iwo Jima films back to back, Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima

is a 2006 in film war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood whose cast includes Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese Imperial Japanese Army and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers , which depicts the same battle from the American viewpoin...
 and Flags of Our Fathers, "there was not one black soldier in both of those films". He added that he and Eastwood were "not on a plantation." In fact, black Marines are seen in scenes during which the mission is outlined, as well as during the initial landings, when a wounded black Marine is carried away. During the end credits, historical photographs taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima show black Marines. Although black Marines fought in the battle, they were restricted to auxiliary roles such as ammunition supply, and were not involved in the battle's major assaults, but took part in defensive actions.

Lee also travels from Universities throughout North America and speaks to young kids on what they should attempt to accomplish in their lives. Never one to shy from controversy, he speaks directly at young African-Americans in almost a dissapointing tone. Most recently, in one of these lectures he said that black teens associate "intelligence with acting white, and ignorance with acting black," and that this is very common nowadays. Some see this as false, while others think Lee does the right thing into trying to get kids to "snap out of it" and try to be successful, especially on an era in which a black President is in office.

Personal life

Lee and his wife, attorney
Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an Attorney at law, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice fraud." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver justice....
 Tonya Lewis, had their first child, daughter Satchel, in December 1994.

Filmography


External links