Tyler Perry

tyler perry is a man who used to live in his car but now successfully makes screenplays and movies. plafing a large violent womens maybell "madea" simmons

CREDITS TO WIKEPEDIA.COM

Tyler Perry (born September 13, 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter, actor and director and producer of film and stage plays. His best-known character is Mabel "Madea" Simmons, who is a physically-imposing and overbearing, but well-intentioned, woman who serves both as comic relief and as the loud voice of conscience to the protagonists of Perry's works.

Tyler was born Emmitt R. Perry, Jr. in New Orleans,1 one of four children. Perry changed his first name to Tyler because of his troubled relationship with his father. His father, Emmitt, Sr., was a carpenter and construction worker, and his mother, Maxine, was a pre-school teacher and worked at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center for most of her life.2345 His childhood in New Orleans was marked by poverty and physical abuse from his father.6 Perry dropped out of school when he was 16, but later went back to school to obtain his GED. Perry is a Christian.7

One day while he was watching The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1992, Perry took the advice that it can be cathartic to put feelings down on paper, which inspired him to write letters of his painful childhood. These letters eventually became his plays. Perry's first foray into writing was in 1992, when he began writing a journal, in part to cope with the repercussions of abuse. He developed different characters to voice different ideas in the journal. This work eventually became the musical I Know I've Been Changed, about adult survivors of child abuse.

Perry moved to Atlanta in 1992 and worked in a restaurant and as a used car salesman. He managed to save up $12,000 to stage his first play. It was not a success and over the next six years, he struggled living in Atlanta but persevered until the play finally had a successful run in 1998, first at the House of Blues and later at the Fox Theatre. His following play, a staging of Bishop T. D. Jakes' book Woman Thou Art Loosed, was an immediate hit, grossing over $5 million in five months.8

Perry's other highly successful plays include Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Madea's Family Reunion and Madea's Class Reunion. He also wrote and created the hit plays/DVDs Why Did I Get Married? and Meet the Browns. Why Did I Get Married featured R&B singer Jill Scott (the DVD version featured Cheryl Pepsii Riley) and Tony Grant. Meet the Browns features Terrell Phillips, Terrell Carter, and David and Tamela Mann (Perry did not appear in either production). In 2005, Perry returned to the stage with another successful hit, Madea Goes to Jail. Another play, What's Done in the Dark, which Perry wrote and directed but does not appear in, went on tour from September 2006 through May 2007, but returned for another run in September 2007. The video was filmed in Charlotte, NC and was released February 12, 2008. Perry's most recent stage production is The Marriage Counselor which premiered in January 2008. This production features Tony Grant, Palmer Williams and Tamar Davis.

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His first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, produced on a budget of $5.5 million, 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. Its final gross box office receipts were $50.6 million, although it was a critical flop, scoring only 16% overall on Rotten Tomatoes.9 On opening weekend, February 24, 2006, Perry's film version of Madea's Family Reunion opened at number one with $30.3 million and a $14,770 per screen average. The film eventually grossed $65 million, and like Diary, almost all of it in the United States. The film was jump-started by an hour-long appearance by Perry and his co-stars on the influential Oprah Winfrey show.10

His next project for Lions Gate Entertainment, Daddy's Little Girls, starring Gabrielle Union, was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2007. It grossed over $31 million.11 Perry wrote, directed, produced, and starred in his next movie, Why Did I Get Married, which was released on October 12, 2007. It opened as the #1 grossing $21.4 million dollars at the box office that weekend. It is loosely based on the play. Filming began March 5, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia; Vancouver, then Atlanta, where Perry opened his own studio. Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott and Tasha Smith appear in the film. Perry's 2008 film, Meet the Browns, which was released on March 21st, opened at number 2 with $20,082,809 weekend gross.12

Perry's upcoming films include: The Family That Preys which will open on September 12, 2008, Madea Goes to Jail in 2009, followed by A Jazz Man's Blues, which will open in February, 2009 and will star Perry as the Jazz singer. These will be Perry's sixth, seventh, and eight films with Lions Gate Entertainment. Perry will also star in the movie Star Trek, which will open on May 8, 2009. This will be his first movie outside that is not his own project.

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Perry produces a television show titled Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which follows an African-American household with three generations of family within it. The show seeks to illustrate struggles with faith and love, as well as showing how to coexist with the generation gap. The show ran briefly in Spring 2006 as a 10 show pilot. After a successful pilot run, Perry signed a $200 million dollar 100 episode deal with TBS. On June 6, 2007, Tyler Perry's first two episodes of House of Payne ran on TBS. Due to high ratings, House of Payne is now in syndication. Re-runs will play through December 2007 before the 2nd season begins. The 3rd season began March 5, 2008. The 4th season began June 4, 2008. House of Payne will air on FOX network beginning September 2008. House of Payne has aired 100 episodes. Meet The Browns is Perry's next sitcom starring David Mann and Tamela Mann.

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Perry's first novel, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, hit bookstores April 11, 2006. The book is written from Madea's point of view, and offers commentary about love, relationships, and family. In its first five days in stores, the book sold more than 25,000 copies.13 The hardcover hit Number One on the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the list for twelve weeks. It was voted the Book of the Year and Best Humor Book at the 2006 Quill Awards.

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Perry always uses possessory credit in his works' titles (e.g., Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?). Several recurring narrative themes surface in Perry's work. They feature a predominantly African American cast.

His films often tackle issues of physical and sexual abuse, and are often based in Atlanta.

The recurring character of Mabel "Madea" Simmons surfaces in many of Perry's work. Perry portrays Madea in his plays and films. Perry based Madea on an aunt who lives in Georgia, as well as his mother, according to Perry himself. In Madea's appearances, she dispenses wisdom in a "no-nonsense manner", and is usually involved in physical comedy and/or a sight gag. The nickname "Madea" comes from a Southern African American contraction of the words "mother dear", which is commonly used as a term of affection. It is also used as a reference to a great-grandmother.

Tyler often references Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which he notes as one of his favorite movies. Perry's plays also make references to 1970s R&B and soul music, and the differences between that and the current state of rap/hip-hop music, and other music popular amongst the black community.

Other references include singer Patti LaBelle, Ike & Tina Turner, the movie Forrest Gump, the television sitcom Good Times, rapper Missy Elliott, and the singer Tweet.

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• Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
• A Jazz Man's Blues (2009)
• The Family That Preys (2008)
• Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008)
• Why Did I Get Married (2007)
• Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007)
• Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
• Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
• Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

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• BET Comedy Awards
  • 2005: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner
  • 2005: Outstanding Writing for a Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner

• Black Movie Awards
  • 2006: Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
  • 2006: Outstanding Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
  • 2005: Outstanding Motion Picture (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
  • 2005: Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Winner

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2007: Outstanding Screenplay Adapted or Original (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
  • 2006: Outstanding Screenplay Adapted or Original (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated
  • 2006: Best Breakthrough Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated

• Image Awards
  • 2008: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Why Did I Get Married?), Nominated
  • 2007: Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
  • 2007: Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated

• MTV Movie Awards
  • 2006: Best Comedic Performance (Madea's Family Reunion), Nominated
  • 2005: Best Comedic Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Nominated

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MADEAS FICTION BIOGRAPHY CREDITS OF WIKIPEDIA.COM

Mabel "Madea" Simmons is a fictional character created by writer/director Tyler Perry. Based on Perry's mother and aunt, Madea is an aggressive, grey haired, ghetto, bespectacled matriarch. She will argue with anyone, she also has the very frequent tendency to threaten people with going to her purse which is full of metal, and she has a penchant for her unique pronunciation and enunciation of words as reflected in her tag line, "I oughta punch chur in da face!" She is part of a large family, with many children and grandchildren. Her name is spelled variously as "Mabel" and "Mable," probably in order to confuse government authorities and others when applying for jobs, getting credit cards, etc. She is portrayed by Tyler Perry himself in both the films and plays.

"Madea" or "Madear" is a typical Southern name for a grandmother. The term is a shortened form of "Mother Dear."

Although Madea was featured heavily in most of Tyler's plays and films, including Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion and most recently, Meet the Browns, the argument can be made that she is not the protagonist of them, but more so the comic relief to the play/film's dramatic setting.

• 1 Personal life
  • 1.1 Family in the plays
  • 1.2 Family in the movies
  • 1.3 Madea on television
• 2 Family, Relatives & Friends
• 3 In books
• 4 Influence
• 5 References
• 6 External links
• 7 See also

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Madea was born in Greensburg, Louisiana in May of 1935 (as Mabel Dean), to Mr. Dean and Big Mabel Murphy. She had two siblings: a sister, Irene and a brother, Fredrick (Joseph). At some point in her early life she moved to Cleveland, Ohio then she relocated to Waycross, Georgia. Deacon Leroy Brown took Madea to the Waycross African American High School prom in 1953 and that night, after drinking too much, they became intimate and later had a daughter, Cora. They did not marry because Madea did not remember that Cora was Brown's daughter until her class reunion in 2003. Up until that time she was unaware of who the father was. Some of her extended family include Parker Osgood, her cousin; Vickie, a niece; and several more relatives. In 1953, she married and relocated to metropolitan Atlanta where she still resides. It is not known if she has moved to a newer home, but in Madea Goes to Jail the set-up of her home was new, and the houses seen in the background look to be examples of the current architectural style rather than the old-type of her former home.

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Tamela Mann plays Cora in Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Meet the Browns, and I Can Do Bad By Myself.

In I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea's Class Reunion, Meet the Browns, and Madea Goes to Jail, Cora is one of Madea's daughters. Cora has two daughters, Tina and Lisa. Madea's unnamed daughter has two daughters, Vyanne and Maylee. She has a niece named Victoria and a nephew named Sonny.

In Madea Goes To Jail, Madea takes temporary custody of Toni, the daughter of one of Madea's cell mates. She rejects the offer at first until she meets the father, who wishes to take advantage of his own daughter right in front of Madea.

Madea claims to have been pivotal in Rosa Parks' role in African American history. Madea's assertion is that Parks stole Madea's man, and Madea came to the bus stop with a gun to retaliate. Rosa stayed on the bus to avoid confronting Madea. Madea was also supposed to march in Martin Luther King's march in Selma, Alabama, but was told by King himself they didn't need her because she was too violent. She replied saying, "I was only gonna carry thirteen guns on me, hell."

Cora Simmons meets her father's family in Meet the Browns.

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The Family Tree is different in the movies than in the plays. Her daughter, Cora, appears in the new movie Meet the Browns. Cora is still Madea's daughter, as heard in Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She has a granddaughter named Helen, who is the daughter of her son. She has a niece named Victoria who has two daughters, Lisa and Vanessa. She has a brother named Joe who has a son named Brian (also played by Tyler Perry), who is married to Debra and has two children, Tiffany and BJ (Brian Jr.). Joe's family is the newest addition to the Simmons Family Tree.

In the film version of Madea's Family Reunion, Madea took in Nikki. She had a choice to either do so or go to jail because she took off her house arrest bracelet that she wore in Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Madea is 73. She has had about seventeen husbands, one by the name of Johnny who was her second husband. When each dies, she collects his life insurance checks. She either shoots or poisons by sweet-potato pie those for whose death she is unwilling to wait. After each husband dies, they are buried quickly. Madea claims, "I'm tryna get to the insurance company by five, and the casino by nine!"

In spite of her less-than-glowing reputation with her marriages and the law, Madea helps women realize how badly they have been treated by their men, instructs them on what to do about the mistakes they have made in their life choices, and leads them towards the path of forgiveness and moving on. She also helps others shed some light on their own life instead of looking at someone else's. On numerous occasions she has accepted family members into her home out of her own accord, including granddaughter Helen ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman"), her grandniece Vianne ("I Can Do Bad All by Myself"), and ex-convict Bobby Mitchell ("Myself").

Madea's home is a spacious, early-1900s style house on a street corner at 1197 Avon Avenue in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia.1 There are at least five bedrooms, and Joe sleeps in a room downstairs (seen in Diary of a Mad Black Woman when Madea answers the front door at night). The kitchen is on the left when one walks in the house, and beyond that is the living room, where Joe can usually be found. To Madea's annoyance, Mr. Leroy Brown is her next-door neighbor, and has a barking dog that Madea gets tired of and at one point feeds a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Outside, the yard is fenced and Madea's green 1970 Cadillac is parked on the street. Joe cannot drive.

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Madea has made occasional appearances on the TBS television series Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Again, she resides in Atlanta, and serves as a foster parent to wayward children. She first encounters the Payne family when her foster daughter has an altercation at school with Curtis Payne's great-nephew Malik. Curtis takes a particular disliking to Madea, who -- as expected -- is not intimidated by Curtis at all.

About a year later, Curtis' wife Ella chastises him for taking her for granted. That night Curtis has an extended nightmare where he is married to Madea instead of Ella.

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