Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry, born Emmitt Perry Jr. on September 13, 1969, is an American filmmaker, actor, and writer. He is best known as the creator and performer of Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman who first appeared in his 1999 Chicago stage production I Can Do Bad All by Myself. In addition to Madea, Perry portrays her brother Joe Simmons and nephew Brian Simmons. His creative work spans traditional filmmaking, scripted television programs, and filmed adaptations of his live stage plays.

Perry grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, alongside three siblings. His mother, Willie Maxine Perry, regularly took him to church, which provided him a sense of refuge during a childhood he described as severe and abusive. Perry suffered physical abuse from Emmitt Perry Sr.—whom a later DNA test revealed was not his biological father—and experienced childhood molestation. At age 16, Perry legally changed his first name to Tyler to distance himself from Emmitt Sr. Although he did not graduate high school, he earned a General Educational Development diploma. Inspired by an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show about the therapeutic value of writing, Perry began composing letters to himself in his early twenties, forming the foundation of his first musical.

In 1990, Perry relocated to Atlanta, where he spent his $12,000 savings to stage his debut musical, I Know I've Been Changed, in 1992. Addressing themes of forgiveness, child abuse, and family dynamics, the show initially suffered financial failure. Perry spent six years rewriting the production before finding commercial success in 1998 at Atlanta's House of Blues and Fox Theatre. He subsequently toured live shows on the urban theater circuit, building a dedicated African-American audience. By 2005, his stage productions had generated over $100 million in ticket sales.

Perry transitioned into feature films by self-funding Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), an adaptation of his stage play that grossed over $50 million. He made his film directorial debut with Madea's Family Reunion (2006) and subsequently directed, wrote, and produced numerous feature projects through Tyler Perry Films. His filmography includes Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Meet the Browns (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009), For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012), and several sequels across the Madea franchise. He also co-produced the 2009 film Precious with Oprah Winfrey.

Beyond his own projects, Perry has acted in mainstream films such as Star Trek (2009), Alex Cross (2012), Gone Girl (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), Vice (2018), and Don't Look Up (2021). In television, Perry created Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which debuted on TBS in 2006. In 2012, he established an exclusive partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network to produce scripted series such as The Haves and the Have Nots, and later produced The Oval for BET.

With productions grossing over $660 million cumulatively and an estimated net worth of $1 billion, Perry is among the wealthiest figures in entertainment. Forbes named him the highest-paid man in entertainment in 2011. While his works have drawn critical disapproval regarding their portrayals of African Americans, Perry has received notable industry honors. He was named to Time's 100 most influential people in 2020, received the Television Academy's Governor's Award in 2020, earned the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2021, and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.