Tyler Perry Biography (2024)
Everything There Is To Know & More
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Tyler Perry Biography: Tyler Perry is a writer, actor, producer, and director who has built a media empire consisting of films, best-selling books, and plays.
He’s one of the most successful African American filmmakers in history.
Today we’re excited to bring you the inside scoop with this biography…
…you’ll find out everything you want to know about Tyler Perry:
Sit tight…
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Who Is Tyler Perry?
Tyler Perry made the headlines when he starred in his play, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, in 2000.
He played the role of Madea.
He later turned the play into a set of movies that took almost 20 years to finish. He’s also a known playwright, producer, actor, comedian, and director.
| Expert On: Acting, Filmmaking, Writing, Songwriting |
| Date of Birth: September 13, 1969 [currentage] |
| Current Occupation: Actor, Screenwriter, Playwright, Filmmaker, Producer |
| Nationality: American |
| Brothers and Sisters: One Brother, and Two Sisters |
| Languages: American-English |
| Religion: Christian |
| Height: 196 cm |
| Weight: 88 kg |
| Eye Colour: Brown |
| Zodiac Sign: Virgo |
| Tyler Perry Net Worth: $97 Million |
| Place Of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America |
| Famous Friends: Oprah, Jennifer Hudson, Megan Markle |
| Favorite Color: Red |
| Favorite Food: Burgers and Cookies |
| Smoking/ Drinking: He stopped drinking in 2012, and he doesn’t smoke. |
On September 13, 1969, Emmitt Perry Jr. (Tyler Perry) was born and subsequently raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He changed his name as soon as he could at 16 to Tyler Perry to dissociate himself from his abusive father.
As a young man, Tyler was a drifter that couldn’t keep down a job. In 1992 Oprah Winfrey changed his life, while watching her daily talk show…
Oprah told the audience to write down a life experiences and reflect. Tyler took those words to heart and started to keep a diary – this inspired his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed.
Let’s take a peek into Tyler Perry Life…
Tyler Perry Family And Relationships
Martial Status: In a Relationship
Children: One
Partners: Gelela Bekele (2009-Present)
Tyler Perry Girlfriend Gelila Bekele
Perry and Bekele have been together since 2009 – they started dating after they met at a concert in 2007.
But despite the long term relationship, Perry hasn’t talked much about his partner, since he prefers to keep their relationship private.
In 2014…
…Gelila Bekele gave birth to their son, Aman, who is said to have kept their relationship even stronger than before.
As for Perry’s relationship with his son, he said in one of his interviews that they decided to keep his son well away from the spotlight.
For that reason he doesn’t post pictures of Aman on his social media accounts to maintain the privacy his son needs as he grows up.
He’ll no doubt thank you later Tyler!
Tyler Perry’s Mother
He grew up close to his mother since she would always be the one to console him whenever his father, Emmitt, beat him up.
Sad…
He added that it was his mother who brought him to Church and introduced him to Christianity. And when his mother died in 2009, he said he would often cry in the middle of the night because he missed her.
Tyler Perry’s Father
Perry’s relationship with his father is hugely different from his bond with his mother.
This was because his father was an alcoholic who abused him growing up.
No way to sugar coat that.
After his mother’s death, he found out Emmitt wasn’t his biological father after he took a DNA test with his brother.
Despite all of that, he still supports him financially and is said to have forgiven him for everything.
Tyler Perry’s Siblings
Tyler hasn’t talked much about his siblings,
One thing known to the public is that Emmbre (Tyler’s younger brother) is also trying to find his way in the film industry. He’s an actor, writer and a director like his brother and has been in films such as No More Games, Madea’s Family Reunion, and Two is Better Than One.
Tyler Perry’s Education
Even though Perry stopped studying for high school during his teenage years, he eventually earned a General Educational Development (GED) Degree.
He went on to do great things – which proves that a good attitude and a dose of tenacity can make up for a lot!
Kudos Tyler…
Tyler Perry Career
I Know I’ve Been Changed – 1990
Perry began his career when he produced a Christian play entitled I Know I’ve Been Changed at a community theater in Atlanta. This beginning wasn’t the best, as he failed to recoup the money he invested because the play wasn’t received well.
I Know I’ve Been Changed ‘remodelled’ – 1998
Despite failing several times, he never gave up and still pursued acting and producing his plays. In 1998, he finally saw a good outcome when he remodelled the same show and performed it again in Atlanta, where it received better reviews from play enthusiasts.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman – 2005
Perry decided to try out the film industry when he created his first movie named Diary of a Mad Black Woman – which earned $50.6 million in total during its showing period.
Madea’s Family Reunion – 2006
A year after his debut film, Perry directed his second film, Madea’s Family Reunion. On its release date, the movie topped the box office and gained $30.3 million on its first day. He was able to promote the film in The Oprah Winfrey Show and received a total of $65 million from its sales.
Daddy’s Little Girls – 2007
In 2007, Perry did a project with Lionsgate starring Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba – it was entitled Daddy’s Little Girls. He wrote and directed the film and grossed more than $31 million.
Perry received favorable feedback about his film Why Did I Get Married. He wrote the screenplay, directed it, produced it, and was the lead actor. It earned $21.4 million on its release weekend – famous actors like Janet Jackson, Tasha Smith, and Sharon Lean also made cameos in the film.
Meet the Browns & he Family That Preys – 2008
Perry produced two films in 2008, the first one was Meet the Browns followed by The Family That Preys. He also released a play entitled Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.
Madea Goes to Jail – 2009
Grossing $41 million on its opening weekend in 2009 was Madea Goes to Jail, which was the sequel of his 2006 Madea’s Family Reunion. The movie became one of his best releases of all time.
Precious – 2010
He and his good friend, Oprah, co-presented a film entitled Precious in 2010 – taken from the novel. Perry released Why Did I Get Married Too? the sequel to his Why Did I Get Married? Film. He also directed a film adaptation of a poem by Ntozake Shange.
Madea’s Big Happy Family – 2011
He added another movie to his Madea series in 2011 when he released a stage show version and film of Madea’s Big Happy Family. The film version achieved second spot in the box office and grossed $25.8 million.
Madea’s Witness Protection – 2012
His 2012 film, Madea’s Witness Protection was another addition to his Madea franchise, and the only film he made that year.
Confessions of a Marriage Counselor – 2013
In 2013, Perry made public Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor inspired by one of his plays of the same name. After that, he released Tyler Perry Presents Peeples and A Madea Christmas.
The Single Moms Club – 2014
He went back to directing in 2014 when he created the film The Single Moms Club.
Madea’s Tough Love – 2015
In 2015, he produced his first animated movie – Madea’s Tough Love, the latest addition to his Madea franchise.
A Madea Halloween – 2016
He was able to make public his Boo! A Madea Halloween in 2016, and released a sequel of it a year later – Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.
Tyler Perry Scandals & Controversies
Perry had his fair share of controversies throughout his career – stick with me to learn more on that now…
Tyler Perry vs The Writers Guild of America: 2008
The Writers Guild of America pressed charges against Perry’s production company, Tyler Perry Studios in 2008 when four writers from the company lost their jobs due to them attempting to secure a union contract.
However, both parties fixed the issue after a month.
Tyler Perry vs Mo’ Money Taxes: 2009
Perry warned Mo’ Money Taxes in 2009 that he would file charges against the tax preparation company. It was due to them showing a TV spot that had a parody of his work Madea Goes to Jail. The ad entitled “Ma Madea” was discontinued after this due to bad reviews.
Interesting Facts About Tyler Perry
Ever been curious about learning more interesting facts about Tyler Perry you’ve never known before?
Well, here are a few amusing things about him.
Tyler Perry Movies
After performing in plays and producing them – Perry ventured into the film industry.
His First Film
Perry’s film debut was in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” – Kimberly Elise and Steve Harris starred in it. The movie was a romantic-comedy-drama about a couple struggling to fix their relationship because of adultery. Later on, the wife filed for divorce and ended their relationship.
The Madea Franchise
There are nine movies within the Madea franchise created by Perry – he released the first Madea film in 2006. The public welcomed the film with open arms and inspired Perry to create sequels of the movie, which he then turned into a franchise.
Way announced he wanted to produce a movie about his life later in 2010. A director named Peter Spirer heard of this, and gave him the idea of a biographical documentary. It was named Soulja Boy: The Movie and released in October 2011 which was the same day of his arrest over a drugs case.
The following are the Madea films throughout the years:
Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
She’s trying to plan a family reunion; Grandma Madea must contend with some unusual dramas, including dealing with a runaway who has been placed under her care, and her nieces love lives.
Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
Grandma Madea ends up in clink after her antics – where she meets a variety of strange jailmates.
Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)
Funny old Mabel Simmons, AKA Madea, does her best to wrestle her feuding family together for a dinner.
Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)
A bent Wall Street investment banker is relocated with his family to Aunt Madea’s southern home…
A Madea Christmas (2013)
Madea tries her best to imbibe a rural town with holiday spirit when she’s persuaded to help a friend surprise her daughter in the country for Christmas.
Madea’s Tough Love (2015)
After a hilarious brush with the law, Madea is sentenced to community service. Wanting to do good for the ‘hood, Madea recruits Aunt Bam and Uncle Joe to try and save the day…
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
Madea’s in the middle of yet more mayhem when she spends a haunted Halloween fending off killers, poltergeists, ghosts, zombies, and ghouls, while keeping a careful eye on her wild teenage great-niece.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
Madea, Bam, and Hattie take a trip to a haunted campground where they have to run for their lives when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman are all unleashed.
A Madea Family Funeral (2019)
A happy family reunion becomes a hilarious nightmare as Madea and co travel to Georgia, where they find themselves unexpectedly planning a funeral whilst revealing some unsavory family secrets.
Perry ended the franchise in 2019 and said that he gave Madea an open ending because he didn’t want to kill Madea – as requested by his fans.
More Movies
Daddy’s Little Girls, Meet the Browns, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Precious, Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too? Acrimony, Nobody’s Fool were other films Perry directed and produced.
These films were a combination of genres like family, romance, comedy, psychological thriller, and crime.
For his acting career, Perry starred as Baxter Stockman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. And he made cameos for Gone Girl, Alex Cross, Good Deeds, and The Single Moms Club.
Tyler Perry Books
Aside from being a playwright, Perry also published two books.
Perry wrote his first book, Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, in 2006, and sold about 30,000 copies. It also topped the New York Times Best Seller list for 12 weeks.
Higher is Waiting was Perry’s second book in 2017, and received the fifth spot in the New York Times Bestseller list.
Tyler Perry Business Interests
He built his own production company in 2007 – Tyler Perry Studios. This studio is also known as the biggest production company in the US.
Tyler Perry Lifetime Achievements
Perry gained numerous awards throughout his career, and to show you more, here’s our BounceMojo list of his lifetime achievements:
Top 3 Quotes From Tyler Perry
“Stay in your lane and do what you’re supposed to do.”
“Life is sometimes hard, and you have to laugh your way through it.”
“It doesn’t matter if a million people tell you what you can’t do, or if ten million people tell you no. If you get one yes from God, that’s all you need.”
Top 3 Memes – Tyler Perry
3 Lessons From Tyler Perry
- Perseverance is key. Despite all his failures, Perry never gave up and slowly created his career with perseverance and faith. He gave his first play six tries before he remodeled it, and eventually it gave him the success he deserved.
- Learn from Failures. Perry has taught people to learn from failures and make them an inspiration to do better in life. This lesson was proved when he lost all investments on his first play but he never gave up, and still kept trying until he gave everything his viewers wanted.
- Choose and Create the Right Team.Perry said that having the right team can help you accomplish your goals in life. That’s why he added that it’s important to choose wisely who fits your group best.
Summary Tyler Perry Biography
Here we are at the end of Tyler Perry’s biography – he certainly faced his fair share of trials – but he never gave up.
My biggest takeaway from his BounceMojo Bio is to never be afraid of failures because they can and will help you to do better in life, and help you make decisions for your future, if you allow them to.
I hope you enjoyed this article – you might also want to check out Tyler Perry’s Net Worth and his Best Memes.
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