spike lee
Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was making amateur films by age 20, and won a Student Academy Award for his graduate thesis film.
Lee drew attention with his first feature, She's Gotta Have It -- one of the most profitable films made in 1986 -- and continues to create films that explore provoking topics like race, politics and violence. He is also known for his documentaries and commercials.
, Lee was making amateur films by age 20. His first student film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn, was completed when he was an undergraduate at Morehouse College.
Lee often takes a critical look at race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His next film, 1989's Do The Right Thing, examined all of the above and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989.
Lee has also had success in directing television commercials, most famously opposite Michael Jordan in Nike's Air Jordan campaign. Other commercial clients include Converse, Taco Bell and Ben & Jerry's. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, is located in his childhood neighborhood of Fort Green in Brooklyn.
His most recent feature film release, Miracle at St. Anna (2008), tells the story of four African-American soldiers trapped in an Italian village during World War II. This movie was praised for bringing the often overlooked experience of black infantrymen -- known as buffalo soldiers -- to the big screen.
Has influenced different directors such as Dee Rees, who assisted Lee on "Inside Man" before making her directorial debut with the acclaimed Harlem drama "Pariah;" Alrick Brown, whose "Kinyarwanda" won a prize in the festival's international competition; and Rashaad Ernesto Green, the director of "Gun Hill Road." Takes education of young directors and mentoring very important
Lee drew attention with his first feature, She's Gotta Have It -- one of the most profitable films made in 1986 -- and continues to create films that explore provoking topics like race, politics and violence. He is also known for his documentaries and commercials.
, Lee was making amateur films by age 20. His first student film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn, was completed when he was an undergraduate at Morehouse College.
Lee often takes a critical look at race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His next film, 1989's Do The Right Thing, examined all of the above and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989.
Lee has also had success in directing television commercials, most famously opposite Michael Jordan in Nike's Air Jordan campaign. Other commercial clients include Converse, Taco Bell and Ben & Jerry's. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, is located in his childhood neighborhood of Fort Green in Brooklyn.
His most recent feature film release, Miracle at St. Anna (2008), tells the story of four African-American soldiers trapped in an Italian village during World War II. This movie was praised for bringing the often overlooked experience of black infantrymen -- known as buffalo soldiers -- to the big screen.
Has influenced different directors such as Dee Rees, who assisted Lee on "Inside Man" before making her directorial debut with the acclaimed Harlem drama "Pariah;" Alrick Brown, whose "Kinyarwanda" won a prize in the festival's international competition; and Rashaad Ernesto Green, the director of "Gun Hill Road." Takes education of young directors and mentoring very important