Shelton Jackson Lee - Genealogy Genealogy Join the world's largest family tree Gender Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love Build your family tree online Share photos and videos Son of <private> Lee and Jacqueline Caroll Lee Husband of <private> Lee (Lewis) Father of <private> Lee and <private> Lee Brother of <private> Lee; <private> Lee; <private> Lee and <private> Lee Occupation: Joie Lee, Cinqué Lee, David Lee, Arnold Lee, Chris Lee Wife: sibling About Spike Lee Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee is known for powerful films such as She's Gotta Have It (1986), School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), and many others. is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983. Lee's movies have examined race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues.

He has won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. He was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Jacqueline Carroll (née Shelton), a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee III, a jazz musician and composer. Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was a small child. (The Fort Greene neighborhood is home to Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, and other Lee-owned or related businesses.) By the time Lee was old enough to attend school, the already independent child had earned the nickname his mother had given him as an infant, Spike—an indirect reference to his toughness. When he, his two younger brothers, and one younger sister were offered the option of attending the chiefly white private school where his mother taught, Lee chose instead to go to public school, where he would be assured the companionship of black peers. He graduated from John Dewey High School in Brooklyn. For college, Lee chose to go to the all-black college his father and grandfather had attended, Morehouse College, where he majored in mass communication. It was at Morehouse that Lee found his calling.

Following his mother's unexpected death in 1977, Lee's friends tried to cheer him with frequent trips to the movies. He quickly became a fan of directors and movies of that time and discovered that he wanted to make films that would capture the black experience, and he was willing to do so by whatever means necessary. Lee pursued his passion at New York University (NYU), where he enrolled in the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program. He was one of only a handful of African American students. Lee went on to produce a forty-five-minute film that won him the 1983 Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Student Academy Award, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads. Although the honor improved his credibility as a director, it did not pay the bills. Lee worked for a movie distribution house cleaning and shipping film. When Lee filmed She's Gotta Have It a year later, his determination to be a director paid off. After Island Pictures agreed to distribute the movie, it finally opened in 1986. A light comedy, She's Gotta Have It pokes fun at gender relations and offers an insightful spin on stereotypical macho male roles.

It packed houses with African American audiences and with a crossover, art-house crowd. With the success of She's Gotta Have It, Lee became known in cinematic circles not only as a director, but also as a comic actor. He played a supporting role in the film and was tremendously popular as this character. Lee next made a musical called School Daze. A film about color discrimination (treating people differently based on race, gender, or nationality) within the African American community, School Daze draws on Lee's years at Morehouse. He saw the lighter skinned African Americans as having the material possessions and polish that the southern, rural students did not have. This black caste (division of society) system, Lee explained to Newsweek, was not limited to just this collegiate set. Lee used it as a small sample of black life in general. School Daze created a commotion in the black community: while many applauded Lee's efforts to explore a complex social problem, others were offended by his willingness to "air dirty laundry." Everyone agreed that the film was controversial. Do the Right Thing, released in 1989, confirmed Lee's reputation as someone willing to seize controversial issues by the horns.

A story of simmering racial tension between Italian Americans and African Americans in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, the film becomes a call to arms when violence erupts in response to the killing of an African American man by white police officers. Critical response to the film was both enthusiastic and wary. Lee chose a lighter topic for his next film—a romance. The saga is about a self-centered jazz trumpeter, Bleek Gilliam, whose personal life plays second fiddle to his music. The movie explores the different relationships this man has with friends, family, and women. Bleek's character was inspired by Lee's jazz-musician father, Bill Lee, who wrote the film's score. Although recognized for its technical mastery and snappy score, Mo' Better Blues received unenthusiastic reviews. In Jungle Fever, Lee's next film, he looks at issues of race, class, and gender by focusing on community response to the office affair of a married, black architect and his Italian American secretary. Lee concludes that interracial relationships are often fueled by culturally based, stereotypical expectations.

Sparking controversy from the beginning, the making of Malcolm X (1925–1965) became a personal mission for Lee, who had long been an admirer of the legendary African American leader. The film traces Malcolm X's development from his poor, rural roots to his final years as an activist. Lee worked hard to overcome many obstacles that threatened the creation of his masterpiece. His creative problem solving and dedication to the film were the forces behind its completion. Although Malcolm X received no Oscars, the film played a significant role in the elevation of the black leader to legendary status; it also spawned a cultural phenomenon often referred to as "Malcolm-mania." Promotional merchandise for the film was marketed by Lee himself through Spike's Joint, a chain of stores that comprise a portion of the director's growing business empire. In mid-1993 Lee began shooting his seventh feature film, Crooklyn, a comic tribute to his childhood memories of life in Brooklyn in the 1970s. He managed to take a break from filming, however, to marry Linette Lewis. Lewis, a lawyer, had been romantically linked to Lee for a year prior to their wedding.

Crooklyn was released in 1994 to mixed reviews and a mild reception at the box office. Lee fared far better in 1995 with his next film, Clockers. It tells the story of two brothers who fall under suspicion of murder. One, a drug dealer, had been ordered by his supplier to kill the victim. The other, an upstanding family man, confesses to the crime, saying that he was attacked in the parking lot. The film won outstanding reviews, with some critics citing it as Lee's best work. In 1996 Lee released Get on the Bus, which focuses on a diverse group of African American men riding a bus on their way to the Million Man March (a rally organized in 1995 to celebrate the strength of the African American community) in Washington, D.C. They learn to overcome their differences as they unite for the march. Lee followed that film with 4 Little Girls, a documentary about the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church in 1963, where four African American girls lost their lives. Lee works as an educator as well. He has taught at New York University and also at Harvard.

In March of 2002 Lee became the artistic director of NYU's Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. He works with students on their thesis projects and helps them to make contacts in the entertainment field. Lee enjoys working with the students and challenges them to work hard. Ann lee | Define Ann lee at Dictionary.com Ann, 1736–84, British mystic: founder of Shaker sect in U.S. 2. Charles, 1731–82, American Revolutionary general, born in England. 3. Doris Emrick [em-rik] /ˈɛm rɪk/ (Show IPA), 1905–1986, U.S. painter. 4. Fitzhugh [fits-hyoo or, often, -yoo,, fits-hyoo or, often, -yoo] /ˈfɪtsˌhyu or, often, -ˌyu,, fɪtsˈhyu or, often, -ˈyu/ (Show IPA), 1835–1905, U.S. general and statesman (grandson of Henry Lee; nephew of Robert E. Lee). 5.

[lahyt-foo t] /ˈlaɪtˌfʊt/ (Show IPA), 1734–97, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Richard H. Lee). 6. Gypsy Rose (Rose Louise Hovick) 1914–70, U.S. entertainer. 7. Harper, born 1926, U.S. novelist. 8. Henry ("Light-Horse Harry") 1756–1818, American Revolutionary general (father of Robert E. Lee). 9. [kwahn yoo] /kwɑn yu/ (Show IPA), 1923–2015, Singapore political leader: prime minister 1959–90. 10. Manfred Bennington [man-frid] /ˈmæn frɪd/ (Show IPA), ("Ellery Queen") 1905–71, U.S. mystery writer, in collaboration with Frederic Dannay. 11. Richard Henry, 1732–94, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Francis L. Lee). 12.

Robert E(dward) 1807–70, U.S. soldier and educator: Confederate general in the American Civil War (son of Henry Lee). 13. Sir Sidney, 1859–1926, English biographer and critic. 14. Spike (Shelton Jackson Lee) born 1957, U.S. film director, screenwriter, and actor. 15. [dzoo ng-dou] /ˈdzʊŋˈdaʊ/ (Show IPA), born 1926, Chinese physicist in the U.S.: Nobel Prize 1957. 16. a town in W Massachusetts: resort. 17. Spike Lee Biography (Actor/Filmmaker) Best known as: Outspoken African-American director of Do the Right Thing Name at birth: Shelton Jackson Lee Spike Lee made a name for himself in 1986 with the hit independent film She's Gotta Have It, a frank comedy about the many lovers of an independent Brooklyn woman.

The film established Spike Lee as a rising black filmmaker (something of a rarity at the time) and his skills and independence, along with his outspoken African-American perspective and feisty public persona, kept him in the public eye into the next century. In his later films he continued to tell stories with racial themes and New York settings, including the Brooklyn drama Do the Right Thing (1989), the jazz-tinged Mo' Better Blues (1990, with Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes ), the interracial romance Jungle Fever (1993, with Snipes and Anabella Sciorra), the biopic Malcolm X (1992, starring Washington and based in part on the book by Malcolm X and Alex Haley ), Summer of Sam (1999, with John Leguizamo), and the controversial racial satire Bamboozled (2000, with Mos Def ). Lee and Denzel Washington reunited for the mainstream heist thriller Inside Man in 2006. Spike Lee has often appeared in his own films, and his own She's Gotta Have It character Mars Blackmon, a sports-loving New York nebbish, has appeared in Nike athletic gear commercials.

His other films include Red Hook Summer (2012) and Chi-Raq (2015). Extra credit: Like his fellow filmmaker Woody Allen , Spike Lee is a famous courtside fan of basketball’s New York Knicks… Coincidentally, both Spike Lee and Woody Allen have sons named Satchel, after baseball legend Satchel Paige … Spike Lee’s production company is called 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks… Spike Lee often used the late actor Ossie Davis in his films. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. Advertisement Advertisement Spike Lee | American director | Britannica.com American director Alternative Title: Shelton Jackson Lee Spike Lee Spike Lee, byname of Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957, Atlanta , Georgia , U.S.), American filmmaker known for his uncompromising, provocative approach to controversial subject matter. Spike Lee on the set of Clockers (1995). The Kobal Collection The son of the jazz composer Bill Lee, he was reared in a middle-class Brooklyn neighbourhood.

He majored in communications at Atlanta’s Morehouse College , where he directed his first Super-8 films and met his future coproducer, Monty Ross. In 1978 Lee entered New York University ’s Graduate Film School, where he met another future collaborator, cinematographer Ernest Dickerson. He gained national attention with his master’s thesis, the short subject Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (as he explained at the time, the barbershop “is second only in importance to the church in the black community”), which earned him the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science ’s Student Award. Lee’s feature film debut was She’s Gotta Have It (1986), a prismatic character study about the love life of a contemporary black woman. Establishing a career-long pattern, Lee not only wrote, produced, directed, and edited the film but also played a key supporting role. The film, which was made on a $175,000 budget, was hailed as “Godardesque” at the Cannes film festival .

His next film, based on his experiences at Morehouse, was School Daze (1988), a scatological satire of colour prejudice , snobbery, and betrayal within the black academic community . The infamous Howard Beach incident (1986), in which a black man in Queens , New York , was chased and killed by rampaging white youths, was the inspiration for Lee’s third feature, Do the Right Thing (1989), an impassioned but evenhanded work that neither blamed any specific group for racial violence nor absolved any from it. Most of his subsequent films dealt head-on with issues of race and racism in the United States—for instance, with interracial relationships in Jungle Fever (1991) and with the diversity of opinions within the black community in Get on the Bus (1996). With the notable exception of his monumental biographical film Malcolm X (1992), many of Lee’s later works received mixed reviews.

Some observers complained about the excessive length of his films; others criticized his perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes , notably the Jewish characters in Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and the Italian Americans in Summer of Sam (1999); while still others condemned his treatment of his female characters. The outspoken Lee cited what he perceived as Hollywood’s antiblack bias, noting that, while Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and his poignant documentary 4 Little Girls (1997)—about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing —all received Academy Award nominations, he was repeatedly denied an Oscar win. Denzel Washington in Malcolm X (1992). David Lee—Warner Bros/The Kobal Collection Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Lee’s subsequent films include He Got Game (1998), a family drama that is both an exposé of college basketball recruiting practices and a paean to the sport, and 25th Hour (2002), which focuses on the last day of freedom for a convicted drug dealer (played by Edward Norton ).

Inside Man (2006), starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster , centres on the negotiations between the police and the bank robbers engaged in a hostage situation, while the mystery Miracle at St. Anna (2008) focuses on the experiences of African American soldiers in World War II. Lee returned to Brooklyn, the setting for several earlier films, for the drama Red Hook Summer (2012). Oldboy (2013) was a violent revenge drama based on a Japanese manga (which had previously been adapted as a South Korean film). Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) was a reinterpretation of the 1973 horror film Ganja & Hess. Loosely based on Aristophanes ’ play Lysistrata (411 bce)—in which the women of the warring city-states Athens and Sparta refuse sexual contact until the Peloponnesian War is ended— Chi-Raq (2015) uses comedy, music, and spoken verse to explore the epidemic of gang violence in Chicago in the early 21st century. The film was the first to be produced by Amazon.com ’s Amazon Studios.

Controversial because of its alternatingly irreverent and confrontational tone, the film was nonetheless lauded by many critics for its sui generis examination of racial and class inequality, gang culture , and sexuality. Spike Lee, 2007. Spike Lee - Biography - IMDb Spike Lee Biography Showing all 85 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (9) | Trivia (43) | Personal Quotes (27) | Salary (1) Overview (3) 5' 5" (1.65 m) Mini Bio (1) Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating from Morehouse, Lee attended the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program.

He made a controversial short, The Answer (1980), a reworking of D.W. Griffith 's The Birth of a Nation (1915), a ten-minute film. Lee went on to produce a 45-minute film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) which won a student Academy Award. In 1986, Spike Lee made the film, She's Gotta Have It (1986), a comedy about sexual relationships. The movie was made for $175,000, and earned $7 million at the box office, which launched his career and allowed him to found his own production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. His next movie was School Daze (1988), which was set at a historically black school, focused mostly on the conflict between the school and the Fraternities, of which he was a strong critic, portraying them as materialistic, irresponsible, and uncaring.

With his School Daze (1988) profits, Lee went on to make his landmark film, Do the Right Thing (1989), a movie based specifically his own neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The movie portrayed the racial tensions that emerge in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood on one very hot day. The movie garnered Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, for Danny Aiello for supporting actor, and sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee went on to produce and direct the jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues (1990), the first of many Spike Lee films to feature Denzel Washington , including the biography of Malcolm X (1992), in which Washington portrayed the civil rights leader. The movie was a success, and garnered an Oscar nomination for Washington. The pair would work together again on He Got Game (1998), an excursion into the collegiate world showing the darker side of college athletic recruiting, as well as the 2006 film Inside Man (2006).

Spike Lee's role as a documentarian has expanded over the years, highlighted by his participation in Lumière and Company (1995), the Oscar-nominated 4 Little Girls (1997), to his Peabody Award-winning biographical adaptation of Black Panther leader in A Huey P. Newton Story (2001), through his 2005 Emmy Award-winning examination of post-Katrina New Orleans in When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) and its follow-up five years later If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010). Through his production company 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks, Lee continues to create and direct both independent films and projects for major studios, as well as working on story development, creating an internship program for aspiring filmmakers, releasing music, and community outreach and support. He is married to Tonya Lewis Lee , and they have two sons, Satchel and Jackson.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Scott msa0510@mail.ecu.edu Spouse (1) ( 2 October 1993 - present) (2 children) Trade Mark (9) His films frequently involve African Americans and African-American themes Films called "A Spike Lee Joint" Frequently has characters directly address the camera. Frequently places actors on dollies to achieve a gliding or rotating effect against the background of the shot. His films often have the phrase "Wake Up!" as in an urging to the awakening of maturity and social conscience. Baseball: Every one of his narrative feature films makes reference to baseball teams and players. Frequently uses a technique he calls the "double dolly." This is where the camera and the subject are placed on a dolly and pushed through the scene. This makes the subject look like they are floating or gliding. Trivia (43) Big New York Knicks fan: Has courtside seats for all games. Partially responsible for the "off colored" baseball caps, as he started wearing a red Yankees cap during the 1996 World Series. His production company is 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks. Friend of Soledad O'Brien .

After the Columbine high school shootings Spike said that National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston should be shot. Heston replied that if Spike wanted to take a shot at him he should go ahead and try it. Lee later apologized for the comments. Serves as a master teacher of film at the Tisch School of the Arts and Harvard University. Graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1982. Graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1979. Children, with Tonya Lewis Lee , Satchel (b. 1994) and Jackson (b. 1997). His grandmother, Zimmie Shelton , an alumna of Spelman College (class of 1929), sent him to Morehouse College, the historically black all-male institution affiliated with the all-female Spelman College. His grandmother, Zimmie Shelton , helped fund his first full-length feature film, She's Gotta Have It (1986). He has never learned how to drive an automobile. He and producer/director Monty Ross are frequent collaborators and were classmates and graduates of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Between the making of his award-winning student short, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), and his debut feature, She's Gotta Have It (1986), Lee attempted to make a featured called "Messenger". Over $100,000 was raised, but the film never materialized. The name of his production company, "40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks", came from an unfulfilled promise that many politicians made to freed slaves after the Civil War. Was a Visiting Lecturer in Afro-American Studies and Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University in the early 1990s. Was featured in numerous Nike campaigns in the early '90s Is now (2002) the Artistic Director of the graduate division of the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The position gives Lee an advisory position, allowing him to teach and advise third year students, as well as aid with industry networking. Vied for the director's seat on Ali (2001).

Says that he knew he wouldn't get the job after speaking to the movie's star, Will Smith (one of the many financiers on Lee's Get on the Bus (1996)), who wanted Lee to make a film with "a broader appeal". Has been trying for more than ten years to direct his dream project: a film about the life and times of Jackie Robinson . Says that he personally promised to Robinson's widow, Rachel Isum, to make the film. Another as-of-yet (2003) project he has often spoke of but has yet to do is a film on the boxing match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling . Was voted the 48th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Often casts real-life family members in his films. In Do the Right Thing (1989) , for example, he cast Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (real-life husband and wife), himself and Joie Lee (real-life siblings), and Danny Aiello and Rick Aiello (real-life father and son).

Other films he does this in include School Daze (1988), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). Grandson of Zimmie Shelton , who helped finance his featurette, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983). She received a producing credit on the film, which went on to win a Merit Award at the Student Academy Awards. Is a fan of Michael Moore 's films. Bowling for Columbine (2002) was his favorite film of 2002. Is a huge Arsenal fan and personal friend of team captain Thierry Henry . Is often known to wear Arsenal jerseys while on set. When Norman Jewison was originally hired to direct Malcolm X (1992), Lee met with him and convinced him he needed to "sit this one out". Feeling that only a black director was qualified and would bring the necessary perspective, Lee then stepped in as director with Jewison's blessing. One of his classmate at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts was director Ang Lee .

The Taiwan-born Lee worked on the crew of Spike's thesis film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983). Made the introduction of the song "The Church" on De La Soul 's album "The Grind Date". The Lees bought their 9,800-sq.-ft. Italian palazzo-style home from Jasper Johns in 1998; it was originally built for a Vanderbilt. Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Is a big fan of musicals from Hollywood's Golden Age. His favorite movie is The Deer Hunter (1978). It is the movie that inspired him to be a director. Has directed 2 actors to Oscar-nominated performances: Danny Aiello (Best Supporting Actor, Do the Right Thing (1989)), and Denzel Washington (Best Actor, Malcolm X (1992)). Mentioned in the song "Light My Candle" from Jonathan Larson's musical Rent. He was also considered to direct the movie version of Rent before Chris Colubus was chosen. He's good friends with Martin Scorsese .

Preparing to make a follow-up film to "When the Levees Broke" [January 2010] Endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election of the United States. Attended John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York. Director Larry Charles also went to Dewey, but graduated one year later. He is left-handed. Friends with Bill Nunn . Personal Quotes (27) I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable. What's the difference between Hollywood characters and my characters? Mine are real. Making films has got to be one of the hardest endeavors known to humankind. Straight up and down, film work is hard shit. Wim Wenders had better watch out 'cause I'm waiting for his ass. Somewhere deep in my closet I have a Louisville Slugger bat with Wenders' name on it. "I respect the audience's intelligence a lot, and that's why I don't try to go for the lowest common denominator." -- at the New York premiere of his media satire "Bamboozled".

Agents aren't going to get you anywhere if you aren't established. You just have to be on good terms with the actors and talk stuff out beforehand. A perfect example is She Hate Me - I had many different discussions with many different women, and also with [the actor] Anthony Mackie, so they knew. And this was before they even agreed to do the film. But actors want to know - 'Here, it says they make love. What type of acts are we talking about? What's going to be seen?' I have no problem with that. At the same time, I still want to allow myself some flexibility. But shooting a sex scene is very mechanical - 'Will you move this way? That way? Raise your leg?' And for the most part the crew isn't allowed to be there - I close the set, make it as comfortable as possible. For me, a large part of Jungle Fever (1991) is about sexual mythology: the mythology of a white woman being on a pedestal, the universal standard of beauty, and the mythology about the black man as sexual stud with a ten-foot dick. Buying into the mythology is not a strong foundation for a relationship.

But actresses are asked to compromise themselves, not just from the director but the producer too - 'Are you going to show your tits or your ass?' They say that shit all the time. It is men making decisions. And of course they would rather have heads explode on screen than show a penis. Amongst black people, you have always heard it said that once a black man reaches a certain level, especially if you are an entertainer, you get a white trophy woman. I didn't make that up. You have to do the research. If you don't know about something, then you ask the right people who do. With She's Gotta Have It (1986), I don't think I got any revelation; it was just good to hear the women whom I interviewed confirm what I thought already. [Speaking out after the death of comedian Richard Pryor ]: "He was an innovator and a trailblazer. It's a great loss". "Before, I used to think that everything was based on race. Now class matters just as much. If you are a poor person: black, white, Latino, whatever, the Bush Administration does not have your best interests at heart.

If the Government thought poor people mattered, the response [to Katrina's disaster] would have been much quicker." (March 2006) It has been my observation that parents kill more dreams than anybody. Racism is when you have laws set up, systematically put in the way to keep people from advancing, to stop the advancement of a people. Black people have never had the power to enforce racism, and so this is something that white America is going to have to work out themselves. If they decide they want to stop it, curtail it, or to do the right thing then it will be done, but not until then. [on the Academy Awards] What film won Best Picture in 1989? Driving Miss motherfucking Daisy! That's why [Oscars] don't matter. Because, 20 years later, who's watching Driving Miss Daisy (1989). You gotta make your own way. You gotta find a way. You gotta get it done. It's hard. It's tough. That's what I tell my students every day in class. I've been very fortunate.

Some people might call me a hardhead, but I'm not going to let other people dictate to me who I should be or the stories I should tell. That doesn't register with me. Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors, but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery. I know it's making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better. ... I am a huge basketball fan, and when I watch the games on TNT, I see these two ads for these two shows ( Tyler Perry 's Meet the Browns (2009) and House of Payne (2006)), and I am scratching my head. We got a black president, and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep 'n' Eat?". [on why he became a filmmaker] I had just finished my sophomore year, so I came back to New York trying to find a summer job. Couldn't find one, so with a super-8 camera that I had gotten, I just spent the whole summer shooting stuff around New York City.

That summer happened to the summer of 'the blackout' and that summer was also the first summer of disco, and there were always block-parties around everywhere, and people would just plug up their tables to the streetlights. That was the first summer that 'the hustle' came out, so I made a film called 'Last Hustle Brooklyn', which I inter-cut with the looting from the blackout and the block-party stuff. That's when I really decided I wanted to become a filmmaker. [re Oldboy (2013)] Rage doesn't have to fester for years, but revenge? That stuff takes time. It's the oldest staple of films, in stories. It goes back to the Bible. Black people can't be racist. Racism is an institution. [on how independent filmmaking changed since he started] That might as well have been a million years ago. Filmmakers like Jim [ Jim Jarmusch ] and I, the only reason we went to film school was because of the equipment. We didn't care about the MFA. You went to film school to get the equipment.

Now students look at the cost of going to schools and say, "I could use that money to buy my own camera and lighting kit." It's a new world. [2015] [on why other companies passed on Chi-Raq (2015) before Amazon Studios] They never give you a reason; they just say, "It's not for us." My co-writer Kevin Willmott and I wrote the script and went to Sundance and everybody was saying no, no, no, no, no. Amazon said yes. I tell my students, "All it takes is one yes. You get a bunch of motherf-ing nos, but all it takes is one yes." [2015] [his advice for aspiring filmmakers] I hope they're doing it because they love it, not because they want to be rich or famous. Not that those things can't happen, but the main reason, the focus is, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life and I love it." Not to say that you don't want to make money, but the passion should be driven by your love for that particular thing that you're doing.

{2015] [advice to young people considering a show-business career] You've got to have heart and you've got to have drive. And when you get knocked down you've got to pick yourself up - put your hands up on the ropes and pull yourself to your feet. Because, if you can't take a hit, you're not going to last long, that's for sure. I had a great education. From kindergarten to John Dewey High School in Coney Island, I am public-school educated. One thing I hope "School Daze" does is knock all this goddam "Black Woody Allan" shit put the window. Peop;r say I should take it as a , compliment. F__k dat. So often black artists are compared to whiter artists, To me it's saying that I've patterned myself after Woody, that my work is not original. Salary (1) Spike Lee (Creator) - TV Tropes Spike Lee You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share WMG Very political. Very polarizing. Very popular.

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is a renowned film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor famous for dealing with controversial issues such as racism, politics, and urban violence in his films. Lee has received two Academy Award nominations, a Student Academy Award and an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and won numerous other awards, including an Emmy Award and the 2013 Gish Prize. Lee made his directorial debut with an independent film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads in 1983, and his first feature film, She's Gotta Have It, was released in 1986. He and has since directed such films as Do the Right Thing , Malcolm X , The Original Kings of Comedy , 25th Hour , and most recently Chi-Raq (2015).

Lee's films are typically referred to as "Spike Lee Joints" and the closing credits always end with the phrases "By Any Means Necessary", "Ya Dig" and "Sho Nuff." Lee's film Do the Right Thing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. In 2006, he also directed the acclaimed documentary, When the Levees Broke, which detailed life in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city's anti-flooding safeguards in 2005. In 2013, he was chosen to direct an English-language remake of the South Korean thriller Oldboy . Lee has starred or acted in his ten of his own films. He played the lead role of Mookie in Do the Right Thing and major supporting roles in Malcolm X , Girl 6 , and Mo' Better Blues. He reprised the role of Mars Blackmon from She's Gotta Have It for a series of Nike commercials also starring Michael Jordan . Is the Sitcom Arch-Nemesis of Quentin Tarantino , whom Lee has clashed with over his films' use of a certain word .

Selected Filmography: Lees | Define Lees at Dictionary.com lees The lee of the rock gave us some protection against the storm. 2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind: We erected our huts under the lee of the mountain. 3. Chiefly Nautical. the quarter or region toward which the wind blows. adjective pertaining to, situated in, or moving toward the lee. Idioms by the lee, Nautical. accidentally against what should be the lee side of a sail: Careless steering brought the wind by the lee. 6. under the lee, Nautical. to leeward. Origin of lee1 Old English 900 before 900; Middle English; Old English hlēo(w) shelter, cognate with Old Frisian hli, hly, Old Saxon hleo, Old Norse hlé lee2 Usually, lees . the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, especially from wine; sediment; dregs.

Origin Expand 1350-1400; Middle English lie < Middle French < Medieval Latin lia, probably < Gaulish *lig(j)a; compare Old Irish lige bed, akin to Old English gelege bed. See lie 2 Lee Ann, 1736–84, British mystic: founder of Shaker sect in U.S. 2. Charles, 1731–82, American Revolutionary general, born in England. 3. Doris Emrick [em-rik] /ˈɛm rɪk/ (Show IPA), 1905–1986, U.S. painter. 4. Fitzhugh [fits-hyoo or, often, -yoo,, fits-hyoo or, often, -yoo] /ˈfɪtsˌhyu or, often, -ˌyu,, fɪtsˈhyu or, often, -ˈyu/ (Show IPA), 1835–1905, U.S. general and statesman (grandson of Henry Lee; nephew of Robert E. Lee). 5.

[lahyt-foo t] /ˈlaɪtˌfʊt/ (Show IPA), 1734–97, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Richard H. Lee). 6. Gypsy Rose (Rose Louise Hovick) 1914–70, U.S. entertainer. 7. Harper, born 1926, U.S. novelist. 8. Henry ("Light-Horse Harry") 1756–1818, American Revolutionary general (father of Robert E. Lee). 9. [kwahn yoo] /kwɑn yu/ (Show IPA), 1923–2015, Singapore political leader: prime minister 1959–90. 10. Manfred Bennington [man-frid] /ˈmæn frɪd/ (Show IPA), ("Ellery Queen") 1905–71, U.S. mystery writer, in collaboration with Frederic Dannay. 11. Richard Henry, 1732–94, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Francis L. Lee). 12.

Robert E(dward) 1807–70, U.S. soldier and educator: Confederate general in the American Civil War (son of Henry Lee). 13. Sir Sidney, 1859–1926, English biographer and critic. 14. Spike (Shelton Jackson Lee) born 1957, U.S. film director, screenwriter, and actor. 15. [dzoo ng-dou] /ˈdzʊŋˈdaʊ/ (Show IPA), born 1926, Chinese physicist in the U.S.: Nobel Prize 1957. 16. a town in W Massachusetts: resort. 17. a male or female given name. Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for lees Expand Contemporary Examples She sent at once for lees and a séance was held in the Palace. How Queen Victoria's Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert's Shade Tom Sykes June 12, 2013 The lees were the 1st Black Family to move into the predominantly Italian-American Brooklyn Neighborhood of Cobble Hill.

Spike Lee Blasts The New York Times’ Story on Brooklyn Gentrification in Fiery Op-Ed Marlow Stern March 30, 2014 The voice phenomenon produced by lees was instantly recognisable as that of the late Consort. How Queen Victoria's Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert's Shade Tom Sykes June 12, 2013 lees refused the offer, apparently on the advice of his spirit guides, but did not leave the Queen without solace. How Queen Victoria's Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert's Shade Tom Sykes June 12, 2013 So, when she had their report, was the Queen, but before she could take action, she received a letter from the schoolboy lees. How Queen Victoria's Affection For John Brown Sprang From His Contact With Dead Albert's Shade Tom Sykes June 12, 2013 Historical Examples Only a short while; then the thought comes to them in the shape of a dilemma—Miss lees being the first to perceive it.

When my brother was sick there was nothing to give him to drink but lees that we'd been putting water to for a year. Germinie Lacerteux Edmond and Jules de Goncourt British Dictionary definitions for lees Expand the sediment from an alcoholic drink Word Origin C14: plural of obsolete lee, from Old French, probably from Celtic; compare Irish lige bed lee noun 1. a sheltered part or side; the side away from the direction from which the wind is blowing 2. (nautical) by the lee, so that the wind is blowing on the wrong side of the sail 3. (nautical) under the lee, towards the lee adjective 4. (prenominal) (nautical) on, at, or towards the side or part away from the wind: on a lee shore Compare weather (sense 5) Word Origin Old English hlēow shelter; related to Old Norse hle Lee1 noun 1. a river in SW Republic of Ireland, flowing east into Cork Harbour. Length: about 80 km (50 miles) Lee2 noun 1. Ang (æŋ).

born 1954, Taiwanese film director; his films include Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Life of Pi (2012) 2. Bruce, original name Lee Yuen Kam. 1940–73, US film actor and kung fu expert who starred in such films as Enter the Dragon (1973) 3. Gypsy Rose, original name Rose Louise Hovick. 1914–70, US striptease and burlesque artiste, who appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies (1936) and in films 4. Laurie (ˈlɒrɪ). 1914–97, British poet and writer, best known for the autobiographical Cider with Rosie (1959) 5. Richard Henry. 1732–94, American Revolutionary statesman, who moved the resolution in favour of American independence (1776) 6. Robert E(dward).

1807–70, American general; commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies in the Civil War 7. Spike, real name Shelton Jackson Lee. born 1957, US film director: his films include She's Gotta Have It (1985), Malcolm X (1992), and the documentary When the Leeves Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2008) 8. T(sung)-D(ao) (tsuːŋ daʊ). born 1926, US physicist, born in China. With Yang he disproved the principle that that parity is always conserved and shared the Nobel prize for physics in 1957 Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for lees Expand n.

late 14c., from Old French lies, plural of lie "sediment," probably from Celtic (cf. Old Irish lige "a bed, a lying"), from PIE root *legh- "to lie" (see lie (v.2)). lee n. Old English hleo "shelter, cover, defense, protection," from Proto-Germanic *khlewaz (cf. Old Norse hle, Danish læ, Old Saxon hleo, Dutch lij "lee, shelter"). No known cognates outside Germanic; original sense uncertain and might have been "warm" (cf. German lau "tepid," Old Norse hly "shelter, warmth"), which might link it to PIE *kele- (1) "warm." As an adjective, 1510s, from the noun. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper lees in the Bible Expand (Heb. shemarim), from a word meaning to keep or preserve. It was applied to "lees" from the custom of allowing wine to stand on the lees that it might thereby be better preserved (Isa. 25:6).

"Men settled on their lees" (Zeph. 1:12) are men "hardened or crusted." The image is derived from the crust formed at the bottom of wines long left undisturbed (Jer. 48:11). The effect of wealthy undisturbed ease on the ungodly is hardening. They become stupidly secure (comp. Ps. 55:19; Amos 6:1). To drink the lees (Ps. 75:8) denotes severe suffering. Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary Spike Lee - IMDb IMDb Director | Producer | Writer Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed ...

See full bio » Born: a list of 40 people created 03 Aug 2011 a list of 43 people created 11 Dec 2013 a list of 30 people created 14 Dec 2014 a list of 21 people created 6 months ago a list of 35 people created 5 months ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Spike Lee's work have you seen? User Polls Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 44 wins & 64 nominations.

See more awards » Known For | Edit Filmography 2009 Kobe Doin' Work (TV Movie documentary) 1998-2009 Great Performances (TV Series) (2 episodes) Off-Time (associate producer) ( post-production ) Spike Lee's Lil Joints (TV Mini-Series documentary) (executive producer - 2 episodes, 2015 - 2016) (producer - 1 episode, 2016) 2015 Chi-Raq (producer) 2015 NBA 2K16 (Video Game) (executive producer) 2015 Touched with Fire (executive producer) 2015 Cronies (executive producer) 2011 Doubles with Slight Pepper (Short) (executive producer) 2011/I Pariah (executive producer) 2009 Kobe Doin' Work (TV Movie documentary) (producer) 2009 Great Performances (TV Series) (producer - 1 episode) 2017 She's Gotta Have It (TV Series) (based upon story by - 1 episode) ( announced )

 - Episode #1.1 (2017) ...

(based upon story by) 2015 Chi-Raq (written by) 2015 Chi-Raq (producer: "Pray 4 My City") 1989 Do the Right Thing (lyrics: "Don't Shoot Me") / (music: "Don't Shoot Me") Hide 2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) (segment director - 1 episode) - Will Smith/U2 (2014) ... (segment director: opening sequence) Hide - Stuff That Happened (2016) ... (very special thanks) 2016/I Forever (Short) (the producers wish to thank) 2015 Carmelo (Short) (thanks) 2014 Your Love (Short) (very special thanks) 2014 F to 7th (TV Series short) (very special thanks - 8 episodes) - Nature (2014) ...

(very special thanks) 2014 Bump & Go (Short) (special thanks) 2013 Surviving Cliffside (Documentary) (very special thanks) 2013 Outpost (Short) (very special thanks) 2012 Mango Bajito (very special thanks) 2012 Laff Mobb Presents (TV Series) (special thanks - 2 episodes) 2011 Violet & Daisy (special thanks) 2011/I Pariah (extra special thanks) 2009 Us: A Love Story (Short) (very special thanks) 2009 Streetballers (special thanks) 2006 Edge of Outside (Documentary) (special thanks) 2005 Secuestro (TV Short) (special thanks) 2004 Date (Short) (special thanks) 2004 El Delivery (TV Short) (special thanks) 2003 Five Deep Breaths (Short) (special thanks) 2001 Snapped (Short) (special thanks - as Shelton J.

Lee) 1999 Chutney Popcorn (special thanks) 1999 Dogma (humble thanks) 1997 Nowhere Fast (special thanks - as Shelton Lee) 1994 Clerks (special thanks: for leading the way)

Question: US film director and actor Shelton Jackson Lee is better known by what name?
Answer: Spike Lee