Biography for Tyler Perry

American Dramatist/Director/Actor/Producer (1969 - )

Tyler Perry is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, born in Harvey, Louisiana on September 13, 1969. In 1992, Perry began a therapeutic effort of writing letters to himself to alleviate his childhood pain. Those letters would serve as the foundation for his first play, I Know I've Been Changed, which dealt with surviving child abuse. The play was poorly attended and after meager reviews and more disappointing openings, he decided to have a final show to close the failed production. It was during that last performance that a stranger in the audience saw the play's potential and invested in his dream. That leap of faith, coupled with Perry's perseverance and talent, launched him from near-penniless obscurity to wealth and fame. Over the next seven years, Perry would launch a series of successful productions which would secure a place for him as one of the youngest and wealthiest African-American playwrights of the new millennium.

Perry's second independent but fifth touring project, Diary of a Mad Black Woman opened as a smash hit in January, 2001. The following year, January 2002, Perry launched the production Madea's Family Reunion which was equally, if not more, successful than previous productions. It sold out its twelve-day schedule one full month in advance of the crew's scheduled arrival in designated cities along the tour. Likewise, in January 2003, Perry revisited the Madea character in Madea's Class Reunion - The Class That Had No Class. Needless to say, it was a hit as well, and it appears that audiences cannot get enough of the Madea character. Audiences absolutely love her! As fans have come to love Perry's Madea character, there is a rising admiration and love for the character Leroy Brown who appeared in one of Perry's earlier productions. Leroy Brown's off-beat personality and bizarre dressing habits kept audiences in hysterics throughout the play. Leroy Brown's character was the inspiration of Perry's recent production, Meet the Browns which starred David Mann (Leroy Brown) and Tamela Mann (Cora - daughter of Leroy Brown)-a husband and wife team of seventeen years. Perry's Meet the Browns joined an already successful and well-received series of productions, making Perry one of today's most celebrated playwrights.