• Spike Lee is an acclaimed and controversial director, producer, writer, and actor known for such socially and politically charged films as Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls and Bamboozled. On February 20, 2009, Lee called for a boycott of the New York Daily News after they ran a cartoon which appeared to compare President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee.NY Daily News: Spike Lee wants boycott of New York Post February 20, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: March 20, 1957
  2. Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
  3. Production company: 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
  4. Full name: Shelton Jackson Lee
  5. Oscar nominations: 2
  6. Emmy nominations: 1
  7. Golden Globe nominations: 2
  8. Teaches at New York University
  9. Alma-mater: Morehouse College
  10. Dated model Veronica Webb
  11. Favorite movie: The Deer Hunter
  12. Played Mars Blackmon in Nike commercials with Michael Jordan

• Brief Background

  Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Spike Lee attended Moorehouse University as an undergraduate to study film. He later got his Master's at New York University, and finished his thesis film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads. He started out directing commercials, getting hired by Nike to feature ads with Michael Jordan. Later becoming a politically aware filmmaker, Lee directed controversial movies about race and ethnic identity. He received major critical acclaim for his 1989 film, Do the Right Thing. He later went on to direct such films as: Malcolm X, Jesus Children of America and Lovers & Haters.

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Summer of Sam | Bamboozled | Denzel Washington | Edward Norton | Laurence Fishburne | Hurricane Katrina | Rosario Dawson | Jennifer Esposito | Steve Harvey | Mos Def | Clive Owen | Jodie Foster | Morehouse College | Alex Haley | Kobe Doing Work

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