Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor who has written several well known plays and films including Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Daddy's Little Girls. Perry often portrays the role of the "gun packing granny" known as Madea in his films. Perry's most recent Madea film, Madea Goes to Jail, appeared in theaters on February 20, 2009.CNN: Tyler Perry is still looking for respect (February 16, 2009)

Perry's alleged stalker, Dawne Wilson, was arrested on April 15, 2009, outside of his production studio in Atlanta. Perry obtained a restraining order against Wilson in 2008 after she sent him an email stating "You need to check your heart condition because it is filled with murder....your love has been but costly and deadly....Murder I say is the verdict." She was arrested for violating the order.TMZ: Tyler Perry Alleged Stalker Threatens Murder (April 20, 2009) Wilson was indicted on May 5, 2009, for felony aggravated stalking. Her arraignment is scheduled for May 7th.TMZ: Tyler Perry's Alleged Stalker Indicted (May 6, 2009) If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.TMZ: Tyler Perry's Alleged Stalker Charged (April 21, 2009)

Donna West filed a lawsuit against Tyler Perry in May 2007 claiming that he had stolen material from her play and used it in his film titled Diary of a Mad Black Woman. On December 9, 2008, West lost her case. Jurors ruled that she did not present adequate evidence to prove that copyright infringement had taken place.

Perry's attorney, Veronica Lewis, made the following statement about their win in court: "We are very pleased that the jurors understood that Tyler Perry is an incredibly talented person who has no need to copy the work of others."

West's attorney, Willie Briscoe, made this statement: "Obviously we're very disappointed. We thought we'd made our case. I believe that we conclusively demonstrated that Mr. Perry had access to Ms. West's work, that there were striking similarities between her work and his work." The suit was filed in a Marshall, Texas, court.OMG!: Tyler Perry wins suit over copyright infringement (December 10, 2008)

• 2002: I Can Do Bad All by Myself as Madea Simmons
• 2005: Diary of a Mad Black Woman as Madea
• 2006: Madea's Family Reunion as Madea / Brian / Joe
• 2007: Why Did I Get Married? as Terry
• 2007: House of Payne as Madea
• 2008: Meet the Browns as Madea / Joe
• 2008: The Family That Preys as Ben
• 2009: Madea Goes to Jail as Madea
• 2009: Star Trek as Starfleet Academy President
• 2009: A Jazz Man's Blues

On December 8, [2009]], Willie Maxine Perry - Perry's mother and the inspiration behind his character Madea, passed away. She was 64, and no cause of death was reported.http://www.popeater.com/2009/12/09/tyler-perrys-mom-dies-was-inspiration-for-madea/http://www.examiner.com/x-19115-Atlanta-AfricanAmerican-Pop-Culture-Examiner~y2009m12d9-Tyler-Perrys-mom-Willie-Maxine-Perry-passes-at-age-64 Maxine Perry was a pre-school teacher, working at a Jewish Community Center for many years.http://dimewars.com/Blog/ViewBlogArticle.aspx?vn=Willie+Maxine+Perry%2c+Tyler+Perry%27s+Mother%2c+Passes+Away+At+64&BlogID=081416a8-454f-4a04-a85a-ded968a0d7ed

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• September 13, 1969: Born

• 1998: I Know I've Been Changed

• 1999: I Can Do Bad All By Myself

• 2003: Madea's Class Reunion

• 2006: What's Done in the Dark

• 2006: Madea's Family Reunion

• 2006-Present: House of Payne

• 2007: Daddy's Little Girls

• 2007: Why Did I Get Married?

• 2008: Madea Goes to Jail