Spike Lee
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Spike Lee was born Shelton Lee in 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from a proud and intelligent background. His father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a school teacher. His mother dubbed him Spike, due to his tough nature. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating, he went to 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. Lee's next film, "The Messenger," in 1984, was somewhat biographical. 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 dollars, and made seven ... Show more...
Spike Lee was born Shelton Lee in 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from a proud and intelligent background. His father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a school teacher. His mother dubbed him Spike, due to his tough nature. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating, he went to 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. Lee's next film, "The Messenger," in 1984, was somewhat biographical. 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 dollars, and made seven million. Since then, Lee has become a well-known, intelligent, and talented film maker. His next movie was School Daze (1988), which was set in a historically black school and 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. Lee went on to do his landmark film, Do the Right Thing (1989), a movie specifically about his own town in Brooklyn, New York. The movie portrayed a neighborhood on a very hot day, and the racial tensions that emerge. The movie garnered an Oscar nomination, for Danny Aiello, for supporting actor. It also sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee went on to produce the jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues (1990) which showed his talent for directing and acting, and was the first of many Spike Lee films to feature Denzel Washington. His next film, Jungle Fever (1991), was about interracial dating. Lee's handling of the subject proved yet again highly controversial. Lee's next film was the self-titled biography of Malcolm X (1992), which had Denzel Washington portraying the civil rights leader. The movie was a success, and resulted in an Oscar nomination for Washington. His next films were the comparatively light, Crooklyn (1994), and the intense crime drama, Clockers (1995). In 1996, Lee directed two movies: the badly received comedy, Girl 6 (1996), and the politically pointed, Get on the Bus (1996), about a group of men going to the Million Man March. His next film, He Got Game (1998), proved to be another excursion into the collegiate world as he shows the darker side of recruiting college athletes. The movie, in limited release, yet again featured Denzel Washington. In 2000 came Bamboozled which made a mockery out of television and the way African-Americans are perceived by white America and the way African-Americans perceive themselves. The movie, however, was a resounding critical success. Lee also has produced films like New Jersey Drive (1995), Tales from the Hood (1995), and Drop Squad (1994). He also has produced and or directed movies about Huey P. Newton, Jim Brown, and has commented in many documentaries about varied subjects. With pointed political messages, insightful, different and intelligent films, Spike Lee has become a well known political presence. He looks likely to have further success in the film business. Lee is an obsessive New York Knicks fan. He and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, have two children. Show less...
Filmography - Acting
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Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018)
As: Himself
Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrating the acclaimed journalists and the city they loved.
Runtime: 106 min.
Directed by: John Block | Jonathan Alter | Stephen McCarthy
Stars: Pete Hamill | Jimmy Breslin | Gloria Steinem | Gay Talese | Spike Lee
Champs (2015)
As: Himself
A documentary about the sport of boxing, as seen through the eyes of champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins.
Runtime: 85 min.
Directed by: Bert Marcus
Stars: Mike Tyson | Evander Holyfield | Bernard Hopkins | 50 Cent | Spike Lee
Bad 25 (2012)
As: Himself
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson recording the album and interviews with confidants, musicians, choreographers, and such music-world superstars as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey.
Runtime: 131 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Michael Jackson | Spike Lee | Sheryl Crow | Cee Lo Green | Mariah Carey
A Man's Story (2012)
As: Himself
Documentary about British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng.
Runtime: 98 min.
Directed by: Varon Bonicos
Stars: Ozwald Boateng | Giorgio Armani | Michael Bay | Paul Bettany | Richard Branson
Red Hook Summer (2012)
As: Mr. Mookie
When his mom deposits him at the Red Hook housing project in Brooklyn to spend the summer with the grandfather he’s never met, young Flik may as well have landed on Mars. Fresh from his cushy life in Atlanta, he’s bored and friendless, and his strict grandfather, Enoch, a firebrand preacher, is bent on getting him to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior. Only Chazz, the feisty girl from church, ...
Runtime: 121 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Clarke Peters | Nate Parker | Thomas Jefferson Byrd | Toni Lysaith | Jules Brown
Brooklyn Boheme (2012)
As: Himself
Brooklyn Boheme is a love letter to a vibrant African American artistic community who resided in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Brooklyn during the 80's and 90's that included the great Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Talib Kweli just to name a few. Narrated and written by Fort Greene resident Nelson George, this feature length documentary celebrates "Brooklyn's equivalent of ...
Runtime: 75 min.
Directed by: Diane Paragas | Nelson George
Stars: Spike Lee | Branford Marsalis | Rosie Perez | Chris Rock | Carl Rux
Guest (2011)
As: Himself
Filmmaker José Luis Guerin documents his experience during a year of traveling as a guest of film festivals to present his previous film. What emerges is a wonderfully humane and sincere portrayal of the people that he meets when he goes off the beaten track in some of the world's major cities.
Runtime: 124 min.
Directed by: José Luis Guerin
Stars: Spike Lee | Chantal Akerman | José Luis Guerin | Tanja Czichy | Charlotte Dupont
Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks (2010)
As: Himself
Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City. With moments to go in Game 1, and facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit of 105-99, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to give his Indiana Pacers an astonishing victory. This career-defining performance, combined ...
Runtime: 68 min.
Directed by: Dan Klores
Stars: Reggie Miller | Cheryl Miller | Spike Lee | Patrick Ewing | Donnie Walsh
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Malcolm X (2005)
As: Himself
A short documentary about the making of Spike Lee's biopic, 'Malcolm X'.
Runtime: 30 min.
Directed by: Gary Leva
Stars: James Earl Jones | Martin Scorsese | Spike Lee | Ossie Davis | Ernest R. Dickerson
Street Fight (2005)
As: Himself
This documentary follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey in which the Cory Booker attempted to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James
Runtime: 83 min.
Directed by: Marshall Curry
Stars: Cornel West | Spike Lee | Al Sharpton | Cory Booker
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005)
Feature-length documentary on renegade filmmaker, novelist, musician and theater impresario, Melvin Van Peebles.
Runtime: 85 min.
Directed by: Joe Angio
Stars: Marva Allen | Emanuel Azenberg | Spike Lee | Melvin Van Peebles | Gil Scott-Heron
3 A.M. (2001)
As: Filmmaker
The feature film directing debut of Spike Lee protege Lee Davis takes the viewer into the world of taxi drivers. Developed in the Sundance Laboratory, this film offers dove-tailing stories centering on the lives of individual taxi drivers as they reflect on and experience romance, politics, sociology, and spirituality.
Runtime: 92 min.
Directed by: Lee Davis
Stars: Sarita Choudhury | Michelle Rodriguez | Arjun G. Awtramani | Sergej Trifunović | Danny Glover
Lisa Picard Is Famous (2000)
As: Spike Lee
A documentarian decides to follow the career of New York actress Lisa Picard, believing she is on the brink of fame. Instead, he bears witness to Lisa's continued, humorous, struggles as an actress, as well as the conflict that arises when Lisa's best friend Tate hits it big with an off-Broadway one-man show.
Runtime: 90 min.
Directed by: Griffin Dunne
Stars: Laura Kirk | Nat DeWolf | Griffin Dunne | Daniel London | Sandra Bullock
Michael Jordan to the Max (2000)
As: Himself
This documentary showcases basketball player Michael Jordan's awe-inspiring moves, providing behind-the-scenes and on-the-court action, including footage of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls going head-to-head against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. Phil Jackson and Bob Costas are interviewed (among others), and the awesome soundtrack includes songs by Earth, Wind and Fire, Fatboy Slim and Freddie King.
Runtime: 46 min.
Directed by: James D. Stern | Don Kempf
Stars: Michael Jordan | Phil Jackson | Bob Costas | Bill Murray | Laurence Fishburne
Summer of Sam (1999)
As: John Jeffries
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American South Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Runtime: 142 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: John Leguizamo | Adrien Brody | Mira Sorvino | Jennifer Esposito | Michael Rispoli
The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money (1998)
As: Himself
An examination of the evolution of commercials as an artistic medium, featuring interviews with media luminaries who relate how the in-your-face stylistic conventions of commercials have influenced feature films and the visual arts. A documentary film talking about art and advertising divided in three parts: 1. Crossing Over - from cinema to ads from ads to cinema 2. Humour - How humour affects us in advertising 3. Shock - ...
Runtime: 170 min.
Directed by: Hermann Vaske
Stars: Dennis Hopper | David Lynch | Spike Lee | Ridley Scott | Dennis Hopper
When We Were Kings (1996)
As: Himself
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble ...
Runtime: 88 min.
Directed by: Leon Gast
Stars: Muhammad Ali | George Foreman | Don King | James Brown | B.B. King
Girl 6 (1996)
As: Jimmy
Girl 6 is a 1996 American film by director Spike Lee about a phone sex operator. Theresa Randle played the title character, and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the screenplay. The soundtrack is composed entirely of songs written by Prince. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Directors Quentin Tarantino and Ron Silver make cameo appearances as film directors at a pair of ...
Runtime: 108 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Theresa Randle | Isaiah Washington | Spike Lee | Jenifer Lewis | Debi Mazar
Clockers (1995)
As: Chucky
Strike is a young city drug pusher under the tutelage of drug lord Rodney Little. When a night manager at a fast-food restaurant is found with four bullets in his body, Strike's older brother turns himself in as the killer. Det. Rocco Klein doesn't buy the story, however, setting out to find the truth, and it seems that all the fingers point toward Strike & Rodney.
Runtime: 128 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Harvey Keitel | John Turturro | Delroy Lindo | Mekhi Phifer | Isaiah Washington
Crooklyn (1994)
As: Snuffy
From Spike Lee comes this vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school-teacher, her stubborn jazz-musician husband and their five kids living in '70s Brooklyn.
Runtime: 115 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Alfre Woodard | Delroy Lindo | David Patrick Kelly | Zelda Harris | Carlton Williams
Seven Songs for Malcolm X (1993)
The Black Audio Film Collective’s seventh film envisioned the death and life of the African American revolutionary as a seven part study in iconography as narrated by novelist Toni Cade Bambara and actor Giancarlo Espesito. The stylized tableaux vivants that memorialise Malcolm’s life referenced the early 20th century funeral photography of James Van der Zee’s The Harlem Book of the Dead and the elemental static ...
Runtime: 52 min.
Directed by: John Akomfrah
Stars: Darrick Harris | Danny Carter | Martin Boothe | Byron O. Hurlock | Edward George
The Last Party (1993)
As: Himself
A youthful perspective on the 1992 presidential campaign with a witty, cautionary message to young Americans to start participating in democracy or get the kind of government they deserve.
Runtime: 96 min.
Directed by: Marc Levin | Mark Benjamin
Stars: Robert Downey Jr. | Bill Clinton | Oliver North | Spike Lee | Sean Penn
Malcolm X (1992)
As: Shorty
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Runtime: 202 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Angela Bassett | Albert Hall | Al Freeman, Jr. | Delroy Lindo
Jungle Fever (1991)
As: Cyrus
A successful and married black man contemplates having an affair with a white girl from work. He's quite rightly worried that the racial difference would make an already taboo relationship even worse.
Runtime: 132 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Wesley Snipes | Annabella Sciorra | John Turturro | Samuel L. Jackson | Ossie Davis
Lonely in America (1990)
As: Himself
An East Indian native immigrates to New York City and stumbles his way onto the corporate fast-track.
Runtime: 96 min.
Directed by: Barry Alexander Brown
Stars: Ranjit Chowdhry | Tirlok Malik | Adelaide Miller | Robert Kessler | David Toney
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
As: Giant
Opens with Bleek as a child learning to play the trumpet, his friends want him to come out and play but mother insists he finish his lessons. Bleek grows into adulthood and forms his own band - The Bleek Gilliam Quartet. The story of Bleek's and Shadow's friendly rivalry on stage which spills into their professional relationship and threatens to tear apart the quartet.
Runtime: 129 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Spike Lee | Wesley Snipes | Giancarlo Esposito | John Turturro
Do the Right Thing (1989)
As: Mookie
On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Runtime: 120 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Danny Aiello | Ossie Davis | Ruby Dee | Richard Edson | Giancarlo Esposito
School Daze (1988)
As: Darrell "Half-Pint" Dunlap
In the South of the United States are taking place confrontations between two groups of students who have different ideas and are not able to accept the one of the opponent.
Runtime: 121 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson | Laurence Fishburne | Giancarlo Esposito | Tisha Campbell-Martin | Ossie Davis
She's Gotta Have It (1986)
As: Mars Blackmon
The story of Nola Darling's simultaneous sexual relationships with three different men is told by her and by her partners and other friends. All three men wanted her to commit solely to them; Nola resists being "owned" by a single partner.
Runtime: 84 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Tracy Camilla Johns | Tommy Redmond Hicks | John Canada Terrell | Spike Lee | Raye Dowell