Spike Lee

Spike Lee: Biography in Details

Who is Spike Lee?

Spike Lee is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his films like Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and Do the Right Thing.

Spike Lee: Age, Parents, Siblings, Education, Ethnicity

This director was born on 20 March 1957, in Georgia, the US with the birth name Shelton Jackson Lee. He belongs to All-American descent.

His father William Edward Lee III was a jazz musician and a composer. His mother Jacqueline Carroll was a teacher of black literature and arts. He has two brothers Cinque and David, and a sister Joie.

All of Lee’s siblings have worked in different positions in his films. He studied at John Dewey High School.

Spike made his first student film Last Hustle in Brooklyn, in Morehouse College, where he graduated with BA in mass communication.

Afterward, Spike Lee took a film course at Clark Atlanta University. Later, he earned his Master’s degree in fine arts from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts.

Spike Lee: Career and Professional Life

Spike Lee filmed his first independent short film Joe’s Bed-Study Barbershop: We Cut Heads for his Master’s thesis in 1983.

The film was showcased in Lincoln Center’s New Directors New Films Festival and the film won the Student Academy Award.

Afterward, in 1985, he began working on his first feature film She’s Gotta Have It. He produced, directed, edited, starred, and wrote the film with a budget of $175,000. The movie grossed over $7 million at the U.S. box office.

Between 1986-1990, Spike released 3 movies School Daze, Do the Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues. All his movies were a big success.

Afterward, in 1991, he directed his fifth feature-length film Jungle Fever which received positives reviews and appreciations.

The next year, Lee released a biographical drama movie, Malcolm X distributed by Warner Bros and Largo Entertainment. In 1997, he released a historical documentary film, 4 Little Girls which won several awards for its outstanding story.

His other work in the film industry includes Crooklyn, Girl 6, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, Inside Man, Oldboy, BlacKkKlansman, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, and more.

Later, in 2020, Lee wrote, directed, and produced a war drama film Da 5 Bloods on Netflix. The Library of Congress selected his movies: Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, 4 Little Girls, and ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ for preservation in the National Fim Registry.

Spike Lee’s movie BlacKkKlansman receives 6 nominations for the Academy Award, and he himself was nominated for 3 Oscars. He won his first Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie.

Awards and Honors

Spike Lee has received many awards for his notable work in the film industry. Some of the awards received by Spike are mentioned below.

• Black Reel Awards, Love and Basketball
• Black Movie Awards, Inside Man
• Berlin International Film Festival, Get on the Bus
• 1999 Inspiration Award, Empire Awards, UK
• 2003, Honorary César Award, France
• 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards as Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, When the Leeves Broke: A Requiem for Four Acts
• 2006, AAFCA Special Achievement Award
• 2018, 20/20 Awards for Best Documentary for 4 Little Girls
• 2019 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Movie, BlacKkKlansman
• 2015 Academy Honorary Award for his contributions to filmmaking
• Governors Awards, a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers
• 2019 Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, BlacKkKlansman
• 2018 Grand Prix for BlacKkKlansman

How much is the net worth of Spike Lee?

Earlier, in 1992, Lee received an impressive salary of $3 million to direct the movie, Malcolm X.

Meanwhile, according to some sources, he has an estimated net worth of $50 million as of 2022.

Spike Lee: Rumor and Controversy

Earlier, in 1999, Spike Lee made a controversial comment about Charlton Heston at the Cannes Film Festival. He told saying that Heston should be shot with a 44 Bull Dog. Later, Spike apologized for his statement responding to it as a joke.

Afterward, in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Lee criticized director Clint Eastwood for not portraying Black marines in his movie Flags of Our Fathers.

Clint responded that his movie was about the marines who raised that flag at Iowa Jima and black marines did not raise the flag at Iowa Jima.

An actress Rosie Perez said that she was very uncomfortable filming the nude scenes on Lee’s movie Do the Right Thing, and criticized him for his representations of women.

After the death of Trayvon Martin in March 2012, Lee claimed that he knew the address of shooter George Zimmerman, but the address was incorrect.

Homeowner Elaine and David McClain filed a negligence lawsuit against Lee and was charged $1.2 million for his crime.

Later, in 2020, his video went viral on social media where he was having an argument with the security team near the elevators at Madison Square Garden. Spike responded that the would never again attend the rest of the games for the season.

How tall is Spike Lee?

Spike Lee stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 68 kg. Similarly, he has black hair and brown eyes.

Social Media Profile

Spike Lee has over 767 K followers on Facebook, 30 K followers on Twitter, and 1.9 million followers on Instagram.

Similarly, he has his own website with the name Spikes Joint.

You may also read Danny Hicks, Morgan Spector, and Rebecca Hall.

Spike Lee's Anniversary Dates

Spike Lee's Birthday Dates