Spike Lee

Spike Lee (born Shelton Jackson Lee) is an Oscar-winning American filmmaker, producer and actor known for directing films like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and BlacKkKlansman. Lee was raised in Brooklyn and attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he earned a degree in mass communication. He went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in film and television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Lee made his directorial debut with She’s Gotta Have It in 1986, which he also wrote and starred in. The low-budget film was a commercial success and launched his career. He followed it with a string of acclaimed films throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including School Daze (1988), Jungle Fever (1991) and He Got Game (1998). His 1990 film Do the Right Thing earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. In 2018, his film BlacKkKlansman was awarded the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Oscar winner has also directed documentaries and music videos for artists like Michael Jackson and Anita Baker. He has also taught at NYU as a film professor.

Lee married Tonya Lewis Lee in 1993. They have two children: daughter Satchel (born in 1994) and son Jackson (born in 1997). The family maintains a relatively low profile outside of industry events and appearances.