Spike Lee is an American
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
,
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
,
writer, and
actor, known for films that deal with controversial social and political issues. Each of Lee's films is typically referred to as "A Spike Lee Joint" and the closing credits always end with the phrases "By Any Means Necessary," "Ya Dig," and "Sho Nuff."
Lee received a
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
from
New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts, which culminated in his thesis film ''
Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads'', the first student film to be showcased in
Lincoln Center's
New Directors/New Films Festival. Lee's first feature-film ''
She's Gotta Have It'' was released three years later in 1986. Lee directed, produced, wrote, and acted in his first three feature-films: ''She's Gotta Have It'', ''
School Daze
''School Daze'' is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences a ...
'', and ''
Do the Right Thing
''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
''. Lee has starred or acted in many of his own films, including the role of
Mars Blackmon
Mars Blackmon is a fictional character in the film ''She's Gotta Have It'' (1986), played by the film's writer/director, Spike Lee. In the film, he is a "Brooklyn-loving" fan of the New York Knicks, sports, and Air Jordans (the basketball shoes w ...
, which he reprised for a series of
Nike commercials that also starred
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
.
In addition to his feature-film credits, Lee has directed music videos by artists such as
Prince,
Michael Jackson,
Anita Baker and
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
. He has also directed music videos for songs featured in films he has directed, including "
Fight the Power Fight the Power may refer to:
* "Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)", a 1975 song by the Isley Brothers
* "Fight the Power" (Public Enemy song) (1989)
* '' Fight the Power... Live!'', a 1989 music video compilation by Public Enemy
* '' Fight the Power: G ...
" by
Public Enemy, which was featured heavily in the 1989 film ''Do the Right Thing''.
Filmography
Short films
Feature films
Documentary
Acting roles
Television
Documentary
Stage show
Acting roles
Music videos
Video games
References
;General
*
*
;Specific
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Spike
Filmography
Male actor filmographies
Director filmographies
Director videographies
American filmographies