Tyler Perry

American actor, comedian, filmmaker, writer, and songwriter, specializing in the gospel genre. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2011 he was the highest paid man in entertainment; he earned US$130 million between May 2010 and 2011. Perry created and performs the Madea character, a tough elderly black woman.

Born as Emmitt Perry Jr., the son of Willie Maxine Perry (née Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr., a carpenter. Perry once said his father's "answer to everything was to beat it out of you". As a child, Perry once went so far as to attempt suicide in an effort to escape his father's beatings.

In contrast to his father, his mother took him to church each week, where he sensed a certain refuge and contentment. At age 16, he had his first name legally changed from Emmitt to Tyler in an effort to distance himself from his father.

Many years later, after seeing the film Precious, he was moved to relate for the first time accounts of being molested by a friend's mother at age 10; he was also molested by three men prior to this, and later learned his own father had molested his friend.

A DNA test Perry took in the 2010s stated that Emmitt Sr. was not Perry's biological father.

Perry describes himself as a Christian. Many of the themes in his work reflect theology and social behavior indicative of the predominantly black church culture, such as the many scenes in both his stage and screen work that feature church settings and worship styles commonly found in predominantly African American churches, including showcases of gospel music and artists.

On 8 December 2009, his mother, died at age 64, following an illness. As of 2016, he is unmarried, living with his girlfriend Gelila Bekele since 2009. On 30 November 2014, Bekele gave birth to his son Aman Tyler Perry.