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Do You Know Spike Lee?

A biography of a great by Rachel Hazzard

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Before He Was A Great

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. He soon moved to Brooklyn where he did most of his growing up in what was thought of as a well-off family. He started making amateur films by the age 20 and created his first film called Last Hustle in Brooklyn while he was attending Morehouse College. He then went on to graduate from New York University Film School in 1982 winning a Student Academy Award for his thesis film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads.

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What makes Spike Lee so special you ask? Spike Lee is among few in the business that have as long as listing of job titles as him and compelling artwork that he produces.

  • Producer/ Director�Spike Lee has produced & directed over 35 films, Malcolm X, Mo Better Blues, and Ciraq are a few you may know.
  • Writer�He has written over 21 movies. Some of the highest rated movies written by Spike Lee were Crooklyn, He’s Got Game, and Jungle Fever.
  • Actor�He also acted in 18 films, She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, and Do the Right Thing are a few.

Job Title

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She’s Gotta Have It

Spike Lee first feature film, She's Gotta Have It, was made in two weeks and cost $175,000 to make, but it grossed more than $7 million at the box office, making it one of the most profitable films created in 1986. In 2017 Spike Lee turned the film into a Netflix series that follows the same story!

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Controversy

What makes Spike Lee stand out is the way he doesn’t back down to highlighting controversy! One of his newer films shows he has stayed true to that attribute of his success. Chiraq, set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's south side, particularly the Englewood neighborhood.

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CHIRAQ

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Spike Lee has been nominated for over 40 of his films and has won many awards such as Academy Awards Honorary Award, Black Film Festival Time Warner Innovator Award, and Primetime Emmy Awards for When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. He also received the Honorary award at the Oscars take a look at Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes present him with his award.

Awards on Awards

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This is one of my favorite quotes from Spike Lee the perfect quote from such a hard working and motivational individual he has put much effort into his work and most importantly he does it for the culture, for all to enjoy!