Spike Lee

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Birth Name: Shelton Jackson Lee

Age: 69, born 20 March 1957

Country of origin: United States

Currently Residing In: United States

Height: 5' 7"

Relationship Status: Married

Partner: Tonya Lewis Lee

Lists

170 votes

Celebrity Insults (179 items)
list by Agent Kermit D. Fonz

Published 14 years, 9 months ago

21 comments

156 votes

A Change of Names (77 items)
list by tartan_skirt

Published 17 years, 9 months ago

23 comments

135 votes

Directors:The Filmography of... (207 items)
list by propelas

Published 15 years, 3 months ago

21 comments

109 votes

Directors' Favorite Actors/Actresses (94 items)
list by Stehako

Published 8 years, 7 months ago

14 comments

65 votes

Top20 Directors who frequently cast actors/actress (20 items)
list by cigaretteburn

Published 17 years, 7 months ago

12 comments

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Spike Lee Videos

Spike Lee - The Dolly Shot

136 Views, 1 votes

Added 11 years ago

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Photos

3 votes

1 vote

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Description: Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker and actor. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee received numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Peabody Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award. Lee studied filmmaking at both Morehouse College and New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he directed his student fil Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker and actor. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee received numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Peabody Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award.

Lee studied filmmaking at both Morehouse College and New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he directed his student film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), which won a Student Academy Award. He later started the production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, where he has produced more than 35 films. He made his directorial debut with the comedy She's Gotta Have It (1986). He received widespread critical acclaim for the drama Do the Right Thing (1989), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He directed the historical epic Malcolm X (1992), earning the Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear. With the biographical crime dramedy BlacKkKlansman (2018), he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix Award.

He has also written and directed films such as School Daze (1988), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), Bamboozled (2000), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), Chi-Raq (2015), Da 5 Bloods (2020), and Highest 2 Lowest (2025). Lee has also acted in eleven of his feature films. He is also known for directing numerous documentary projects including 4 Little Girls (1997), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. He directed the HBO series When the Levees Broke (2006), which won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. He also directed the HBO documentary If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010) and the David Byrne concert film American Utopia (2020).

Lee has received several honors including the Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, the Academy Honorary Award in 2015, and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. Five of his films have been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

He has received a Gala Tribute from the Film Society of Lincoln Center as well as the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. His films have featured breakthrough performances from actors such as Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Delroy Lindo, John Turturro, and John David Washington. ... (more)

Tags: Director (12), American (11), Actor (11), Oscar Winner (10), African American (9), Talented (9), Trailblazing (8), Groundbreaking (8), Film Director (8), Film Actor (8), Visionary (8), Academy Award Winner (8), Filmmaker (8), Fearless (8), Disruptive (8), Film Genius (8), Genius (8), Era-defining (8), Influential (8), Genre-defining (7)

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Movies directed by

Most popular

Top rated

Most recent

1. Inside Man

Rating:

7.2

1797 Watched

2. 25th Hour (2002)

Rating:

7.4

1197 Watched

3. Do the Right Thing (1989)

Rating:

7.6

861 Watched

4. Malcolm X (1992)

Rating:

7.3

672 Watched

5. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Rating:

7.2

412 Watched

View all Spike Lee movies (25 more)

TV

Most popular

Top rated

Most recent

1. Saturday Night Live (1975)

Rating:

7.7

1243 Watched

2. The Daily Show (1996)

Rating:

7.8

1214 Watched

3. The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003)

Rating:

6.4

910 Watched

4. Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)

Rating:

7.6

722 Watched

5. The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986)

Rating:

5.3

513 Watched

View all Spike Lee TV (52 more)

Movies

Most popular

Top rated

Most recent

1. Do the Right Thing (1989)

Rating:

7.6

861 Watched

2. Malcolm X (1992)

Rating:

7.3

672 Watched

3. Summer of Sam

Rating:

6.6

316 Watched

4. Jungle Fever (1991)

Rating:

6.6

233 Watched

5. Hoop Dreams (1994)

Rating:

8.1

185 Watched

View all Spike Lee movies (32 more)

Movies written by

Most popular

Top rated

Most recent

1. Do the Right Thing (1989)

Rating:

7.6

861 Watched

2. Malcolm X (1992)

Rating:

7.3

672 Watched

3. Summer of Sam

Rating:

6.6

316 Watched

4. He Got Game

Rating:

246 Watched

5. Jungle Fever (1991)

Rating:

6.6

233 Watched

View all Spike Lee movies (9 more)

TV directed by

Most popular

Top rated

Most recent

1. Shark (2006)

Rating:

6.3

160 Watched

2. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006- )

Rating:

8.4

18 Watched

3. Great Performances (1971)

Rating:

8.9

21 Watched

4. The Concert for New York City

Rating:

9.3

19 Watched

5. She's Gotta Have It

Rating:

8.3

10 Watched

View all Spike Lee TV (10 more)

Music

1. Do It A Cappella (1990 Television Show) (2013)

Rating:

2 own

Books

1. By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X

Rating:

8.3

2 own

2. Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality (1998)

Rating:

6.5

1 own

3. Please, Puppy, Please (2005)

Rating:

0 want this

TV written by

1. She's Gotta Have It

Rating:

8.3

10 Watched

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alison15 added this to a list 6 days ago

Births: March Majestics (187 person items)

Stehako added this to a list 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Most Accomplished Active Directors - 2025 (101 person items)

" Upcoming: Highest to Lowest (2025) Da Understudy (2026) "

Arizona posted a image 1 year, 8 months ago

Arizona posted a image 1 year, 10 months ago

Stehako added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago

Most Accomplished Active Directors - 2024 (100 person items)

" Upcoming: Da Understudy (2025) Boner (2026) "

Emi posted a image 2 years, 7 months ago

A.M.A posted a image 2 years, 8 months ago

Agent Kermit D. Fonz added this to a list 2 years, 8 months ago

Favourite Directors (98 person items)

"Favourite films: Inside Man, Malcolm X, Black KKKlansman, Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, She’s Gotta Have It, and School Daze, Clocker, and Crooklyn "

Agent Kermit D. Fonz added this to a list 2 years, 9 months ago

Iconic People and Celebrities (1031 person items)

Stehako added this to a list 2 years, 10 months ago

Most Accomplished Active Directors - 2023 (101 person items)

" Upcoming: Da Understudy (2024) Boner (2025) "

Agent Kermit D. Fonz added this to a list 3 years, 8 months ago

My Favourite Celebrities (433 person items)

samira voted for an image 4 years, 1 month ago

djprojexion added this to a list 4 years, 4 months ago

The 90's, Best Decade For Movies? (58 person items)

"1. Mo' Better Blues (1990) 2. Jungle Fever (1991) 3. Malcolm X (1992) 4. Crooklyn (1994) 5. Clockers (1995) 6. Girl 6 (1996) 7. He Got Game (1998) 8. Summer of Sam (1999)"

A.M.A posted a image 4 years, 6 months ago

Brandon Carreon added this to a list 4 years, 7 months ago

Mis Directores De Cine Favoritos (10 person items)

L90 added this to a list 4 years, 9 months ago

Maybe There's Still Hope for Love in Hollywood (304 person items)

"♥ Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis ♥ Together since September 1992, married since October 1993. "

Stehako added this to a list 4 years, 10 months ago

Most-accomplished Active Directors (2021 Edition) (50 person items)

"2020 Rank: #43 2019 Rank: #44 2018 Rank: OUT 2017 Rank: OUT 2016 Rank: OUT 2015 Rank: OUT 2014 Rank: #39 2013 Rank: #35 2012 Rank: #35 2011 Rank: #20 2010 Rank: #14 2009 Rank: #17 Do the Right Thing (1989) Malcolm X (1992) Clockers (1995) He Got Game (1998) 25th Hour (2002) Inside Man (2006) Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) BlacKkKlansman (2018) David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) Da 5 Bloods (2020) Upcoming: Prince of Cats (2022) "

omnivorousrex added this to a list 5 years, 2 months ago

Tribute...Black directors...Behind the camera (79 person items)

Brandon Carreon added this to a list 5 years, 3 months ago

Mis Directores De Cine Favoritos (10 person items)

A.M.A posted a image 5 years, 3 months ago

Djbrothamax added this to a list 5 years, 3 months ago

Notable African Americans who helped pave the way (64 person items)

"On Jan. 12, 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association named Jackson and Satchel Lee -- filmmaker Spike Lee's children with producer Tonya Lewis Lee -- as its 2021 Golden Globe Ambassadors (an honor previously known as Miss or Mr. Golden Globe). Not only are they the first Black siblings named to the position, but Jackson is the first Black male ambassador in Golden Globes history."

Djbrothamax added this to a list 5 years, 4 months ago

Behind the camera...Black directors (75 person items)

Djbrothamax added this to a list 5 years, 5 months ago

Black Hollywood Archive Actors (342 person items)

Stehako added this to a list 5 years, 8 months ago

Most-accomplished Active Directors (2020 Edition) (50 person items)

"2019 Rank: #44 2018 Rank: OUT 2017 Rank: OUT 2016 Rank: OUT 2015 Rank: OUT 2014 Rank: #39 2013 Rank: #35 2012 Rank: #35 2011 Rank: #20 2010 Rank: #14 2009 Rank: #17 Do the Right Thing (1989) Malcolm X (1992) Clockers (1995) He Got Game (1998) 25th Hour (2002) Inside Man (2006) Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) BlacKkKlansman (2018) Upcoming: Da 5 Bloods (2020) "

darthjoker12 added this to a list 6 years ago

12 Years a Slave (1983) (10 movies items)

"Director!"

onclelapin posted 2 images 6 years, 2 months ago

Exclusive voted for an image 6 years, 3 months ago

Close the Camps posted a image 6 years, 4 months ago

cyrax36 added this to a list 6 years, 5 months ago

Top Grossing Directors (200 person items)

smithger added this to a list 6 years, 10 months ago

ACTORS WITH MASTERS AND PhD (15 person items)

Stehako added this to a list 7 years, 2 months ago

Most Accomplished Active Directors (2019 Edition) (50 person items)

" 2018 Rank: OUT 2017 Rank: OUT 2016 Rank: OUT 2015 Rank: OUT 2014 Rank: #39 2013 Rank: #35 2012 Rank: #35 2011 Rank: #20 2010 Rank: #14 2009 Rank: #17 Do the Right Thing (1989) Malcolm X (1992) Clockers (1995) He Got Game (1998) 25th Hour (2002) Inside Man (2006) Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) BlacKkKlansman (2018) "

darthjoker12 added this to a list 7 years, 4 months ago

Black Panther (1998) (15 movies items)

"Director!"

Leo added this to a list 7 years, 4 months ago

Oscar Best Director Nominees (161 person items)

IsabellaSilentRose posted a image 7 years, 5 months ago

SA-512 posted a image 7 years, 5 months ago

moviebuff added this to a list 7 years, 8 months ago

Moviebuff's Top 15 Most Influential Filmmakers (15 person items)

Stehako added this to a list 8 years, 7 months ago

Directors' Favorite Actors/Actresses (94 person items)

"Denzel Washington - Mo' Better Blues (1990) - Malcolm X (1992) - He Got Game (1998) - Inside Man (2006) John Turturro - Do The Right Thing (1989) - Mo' Better Blues (1990) - Jungle Fever (1991) - Clockers (1995) - Girl 6 (1996) - He Got Game (1998) - Summer of Sam (1999) Samuel L. Jackson - School Daze (1988) - Do the Right Thing (1989) - Mo Better Blues (1990) - Jungle Fever (1991) - Oldboy (2013) - Chiraq (2016)"

darthjoker12 added this to a list 8 years, 9 months ago

Oscars 2014 (2004) (29 movies items)

"Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)"

darthjoker12 added this to a list 8 years, 10 months ago

Oscars 2014 (1994) (28 movies items)

"Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)"

darthjoker12 added this to a list 8 years, 10 months ago

12 Years a Slave (2003) (10 movies items)

"Director!"

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