Early Life
Writer, producer, director, and actor Shelton Spike Lee was born on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents decided to move to Brooklyn, New York, to find better jobs there.
His parents were hardworking people, and he was well off. He showed interest in movies very early in life, and by the age of 20, Spike had already finished a load of amateur films. Last Hustle was the first movie he ever made, and this student film paved his way toward success.
Lee graduated from New York University Film School in 1982. He made another movie, his thesis film, Joe’s Bed-Stu Barbershop: We Cut Heads, which earned him a Student Academy Award. The stage was set for Lee to make his big cinematic success. His movie She’s Gotta Have It cost only $175,000 but grossed more than $7 million at the box office.
Lee was no stranger to controversy. He has a very critical view of violence, urban crime, political issues, social issues, and race. That’s how he made his second successful film, Do the Right Thing, where he included everything mentioned above.
The film was a huge success, and it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Career
With such a successful career, Lee was ready to conquer the world of film. His subsequent films like She Hates Me, Summer of Sam, Mo’ Better Blues and Malcolm X saw Lee going further down the rabbit hole of exploring political and social issues.
As a director, Lee continued to give a voice to people suffering all over the world. He thought that the best way of letting the world know what’s going on is by addressing the most alarming issues at hand in his movies.
Lee changed his approach and started addressing real-life events. That’s how he made movies like 4 Little Girls, a documentary about the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The film earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Lee also directed and produced When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. This four-hour documentary dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, he worked on his crime thriller Inside Man with famous actors such as Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen.
His most notable works include:
- When the Levees Broke
- Jungle Fever
- She’s Gotta Have It
- He Got Game
- Malcolm X
- 4 Little Girls
- 25th Hour
- Crooklyn
- Inside Man
- Clockers
- BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee Relationships: Who Has She Dated
As far as we know, Lee has a wife whom he met in 1992. His wife, Tonya Lewis, is a lawyer, author, film and TV producer, and entrepreneur. The couple got married in 1993.
Lees’ daughter, Satchel, was born in 1994, and his son was born in 1997. Outside of that, Lee has been in a relationship with Veronica Webb in 1991.
His dating history looks like this:
Veronica Webb (1990-1991)
Tonya Lewis (1992-present)
In the News
Aside from generally being a man who doesn’t abide by the rules, Lee is a very calm and dedicated man who avoids scandals. He’s never had an affair. He doesn’t spread rumors or gossip about his friends, nor does he allow himself to be taken into any type of public scandal.
Lee was never arrested and is generally considered to be generous and friendly by most people who know him intimately.
He also raised a lot of controversy with his 2008 features Miracle at St. Anna, addressing the issue of the often-overlooked contribution of black soldiers to the US military missions overseas.
Lee has a production company called 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. Even though he won many award nominations, it was not until 2019 that Lee won his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman. He’s currently working on new projects.
Find out all the latest news about Spike Lee at The Share Room.
