Reel Images Magazine

Relative to the other major players in Hollywood, Tyler Perry is somewhat of a man of mystery. The 6^th highest paid man in Hollywood, according the 2009 Forbes Magazine list, with films grossing close to 400 million across the globe, Tyler Perry still toils in relative mainstream obscurity on TBS, a station generally better known for syndication reruns and baseball games than original programming. No matter, with new hit TV shows like House of Payne and Meet the Browns, not to mention string of high grossing motion pictures and a pilot or two in the works, today Perry has it made in the shade, where he may lack worldwide recognition relative to his lofty bankroll, the financial wind fall has found him front and center.Not that Perry writes to satisfy others. He actually began writing after watching another influential public figure for young African-Americans, Oprah Winfrey, who suggested that writing might be a therapeutic outlet to ease stress at home. After composing a number of letters to himself, Perry soon had the basis for his first ever stage play, later titled, I Know I’ve Been Changed. Perry comes from a less than savory upbringing, changing his given name from Emmitt to Tyler in part to distance himself from his father, named Emmitt as well. Between beatings at the hands of Emmitt Sr. and molestation attempts by parents of friends, there was little to laugh about in Perry’s childhood, making it even more remarkable the way he relates to thousands of fans in a comical manner through each and every work. (more…)