Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor, known for films that deal with controversial social and political issues. Each of Lee's films is typically referred to as "A Spike Lee Joint" and the closing credits always end with the phrases "By Any Means Necessary," "Ya Dig," and "Sho Nuff."[1]
Lee received a Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, which culminated in his thesis film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, the first student film to be shown in Lincoln Center's New Directors/New Films Festival.[2] Lee's first feature film, She's Gotta Have It, was released three years later in 1986. Lee directed, produced, wrote, and acted in his first three feature films: She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, and Do the Right Thing, and has since starred or acted in others. He reprised the role of Mars Blackmon from She's Gotta Have It for a series of Nike commercials that also starred Michael Jordan.[3]
Lee has directed music videos by artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson, Anita Baker and Eminem, and for songs featured in films he has directed, including "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy, which was featured heavily in the 1989 film Do the Right Thing.[4]
- ^ "Spike Lee Biography – Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ "Spike Lee – Profile, Latest News and Related Articles". E!. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Curtis, Bryan (2008-06-01). "Bro Knows Football". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ Black, Johnny (August 2002). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Fight the Power". Blender. Retrieved 2009-02-09.