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Emmitt Perry Jr.
He is born in the heart of New Orleans Louisiana. Tyler was one of four children. He suffered an abusive childhood at the hands of his father which he described as a man "whose answer to everything was to beat it out of you." This lead to his success, power, and forging his own was into the entertainment industry, building an empire that included films, plays, and best-selling books. -
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E4-4: Tyler Perry (AFII)
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Perry Falls Behind
Tyler Perry is now 16 and has a list of problems. He attempts suicide to escape his father’s abusive mentality. Then he changes his name from Emmitt to Tyler to distance himself from his father. He also drops out of high school but in time he earns his GED or General Equivalency Diploma. -
False Success
Around 1990, Perry moved to Atlanta, where two years later I Know I've Been Changed was first performed at a community theater, financed by the 22-year-old Perry's $12,000 life savings. The play included Christian themes of forgiveness, dignity, and self-worth, while addressing issues such as child abuse and dysfunctional families. The musical initially received a "less than stellar" reception and was a financial failure. The musical’s run only lasted one weekend and 30 people showed up. -
Success Finally Comes
He was living out his car for almost 6 years. Tyler said in an interview with essence magazine, “Can you imagine a six-foot-five man living in a Geo Metro?”Perry persisted, and over the next six years he rewrote the musical repeatedly, though lackluster reviews continued. In 1998, at age 28, he succeeded in retooling the play and restaging it in Atlanta, first at the House of Blues, then at the Fox Theatre. -
Success Finally Comes Part: II
Perry continued to create new stage productions, touring with them on the so-called "chitlin' circuit" (now also known as the "urban theater circuit") and developing a large, devoted following among African-American audiences. In 2005, Forbes reported that he had sold "more than $100 million in tickets, $30 million in videos of his shows and an estimated $20 million in merchandise", and "the 300 live shows he produces each year are attended by an average of 35,000 people a week".
