Spike Lee

Biography

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 the 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 founded 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 Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. 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 honours, 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Spike Lee, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Daily Show

Real Time with Bill Maher

Saturday Night Live

All Movies (90)

The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy2026 · as Self
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music2025 · as Self (archive footage)
Samuel L. Jackson: Did I Stutter?2023 · as self
The Moviemakers: Spike Lee2023 · as Self
Denzel Washington: A Model American2022 · as Self
Gold Blooded2022 · as Self
Sidney2022 · as Self
A Daughter's Tribute to Her Father: Souleymane Cissé2022 · as Self
A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks2021 · as Self
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist2021 · as Self
Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists2018 · as Self
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ12018 · as Self
Plankton Salesmen2017 · as Self (archive footage)
Be Truly Free2017 · as Narrator (voice)
Birth of a Movement2017 · as Self
Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall2016 · as Self
NBA 2K16’s Livin’ Da Dream: A Spike Lee Joint2015 · as Reporter (voice)
Spike Lee's Lil' Joints: The Greatest Catch Ever2015 · as self
French Cinema Mon Amour2015 · as Self
Director Spike Lee's New York City2015 · as Self
Champs2015 · as Self
Ray Allen/AKA- Jesus Shuttlesworth2015
Do The Right Thing 25 Year Anniversary A Beats Music Experience2014 · as self
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee2014 · as Self
We the People: From Crispus Attucks to President Barack Obama2014
Bad 252012 · as Self
Red Hook Summer2012 · as Mr. Mookie
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’2012 · as Self
Brooklyn Boheme2012 · as Self
A Man's Story2011 · as Self
Guest2011 · as Self
On the Shoulders of Giants2011
Four Days in October2010 · as Self (archive footage)
Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks2010 · as Self
PoliWood2009 · as Self
Do the Right Thing: 20 Years Later2009 · as Self
Kobe Doin' Work2009 · as Self
40 x 15: The Forty Years of the Directors' Fortnight2008 · as Self
Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies2008
Pixote In Memoriam2007 · as Self
Lights, Action, Music2007 · as Self
Life O' The Party: On the Road with Prince and the New Power Generation2005 · as Self
Street Fight2005 · as Self
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)2005
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'2005 · as Self
Through the Fire2005
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'2004 · as Self
No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat2004 · as Self
Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers2004 · as Self
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker2003 · as Self
New York at the Movies2002 · as Self
It's Black Entertainment2002 · as Self
The Making and Meaning of 'We Are Family'2002 · as Self
3 A.M.2001 · as Filmmaker
The Making of 'Bamboozled'2001 · as Self
Lisa Picard Is Famous2000 · as Spike Lee
Michael Jordan to the Max2000 · as Self
Summer of Sam1999 · as John Jeffries
4 Little Girls1997 · as Interviewer (voice) (uncredited)
The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money1996 · as Self
When We Were Kings1996 · as Self
The Universal Story1996 · as Self (archive footage)
Girl 61996 · as Jimmy
Lumière & Company1995 · as Self (segment "Sarah Moon")
Clockers1995 · as Chucky
Below the Rim1995
Drop Squad1994 · as Himself
Hoop Dreams1994 · as Self
Crooklyn1994 · as Snuffy
A Century of Cinema1994 · as Self
Seven Songs for Malcolm X1993
Farewell, Babylon!1993 · as Self
The Last Party1993 · as Self
Malcolm X1992 · as Shorty
Our Hollywood Education1992 · as Self
Sous les marches du palais1991 · as Self
Jungle Fever1991 · as Cyrus
MTV's 10th Anniversary Special1991 · as Self
Branford Marsalis: Steep1991 · as Self
Lonely in America1990 · as Spike Lee (Newsstand Customer) (uncredited)
Mo' Better Blues1990 · as Giant
Spike & Co.: Do It a Cappella1990
Spike & Co. Do It a-Cappella1990 · as Self
Decade1989 · as Self
Making 'Do the Right Thing'1989 · as Self
First Works1989 · as Self
Do the Right Thing1989 · as Mookie
Public Enemy: Fight the Power... Live!1989
School Daze1988 · as Darrell 'Half-Pint' Dunlap
She's Gotta Have It1986 · as Mars Blackmon

All TV Shows (39)

Mr. Scorsese2025 · as Self
Hollywood Black2024 · as Self (archive footage)
They Call Me Magic2022 · as Self
This Is Pop2021 · as Self (archive footage)
Directors on Directors2021 · as Self
Pretend It's a City2021 · as Self
Dear...2020 · as Self
Tamron Hall2019 · as Self - Guest
Desus & Mero2019 · as Self - Illustrious Guest
Basketball: A Love Story2018 · as Self (archive footage)
She's Gotta Have It2017 · as Drum Major
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self - Guest
Who Do You Think You Are?2010 · as Self
It's the Shoes2005 · as Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
Real Time with Bill Maher2003 · as Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
Johnny Vaughan Tonight2002 · as Self
The Early Show1999 · as Self
The View1997 · as Self
The Chris Rock Show1997 · as Self
The Daily Show1996 · as Self - Guest
Inside the Actors Studio1994 · as Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
Late Show with David Letterman1993 · as Self - Guest
Ghostwriter1992 · as Special Agent Pete (archive footage)
Ghostwriter1992 · as Special Agent Pete
In Living Color1990
Yo! MTV Raps1988 · as Self
Saturday Night Live1975 · as Mars Blackmon
Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self (uncredited)
The American Film Institute Salute to ...1973 · as Self
Great Performances1971 · as Self
The Oscars1953 · as Self
The Oscars1953 · as Self - Audience Member