"Are you kidding me? It is fantastic!" Tyler tells our own Lara Spencer of the honor. "You know, it's really great to be acknowledged for doing something that you love, so it's fantastic -- and I'm in some pretty good company, too."
Tyler's movies, such as 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman,' 'Madea's Family Reunion' and most recently 'The Family That Preys Together,' regularly open at the top of the box office; his films have earned a quarter-billion dollars in the U.S. alone; he was listed in this year's Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People issue; and he opened up the first African-American-owned production studio this year too!
"I had a dream and a vision and I got it done," says Tyler about his Atlanta-based studio, "but I didn't know how much work that it takes to keep it going! It's a fantastic blessing, it's a fantastic gift, and I'm really, really excited about it and I wouldn't trade anything for it."
It wasn't always easy for Tyler, who told "The Insider" earlier this year that the odds were stacked against him growing up in New Orleans -- and he even considered suicide during his rags-to-riches journey. But writing plays to deal with his strained relationship with his dad turned out to be a cathartic exercise, and his indomitable spirit and drive got him to the place he's in today.
His advice to others looking for similar success: "Work. Work extremely hard. Do not stop. Never take 'no' for an answer. If somebody closes one door, cut a hole in the friggin' roof and get in there and make it happen. That's my advice."
Watch "The Insider" for more Tyler Perry.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Follow us on Twitter
