What is Tyler Perry?
{{Infobox person | image = 82nd Academy Awards, Tyler Perry - army mil-66455-2010-03-09-180359 (cropped).jpg | image_size = 237px | caption = Perry at the [[82nd Academy Awards]]<br>(March 7, 2010) | birth_name = Emmitt Perry, Jr. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1969|9|13|}} | birth_place = [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|author|playwright|producer|director|screenwriter}} | yearsactive = 1992–present | website = {{Official website|http://www.tylerperry.com}} }} '''Tyler Perry''' (born September 13, 1969 in [[New Orleans]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[actor]], director, producer, and screenwriter, whose work plays are usually for encouragement to African Americans. Having started writing plays at age 18, Perry created a successful touring theater company, videos of whose performances were sold on [[DVD]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Christian|first=Margena A.|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_12_63/ai_n29470264/?tag=content;col1|title=Becoming Tyler: bill collector turned billion-dollar media mogul was molded from pain, promise and persistence|work=Ebony|date=October 2008|page=4|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120708170425/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_12_63/ai_n29470264/?tag=content;col1|archivedate=2012-07-08|access-date=2011-10-11|url-status=live}}</ref> As of March 2005, the plays had grossed over [[U.S. dollar|$]]75 million in ticket and DVD sales. He is well known for his plays on [[Madea]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2011/09/12/the-highest-paid-men-in-entertainment/|title=The Highest-Paid Men In Entertainment|first=Dorothy|last=Pomerantz|website=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | year = 2010 | url = http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2872/Perry-Tyler.html | title= Tyler Perry Biography – Inspired by Oprah... | accessdate =January 16, 2010}} J Rank's biography website article </ref> At age 16, he had his first name legally changed from Emmitt to Tyler in an effort to distance himself from his f