Tyler Perry

A successful actor, director and playwright who was little known outside of the African-American community until 2005, Tyler Perry was born in New Orleans Sept. 13, 1969. He triumphed over poverty and homelessness with a series of gospel-themed plays he wrote, produced and starred in, starting with the Atlanta production of "I Know I've Been Changed."

With "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," Perry introduced the character of Madea, a gun-toting, wisdom-spouting black matriarch. Madea returned in five more productions, which played to sold-out audiences from Chicago to Miami and were released on DVD.

Perry brought Madea to the big screen in early 2005 with a script based on the six plays, playing his famous creation and two other roles as well. Diary of a Mad Black Woman startled Hollywood bean counters with a $45 million box office return on a $5.5 million budget.

Boo! A Madea Halloween

2016 PG-13

Adding another chapter to Tyler Perry's hit franchise, this ghoul-infested comedy finds formidable matriarch Madea warding off specters and zombies while trying to contain an even scarier force: a group of unruly teenagers.