The man we know as "Spike" was born Shelton Jackson Lee on
March 20, 1957 in Atlanta ,Georgia. The first of five children, he
got the nickname Spike from his mother for being "a tough baby".
Spike's tendency to be difficult is one that goes right back to the
crib. The infant Spike, much like the man he grew into, was small
but loud. The family he was born into was great for a number of
reasons. His parents, college educated newlyweds, both came
from families stressing creativity and black tradition. Bill Lee, Spikes
father, was born in 1929 in Snow Hill Alabama. He was a jazz
composer/musician nicknamed "Bleek". His mother Jacquelyn
Shelton Lee taught art and black history. The Lees tried to instill a
sense of humor in their children, along with educating them in
black culture. They rationed the young ones' TV time, Forbade
rock music, In favor of jazz and folk, and had each offspring learn
to play a instrument. Spike, a shy, quiet boy, took guitar and
piano lessons. He also played and loved every type of sport.
Spike denies that he ever had any thoughts of becoming a film
maker in those early years. Becoming one of very few black film
makers has made Spike a black African American entrepreneur
and has given many young black people something to believe in
and strive for. Spike Lee regions as one of the world's most
controversial filmmakers thus contributing to the controversial
issues in his films. Movies have a way of enriching us like no other
art form. They can change us, touch us and influence us. They
can introduce us to foreign lands and foreign ideas. At their best,
they can invite us to reconsider our point of view. Spike Lee the
acclaimed movie director/ producer/ writer/ actor, is the most
influential filmmaker of his time. His directing caused major
controversy in his early years, but as he matured h...