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Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20 , 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia ), better known as '''Spike Lee''', is a groundbreaking and controversial Film Director , producer, writer, and Actor noted for his many films dealing with Social and Political issues. He is also a distinguished documentarian and teaches film at New York University . BIOGRAPHY Born in Atlanta , Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn when he was a small child. In Brooklyn he attended John Dewey High School. Lee enrolled at Morehouse College where he received his B.A. in Mass Communications and, in 1982, a Master Of Fine Arts from New York University 's Tisch School Of The Arts . At their best, Lee's films are penetrating and energetic portraits of people and places, interweaving psychology and context, time and place. Lee's movies have examined diverse and complex issues, ranging from race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and political issues. Many of his films include a distinctive use of music. Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, is a jazz bassist and responsible for the music in some of Spike's films, including '' Mo' Better Blues '' starring Denzel Washington . Lee's films have garnered considerable critical acclaim. Film critic Roger Ebert has described Spike Lee as one of the greatest filmmakers in America today. Lee's film '' Do The Right Thing '' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. His documentary '' 4 Little Girls '' was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award in 1997. RACISM Lee has never shied away from controversial statements and actions involving American race relations. In 1992, Lee encouraged young black students to skip school and flock to theatres to see his movie '' Malcolm X ''. Ten years later, after headline-grabbing remarks made by Mississippi Senator Trent Lott regarding Senator Strom Thurmond 's failed Presidential bid, Lee charged that Lott was a "card-carrying member of the Klux Klan" on ABC's "Good Morning America" — a charge which proved false. In addition, Lee claims that NASCAR is a racist institution and has implicated country music to some degree by association. Spike Lee has been criticized for depicting Italian-Americans in a sterotypical manner in some of his films, most notably "Do The Right Thing." He has also been criticized for his oft-apparent anti-Semitisim, and was once quoted as saying, "There's an unwritten law that you cannot have a Jewish character in a film who isn't 100 percent perfect, or you're labeled anti-Semitic." More recently, Spike Lee commented on the federal government's heavily criticized response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. Responding to a CNN anchor's question as to whether or not the government intentionally ignored the plight of black Americans during the disaster, Lee replied, "It's not too far-fetched. I don't put anything past the United States government. I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans." COMMENTS ABOUT CHARLTON HESTON In 1998, at the screening of his new movie 'Summer Of Sam' at the Cannes Film Festival, Mr.Lee was asked what he would do to combat violence in the USA. Lee replied that the National Rifle Association should be disbanded and Charlton Heston shot with a .44 Bulldog. {Link without Title} TRIVIA
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY (AS DIRECTOR)
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