Tyler Perry first shot to fame via his critically acclaimed stage plays which delved into topics around, race, love and everything in between. He developed the character Madea, and from there the rest is history. He's taken the loud, obnoxious and always hilarious grandmother character and made her a household name. After making the leap from the stage to the screen, he created lots of films starring his character. Including, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Madea's Big Happy Family, A Madea Christmas, Boo! A Madea Halloween, and lastly, 2019's A Madea Family Funeral.
If you thought those were a lot of Madea movies, Tyler Perry also introduced the character with some short cameos in some of his other popular films and TV shows as well, including Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, House of Payne and Meet the Browns. Madea has gotten a lot of Hollywood mileage!
The hit 2014 film starred Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as a married couple with more than a few problems to say the least. This was one of the first films where Perry got to show off his dramatic acting props playing lawyer Tanner Bolt who was on a mission to get his client off on murder charges—guilty or not.
The J.J. Abrams-directed reboot of Star Trek starring Chris Pines is Tyler Perry's most critically acclaimed movie. He proved his worth as much more than a character actor, and proved that he's up for a little action when the time comes to it.
One of Perry's very first hit films was the 2007 dramedy Why Did I Get Married? The film starred Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Sharon Leal and Perry himself. The film was an adaptation of his popular stage play and followed a group of couples as they struggle to maintain their marital bonds and figure out why in fact they ever said I do.
Tyler Perry starred in this adaptation of the James Patterson bestellers. This crime thriller was a prime example of a multi-hyphenate breaking free of his signature character and trying to establish himself as a dramatic leading man.
The comedian went full-on dramatic actor for his role in the Adam McKay film Vice starring Christian Bale as Vice President Dick Cheney. He took on the role of a real life person, playing politician Colin Powell.
Mad scientist alert! In this popular kids' movie, Tyler Perry played a scientists named Baxter Stockman who was a character from the original comic books and also appeared in the early '00s animated TV series about the ninja turtles as well.
In this touching dramady written by Perry, he plays a businessman whose life is shaken upside down after meeting Lindsey, played by Gabrielle Union, a single mom who teaches him how to love again. You'll laugh, you'll cry and most importantly, you'll wish you watched this sweet film sooner.
Tyler Perry wrote and directed this film about five single moms. Yes, you read that right. The comedian penned a hilarious and heartfelt story about the sisterhood bond between five single moms. Plus, he gave himself a small role in the film because why not!