Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee

Spike Lee is an American filmmaker and film educator known for works including She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and BlacKkKlansman. He founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks and holds academic leadership and teaching roles at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

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About Spike Lee

Profile information current to 2026-08-23.

United States · Filmmaker, Film director, Screenwriter · 2 affiliations

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Known for: Feature filmmaking; Documentary filmmaking; Film education
Country: United States

Filmmaker
Film director
Screenwriter
Producer
Actor
Film educator

At a glance

Lee has worked as a director, screenwriter, producer and actor through a career associated with 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
Do the Right Thing, one of his best-known films, entered the U.S. National Film Registry in 1999.
His honors include an Academy Honorary Award and a shared Academy Award for the adapted screenplay of BlacKkKlansman.
At NYU Tisch, Lee is listed as Artistic Director of the Graduate Film Program, the Amy and Joseph Perella Chair and a tenured Professor of Film.

Background and education

Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia, and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1979 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 1982.

Filmmaking career

After completing his education, Lee founded the Brooklyn-based production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. His first feature, She's Gotta Have It, was released in 1986, and his later film Do the Right Thing was added to the U.S. National Film Registry in 1999.

Selected work and recognition

Lee won a Student Academy Award for his NYU thesis film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2015. His documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts was a 2006 Peabody Award winner. BlacKkKlansman received the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and Lee shared the 2019 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott.

Film education

Lee's public career also includes film education at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. As of August 23, 2026, NYU listed him as Artistic Director of the Graduate Film Program, the Amy and Joseph Perella Chair and a tenured Professor of Film.

Affiliations

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks Founder present
New York University Tisch School of the Arts Artistic Director of the Graduate Film Program; Amy and Joseph Perella Chair; tenured Professor of Film present

Timeline

1983 Won a Student Academy Award for the NYU thesis film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads.
1986 Released his first feature film, She's Gotta Have It.
1999 Do the Right Thing was added to the U.S. National Film Registry.
2006 When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts received a Peabody Award as a 2006 winner.
2015-11-14 Received an Academy Honorary Award at the Governors Awards.
2018-05-19 BlacKkKlansman received the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
2019 Shared the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott.

Additional verified details

Current context

NYU Tisch lists Lee as Artistic Director of its Graduate Film Program and the Amy and Joseph Perella Chair; its directory identifies him as a tenured Professor of Film. Current status is based on NYU faculty and directory pages accessed for this profile.

Biographical facts

Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lee was raised in Brooklyn, New York.
Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1979.
Lee earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 1982.
Lee founded the Brooklyn-based production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks after completing his education.