Tyler Perry Reveals Childhood Abuse in an Open Letter

Tyler Perry childhood abuse

With less than a month to go before the emotional and uplifting film 'Precious' opens, executive producer Tyler Perry decided it was time to open up about his own personal demons. "I'm tired of holding this in," he wrote in a long and revealing letter on his Web site. "I don't know what to do with it anymore, so I've decided to give some of it away."

Perry said watching 'Precious,' which tells the story of a teen who endures molestation and physical abuse, inspired him to recall his own past. "I watched all the things that Precious, a 16-year-old girl in the film, went through. I watched her mother be unusually cruel to her, and I realized at that moment that a large part of my childhood had just played out before my eyes," he wrote.

In the letter, Perry recalled some of the most painful memories he faced as a child, and the beatings that his mother endured at the hands of his father. He also recalled an incident of what appears to be molestation at age 10 by the mother oftyler perry a childhood friend, and he also mentions being molested by a man at an unspecified age. "I got a call not long ago from a friend. He told me that a man that I knew from church when I was a kid had died and...his family was trying to reach out to me to see if I would pay for his funeral. I quickly said no, but I wish I would have said yes. There is something so powerful to me in burying the man that molested me. I wish I would have dug the grave myself."

He also tells of the time his mother tried to leave his abusive father when he was just a tot. "She loaded me and my two sisters up in an old Cadillac that he had bought for her, and drove to California. When he realized she was gone, he called the police and reported the car stolen, as it was in his name. My mother was arrested, and my two sisters and I were put in the cell with her. He and my uncle drove from Louisiana to California to get us. We spent several days in jail waiting for him. He bailed her out and couldn't wait to get her into the car. He got into the back seat with us and beat her black and blue from California to Louisiana, as me and my sisters watched. Even though I was only two or three, I know that this had to have some effect on me."

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Six Degrees of Tyler Perry

Six Degrees of Tyler Perry
In just four years, Tyler Perry has become the toast of Hollywood. Could you name another director black or white who can boast of having released six feature movie projects within a three year period? Nope. Check out Six Degrees of Tyler Perry.

WireImage for TV Guide / Everett / FilmMagic

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Six Degrees of Tyler Perry

Six Degrees of Tyler Perry
In just three years, Tyler Perry has become the toast of Hollywood. Could you name another director black or white who can boast of having released six feature movie projects within a three year period? Nope. Not only did the New Orleans native write all of the storylines for the films, he starred in four. Combined, five of the films have grossed upwards of $250 million worldwide, some within budgets below $6 million. And with the major money train also comes associating with some of the biggest names in and out of the entertainment business. BlackVoices.com takes an introspective look at how a former homeless man turned chit'lin circuit theater czar has connections to the likes of Michael Jackson, Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston and Will Smith, to name a few. Check out Six Degrees of Tyler Perry.

Tyler Perry
The best-selling playwright turned Hollywood hot-shot (real name: Emmitt R. Perry, Jr.) was born Sept. 14, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ray Nagin
Another New Orleans native, Ray Nagin, Jr. was elected into the office of Mayor of the Crescent City on March 6, 2002.

Labelle
Known as the music capitol of the Gulf Coast, New Orleans was also the setting for 'Lady Marmalade,' a hit song from 1970s glam-soul trio Labelle, comprised of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sara Dash.

Lenny Kravitz
Modern day rock & roll demigod Lenny Kravitz is one of the top-notch talents chosen to produce Labelle's long-awaited reunion album, 'Back to Now,' due out later this year via Verve Records.

Lisa Bonet
'The Cosby Show' and 'A Different World' star Lisa Bonet eloped with Lenny Kravitz in November 1987. Their daughter Zoe Isaballe Kravitz was born the next year. The couple separated in 1991.

Gary Dourdan
'C.S.I.' actor Gary Dourdan played Cree Summer's character's love interest Shazza Zulu on the NBC sitcom 'A Different World,' which was originally developed as a spin-off vehicle for Lisa Bonet. The Philadelphia native appeared on 13 episodes from 1991 to 1992.

Janet Jackson
Gary Dourdan also played the love interest of Janet Jackson in the music video for her chart-topping ballad, 'Again,' in 1993.

Tyler Perry
Janet Jackson starred in the lead role of Tyler Perry's box office smash, 'Why Did I Get Married?' The twice divorced pop star won an NAACP Image Award for her performance.

Ruben Cannon
One of the most respected executives in Hollywood, Ruben Cannon has served as a casting director of film and TV projects dating all the way back to 1977. He co-executive produced Tyler Perry's 'Why Did I Get Married?'

The New Orleans native, who turned 40 last month, was born Emmitt R. Perry Jr. but changed his name to Tyler to rid himself of his father's name. He has never made it a secret that he was abused as a child and ran away from home. He eventually became a successful playwright, producing hit shows that took him to the film world where he continues to succeed.

Despite that success, the past continues to haunt Perry. "My mother was out one night, as she loved to play bingo, and my father came home...mad at the world," he relates in the letter. "He was drunk, as he was most of the time. He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back. To this day, I don't know what would make a person do something like that to a child. But thank God that in my mind, I left. I didn't feel it anymore, just like in 'Precious.'"

Along with Oprah Winfrey, Perry will help promote 'Precious.' He says he is not making any money from the film (which he neither directed nor wrote), and that both he and Winfrey will give all the proceeds to charity.

"If life begins at 40, then I owe the little boy that I was my life...[the film] hit me so hard, I sat there in tears realizing that somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through. My tears were tears of joy, being thankful that I made it."

The rest of his letter can be read here.

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Precious Movie Premiere

Singer Mary J. Blige arrives at the premiere of the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" at AFI Fest 2009 in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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Black Filmmakers

Spike Lee
Besides Woody Allen, no other filmmaker has had more films on the big screen in the last 20 years than Lee. From 'She's Gotta Have It' to 'Jungle Fever' to the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated 'Do The Right Thing,' Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. In 2008, the Atlanta native released his latest film, 'Miracle at St. Anna,' a story about blacks fighting in WWII that stars Derek Luke and Michael Ealy.

Oscar Micheaux
As the pioneer of African American filmmakers, this Metropolis, Illinois, native revolutionized the film industry when he formed his own movie production company and, in 1919, became the first African American to make a film. He wrote, directed and produced the silent motion picture 'The Homesteader' and then introduced the film world to Paul Robeson in 'Body and Soul.' In 1986, the Directors Guild of America honored Micheaux with a Golden Jubilee Special Award, and today the Oscar Micheaux Award is presented each year by the Producers Guild.

Robert Townsend
Primarily known as a comedian, this Chicago native established himself when he wrote, directed, produced and starred in the comedy 'Hollywood Shuffle,' his 1987 film about struggling black actors. He also created and produced the CableACE award–winning 'Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime' for HBO. His best film to date is the 1991 musical 'The Five Heartbeats.' Townsend recently directed the documentary 'Why We Laugh,' a story on black comedians and their impact in America.

Bill Duke
Known for his imposing 6-foot-6-inch figure and action films such as 1987's 'Predator,' the Poughkeepsie, New York, native began directing feature-length films in the 1990s with the crime dramas 'A Rage in Harlem,' 'Deep Cover' and 'Hoodlum.' In 2007, Duke directed 'Cover,' which starred Vivica A. Fox, and most recently 'Not Easily Broken,' which is based on a T.D Jakes novel and stars Morris Chestnut and Taraji P. Henson.

Ossie Davis
As a pioneer in the film business and a legend in the African American community, Davis was an actor, director, poet, playwright, writer and social activist whose career spanned nearly 50 years. Davis directed numerous films during the blaxploitation era, including 1970's 'Cotton Comes to Harlem' and 1973's 'Gordon's War.' Along with wife Ruby Dee, the Georgia native starred in many movies, including several of director Spike Lee's films such as 'Do The Right Thing,' 'Jungle Fever' and 'She Hate Me.'

Melvin Van Peebles
This Chicago actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer is most famously known for his contribution to the blaxploitation era with the independently financed and critically acclaimed film 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.' The 1971 film was written, produced, scored, directed by and starred Van Peebles and tells the story of a deprived African American man on his escape from the white authority. The father of actor/ director Mario, in 2008, Melvin completed the film 'Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha,' which played at various film festivals.

Julie Dash
In 1991, this Queens, New York, native's film 'Daughters of the Dust,' which tells the story of three generations of Gullah women at the turn of the 20th century, was the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman. In 2004, the film was included in the National Film Registry.

F. Gary Gray
Having directed more than 30 music videos for artists such as Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, TLC, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige, and winning several awards for his work, the New York native moved into the film world with the cult favorite 'Friday,' starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. He then followed that film with another fan favorite, 'Set It Off,' with Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett Smith, before moving on to big budgeted films such as 'The Negotiator,' 'The Italian Job' and 'Be Cool.' His next feature is slated to be 'Marvin: The Life Story of Marvin Gaye.'

Forest Whitaker
An Academy Award winner for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film 'The Last King of Scotland', the Longview, Texas, native has directed many films, including the fan favorite 1995's 'Waiting to Exhale,' based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Other directorial films from Whitaker include 'Hope Floats' and 'First Daughter.'

Lee Daniels
Beginning his career in entertainment as a casting director and manager, the Philadelphia native worked on projects such as 'Under the Cherry Moon' and 'Purple Rain,' both of which starred Prince, before hitting the jackpot with his production of 'Monster's Ball' in 2001. That film garnered Halle Berry a best actress Oscar, making her the first African American woman to do so. In 2006, Daniels made his directorial debut with 'Shadowboxer,' which starred Oscar winners Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Helen Mirren. Just recently, in January 2009, his latest directing gig, 'Push,' won three awards at the Sundance Film Festival, including best film.