Spike Lee
National Medal of Arts recipient Spike Lee with President and First Lady Biden. Photo courtesy of White House
Bio
Academy Award winner Spike Lee’s iconic body of storytelling has made an indelible mark on filmmaking and television. His career spans over 30 years, including She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, Inside Man, Da 5 Bloods, and BlacKkKlansman. Lee’s outstanding feature documentary work includes the double Emmy Award-winning When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, and the Peabody Award-winning A Huey P Newton Story. In the television arena, his Netflix original series, She’s Gotta Have It, a contemporary update of his classic film, ran two seasons. Lee is a five-time Oscar nominee (Do the Right Thing for Original Screenplay, 4 Little Girls for Documentary Feature, BlacKkKlansman for Best Picture, Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, for which Lee won the award). In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Oscar for his lifetime achievement and contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he is a tenured professor of film and artistic director. Lee’s Production Company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks is based in Da Republic of Brooklyn, New York.
White House citation:
For revolutionizing American cinema and culture. One of the most thought-provoking filmmakers of our time, Spike Lee honors his Brooklyn, New York, roots by daring to capture the depth of the Black experience and lifting up Black culture on the world stage through vibrant films and courtside pride that shapes our Nation’s collective conscience.
This National Medal of Arts, to me, is a recognition of the hard work in da woodshed: blood, sweat, and tears, putting da work in. Learning the craft of filmmaking. My love of cinema came from my late mother Jacqueline Shelton Lee and music from my late father Bill Lee, and also sports. I know they are proud of not just me but my siblings Chris, David, Joie, and Cinque. I’m so happy Tonya my wife/partner and our children Satchel and Jackson are here with me in the White House to share this special moment together. Thanks to President Biden.