Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an Emmy Award-winning and
Academy Award-nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor, noted for
his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York
University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks,
has produced over 35 films since 1983.

Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Jacqueline Shelton, a teacher of arts and black
literature, and William James Edward Lee III, a jazz musician, and composer.^[1] Lee moved
with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was a small child. The Fort Greene neighborhood
is home to Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, and other Lee-owned or
related businesses. As a child, his mother nicknamed him "Spike." In Brooklyn, he attended
John Dewey High School. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College where he made his first student
film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn. He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University and graduated
with a B.A. in Mass Communication from Morehouse College. He then enrolled in New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts. He graduated in 1978 with a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television.
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