Tyler Perry

==Early life==
Tyler Perry was born Emmitt Perry Jr. in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, to Willie Maxine Perry ([[née]] Campbell) and Emmitt Perry Sr., a carpenter.<ref name="eta">{{Cite news|title=Perry, Willie Maxine Campbell|work=[[The Advocate (Louisiana)|The Advocate]]|date=December 11, 2009|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AD&p_theme=ad&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12C8B2C28A992A50&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=November 5, 2010}}</ref> He has three siblings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=willie-maxine-campbell-perry&pid=137150585 |title=Willie Maxine Campbell Perry Obituary: View Willie Perry's Obituary by The Advocate |publisher=Legacy.com |date=December 8, 2009 |access-date=December 31, 2012}}</ref> Perry's childhood was described in retrospect as a "living hell".<ref name="Tyler Perry's Traumatic Childhood">{{cite web | url=https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/tyler-perry-speaks-out-about-being-molested-and-the-aftermath | title=Tyler Perry's Traumatic Childhood }}</ref> In contrast to his father, his mother took him to church each week, where he sensed a certain refuge and contentment.<ref name="Tyler Perry's Traumatic Childhood"/> At age 16, he had his first name legally changed from Emmitt to Tyler in an effort to distance himself from his father.<ref name="BiographyCom">{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/tyler-perry-361274| title=Tyler Perry Biography: Film Actor, Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Playwright (1969–)| publisher=[[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (American TV channel)|FYI]]/[[A&E Networks]]) | access-date = December 15, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909214402/http://www.biography.com/people/tyler-perry-361274 | archive-date= September 9, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many years later, after seeing the film ''[[Precious (film)|Precious]]'', Perry was moved to reveal for the first time that he had been [[Child sexual abuse|molested]] by a friend's mother at age 10.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/06/tyler.perry.abuse.precious/ "Tyler Perry recounts childhood abuse on Web site"]. CNN. October 6, 2009.</ref> He was also molested by three men prior to this and later learned his own father had molested his friend.<ref name="People">{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/tyler-perry-reveals-he-was-abused-as-a-child/| title= Tyler Perry Reveals He Was Abused as a Child| last=Park|first=Michael Y.|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]| date=October 6, 2009| access-date=January 20, 2010}}</ref> A DNA test taken by Perry indicated that Emmitt Sr. was not Perry's biological father.<ref name="Essence">{{cite web|work=[[Essence (magazine)|Essence]]|date=March 18, 2014|title=Tyler Perry: My Mother Lied About My Biological Father|first=Dominique|last=Hobdy|url=http://www.essence.com/2014/03/18/tyler-perry-dna-test-father}}</ref>

While Perry did not complete high school, he earned a [[General Educational Development]] (GED).<ref>{{cite web| title=Oprah Talks to Tyler Perry|url=http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Oprah-Interviews-Tyler-Perry_1/3}}</ref> In his early 20s, watching an episode of ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'', he heard someone describe the sometimes therapeutic effect the act of writing can have, enabling the author to work out his or her own problems. This comment inspired him to apply himself to a career in writing. He soon started writing a series of letters to himself, which became the basis for the musical ''[[I Know I've Been Changed]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Speaker Bio: Tyler Perry|url=http://www.natpe.org/conference/speakers/bios/index.jsp?speaker_id_string=3734:PYjS-98ZaG7syvaDDO6NpA**|work=natpe.org/|access-date=May 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520200307/http://www.natpe.org/conference/speakers/bios/index.jsp?speaker_id_string=3734:PYjS-98ZaG7syvaDDO6NpA**|archive-date=May 20, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>