Tyler Perry Honored With Governors Award From Television Academy
Tyler Perry and The Perry Foundation will be the recipients of the 2020 Governors Award from the Television Academy in recognition of his contributions in shaping the medium of TV, it was announced on Tuesday.
Perry will be honored with his Emmy statuette during the awards broadcast on Sunday, September 20.
The TV Academy recognized Perry for his inclusion, engagement, employment and other philanthropic initiatives, citing his journey from the streets of New Orleans to becoming a Hollywood, A-list star and creative.
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“Tyler Perry has changed the face of television and inspired a new generation of content creators. He pioneered a new brand of storytelling that engages people of color both in front of and behind the camera, and his shows have resonated with a global audience,” Governors Award selection committee chair Eva Basler said in a statement.
“Tyler’s influence has extended far beyond the screen. His commitment to a broad range of philanthropic causes has had a profound impact on underserved communities around the world,” committee vice chair Debra Curtis added.
“I’m grateful for and humbled by this recognition from the Television Academy,” Perry said in a statement. “I’ve always prided myself on the work we do at the studio, our diverse representation of people from all walks of life, and the community we’ve built. My hope is that through moments like this we can remind others of the power of ownership and show that when the world doesn’t offer you a seat at the table, you can build your own.”
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Perry’s 22 feature films, 20 stage plays, 13 TV shows and two bestselling books have generated more than $2 billion to date. He’s produced over 1,200 episodes of TV and is one of the highest earning individuals at the U.S. box office in history.
In a recent study that looked at the 100 top-grossing movies each year for the past 11 years, Perry was named the top performer across the board, directing 15 out of the 1,100 films. Perry’s latest film, “A Fall From Grace,” premiered on Netflix in January and was viewed by 26 million people in its first seven days.
Perry also has some series in the works during the coronavirus pandemic and pioneered a plan to reopen his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta as a safe environment to return to work with “Camp Quarantine,” which will allow production to continue on his four series for BET and BET+.
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Perry also teamed up with grocery stores in New Orleans and Atlanta to offer gift cards to the elderly and those in need from COVID-19, donating over 1,000 gift cards to Atlanta residents as handed out by police in order to build relationships in the community. He also paid for private plane travel for George Floyd’s family to attend his funerals and overed funeral expenses for Atlanta’s Rayshard Brooks and Secoria Turner.
Previous recipients of the Governors Award, which debuted in 1978, include “Star Trek,” “American Idol,” “William S. Paley,” “Hallmark Cards Inc.,” “Masterpiece Theater,” “Comic Relief” and ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and A+E networks.
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