Here's How Tall Tyler Perry Really Is

Before making the big screen appearances that would skyrocket him to fame, Tyler Perry was brought into the world as Emmitt Perry Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana by parents Emmitt Perry Sr. and Willie Maxine Perry on September 13, 1969 (via Famous People in the World). Unfortunately, the early years of Perry's life were less than idyllic as he suffered abuse at the hands of his father. Following a suicide attempt, Perry made the decision to change his name from Emmitt to Tyler in order to create distance from his father. He then dropped out of high school and obtained his G.E.D., and later began to pursue writing as a means to get his depression under control.

In 1992, a series of letters that Perry wrote to himself served as the premise for the musical "I Know I've Changed," which hit the stage in Atlanta. The play was not an instant success, and Perry found himself living in his car and working odd jobs to scrape by (via IMDb). It wouldn't be until 1998 when the play that he wrote began garnering major attention for the soon-to-be star. His next play, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," debuted his iconic character Madea, which later transformed into a major success as a series of movies. It was at this point that Perry's career began to take off as he rose to the top of the A-list among his celebrity cohorts.