Behind the Screen: Lee Daniels
A look back at this year's honoree's incredible career.
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Incredibl-Lee - In his career as a powerhouse producer, director, and casting agent, Lee Daniels has always championed the underdog. His films and television shows have created opportunities for Black actors to portray characters with depth and grit, while bringing controversial issues to the forefront. Singlehandedly, he has proven that emotionally honest, uncompromising stories can see success at the box office. Here is a look at Daniels’ incredible career. (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DIFF)
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Bill Clinton PSAs - In 2004, former President Bill Clinton asked Daniels to produce public service announcements encouraging voting among young people of color. Daniels enlisted LL Cool J and Alicia Keys to participate, and the successful campaign was launched in March of that year. (Photo: Pool/Getty Images)
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Shadowboxer - His first film as a director, the powerful 2005 crime thriller Shadowboxer, features Academy Award winners Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren, and Mo'Nique. In the film, the two lead characters, Mikey and Rose, are both lovers and contract killers. Despite Rose suffering from cancer, the pair continue their contract killings, ending up in a tangled web of trouble after taking on a job from a Mafia Kingpin. (Photo: Lee Daniels Entertainment / Freestyle Releasing)
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Monster's Ball - This Daniels-produced 2002 drama tells the tale of a poor Southern woman who falls in love with a widowed prison guard following her husband's execution. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger and Halle Berry, the film resulted in one of film history's most historic moments when Halle Berry became the first (and only) African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.(Photo: Lionsgate)
5 / 9
Precious - Directed and co-produced by Daniels, this grim 2009 drama about abuse and inner-city life defied the odds, from independently-financed passion project to receiving six Oscar nominations. Based on the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire, the adaptation stars Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey and Gabourey Sidibe in her film debut. Mo’Nique won for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of an abusive mother in the film.(Photo: Lionsgate)
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6 / 9
The Paperboy - This 2013 Daniels-directed drama featuring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman debuted at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Based on the 1995 Pete Dexter novel of the same title, it follows a reporter and his younger brother as they investigate the events of a murder in order to exonerate the killer on death row. (Photo: Millennium Films)
7 / 9
The Butler - As both director and producer, The Butler is Daniels' most ambitious film to date. The 2013 historical drama is based on the life of Eugene Allen and stars Forest Whitaker as an African American White House butler who witnesses a series of notable events during his 34-year tenure. The A-list cast also includes Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, and many more. It grossed over $176 million worldwide, and won Daniels Best Director at the Hollywood Film Awards. (Photo: The Weinstein Company)
8 / 9
Empire - Daniels is the co-creator, executive producer, director, and writer for the hit FOX series Empire, which became a ratings success the likes of which network television had never before seen. Based in Chicago, the drama centers on a hip hop dynasty and the drama among the family as they compete for control. The show stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, who recently won a Golden Globe for her role as matriarch Cookie Lyon, and introduced the world to Jussie Smollett, Bryshere Y. Gray and a number of other talented newcomers. (Photo: James Dimmock/FOX)