Lee Daniels Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Daniels
Daniels in 2015
Born	Lee Louis Daniels (1959-12-24) December 24, 1959 (age 65) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Radnor High School; Lindenwood University
Occupation	Film and television producer, director, screenwriter
Years active	1986–present
Children	2
Relatives	Honey Davenport (cousin)
Signature

Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is known for creating movies and TV shows that tell powerful stories. Daniels works as a producer, who helps get movies made; a director, who guides the actors and crew; and a screenwriter, who writes the scripts.

His first movie as a director was Shadowboxer (2005). He became famous for directing the movie Precious (2009). This film earned him nominations for the Best Director and Best Picture Academy Awards.

Some of his other well-known movies include The Paperboy (2012), The Butler (2013), and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021). He also helped create the popular TV shows Empire and Star.

Early Life and First Jobs
Career in Filmmaking
Awards and Activism
Personal Life
Filmography
- Film
- Television
See also

Early Life and First Jobs

Lee Daniels was born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of five children. His father was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty when Daniels was 15. His younger sister, Leah Daniels-Butler, is a casting director who often works with him on his projects.

After high school, Daniels went to Lindenwood University in Missouri. He soon moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles to follow his dreams. He started his own successful nursing agency before deciding to work in entertainment.

Daniels began his new career as a casting director and talent manager. He helped find actors for movies and guided their careers.

Career in Filmmaking

Daniels at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

First Successes as a Producer

Daniels's production company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, had its first major success with the film Monster's Ball (2001). The movie's star, Halle Berry, won an Academy Award for Best Actress. This made Daniels the first African-American solo producer of a movie that won an Oscar in that category.

In 2004, he produced The Woodsman, starring Kevin Bacon. The film won several awards at film festivals. Around this time, former president Bill Clinton asked Daniels to help encourage young people to vote. Daniels created a campaign that featured famous music artists like LL Cool J and Alicia Keys.

Becoming a Director

Daniels directed his first movie, Shadowboxer, in 2006. It starred famous actors like Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr.. In 2008, he produced the movie Tennessee, which starred singer Mariah Carey.

His next film as a director, Precious (2009), was a huge success. The movie is about a 16-year-old girl in Harlem who faces many hardships but tries to build a better life for herself. The film won an Academy Award for actress Mo'Nique. Daniels was nominated for Best Director.

After Precious, Daniels directed The Paperboy (2012), with a cast including Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, and Nicole Kidman. In 2013, he directed the historical movie The Butler. It tells the story of a man who worked as a butler at the White House for 34 years, serving eight U.S. presidents. The movie starred Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey and was a box office hit.

Television and Recent Films

In 2015, Daniels co-created the hit TV show Empire. The series is about a family that runs a successful music company. It was very popular and ran for six seasons. He also co-created another music-themed show called Star.

Daniels continues to make new movies and shows. In 2022, it was announced that he would direct a thriller film for Netflix. He is also developing a series for Hulu about the life of the famous entertainer Sammy Davis Jr..

Awards and Activism

Daniels with his son and daughter at the 2007 world premiere of Spider-Man 3

Daniels has received many awards for his work. In 2010, he was given the Creative Spirit Award from the Pratt Institute. On December 2, 2016, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television.

He has also been recognized for his work supporting important causes. In 2018, he was honored by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Actress Queen Latifah gave him the award and praised him for creating characters who are "unfailingly human" and often overcome difficult situations. In his speech, Daniels said it is important to "step up when it matters" to help others.

Personal Life

Daniels lives in Manhattan, New York. He is gay. He adopted his biological niece and nephew, Clara and Liam, and raised them as his own children.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
2001	Monster's Ball	No	Yes	No
2004	The Woodsman	No	Yes	No
2005	Shadowboxer	Yes	Yes	No
2008	Tennessee	No	Yes	No
2009	Precious	Yes	Yes	No
2012	The Paperboy	Yes	Yes	Yes
2013	The Butler	Yes	Yes	No
2020	Concrete Cowboy	No	Yes	No
2021	The United States vs. Billie Holiday	Yes	Yes	No
2024	The Deliverance	Yes	Yes	No

Executive producer

The Reading (2023)

Acting roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	A Little Off Mark	Steve, Mark's best friend	Short film
2004	Agnes und seine Brüder	Henry Preminger
2005	Shadowboxer	Man in Steam Room
2012	The Paperboy	Bartender	Uncredited

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive Producer	Creator	Notes
2015–2020	Empire	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Directed 3 episodes, wrote 2 episodes
2016–2019	Star	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Directed 3 episodes, wrote 2 episodes
2021–present	The Ms. Pat Show	No	No	Yes	No
2021–2023	The Wonder Years	No	No	Yes	No
TBA	The Spook Who Sat by the Door	No	No	Yes	No