While the media mogul is a huge success today, with over 30 movies and eight TV shows under his belt, Tyler Perry had a less than happy upbringing. Perry reportedly changed his birth name from Emmitt Perry Jr as he was named after a father who was abusive and, Perry would later find out, not his real dad.
Perry was born in New Orleans on the 13 September, 1969 in this three-bedroom home on Baronne Street. Surviving a traumatic childhood, rife with abuse at the hands of his guardians despite his mother's attempts to keep him safe, Perry according to Page Six, reportedly attempted to end his life as a teen.
Posting a photo of himself as a five-year-old to Instagram on his 50th birthday, Perry wrote "'Thank you' to the little boy that I was. Thank you for all you went through to allow me to be the man I am today. I love you, and I am so thankful to God that you survived. Even when I didn’t want to, your pureness and innocence ushered me here. .. We made it."
Interior photos of Perry’s childhood home show the fully renovated house, remodelled and expanded by the last owner, who according to Realtor, bought the abode from the Perry family in 2013 for just under $150,000 (£127k), according to public records. Alongside a reconfigured hallway and all-new kitchen with marble countertops, the home now even boasts solar panelling on the roof.
A swing still hangs from the front porch, overlooking the front garden. Speaking with the New York Times in 2004, Perry described how he would often peer out of the front window of his house in New Orleans at the mansions two blocks north, while two blocks south were the projects, the territory of gangs, drugs and crime. Being poised between the mansions and poverty "became my metaphor for life," he said.
As a young adult, Perry began writing to help process his trauma. In 1999, the self-made billionaire created the character Madea, an eccentric and strict grandmother who he played himself. After writing and starring in a number of plays featuring Madea, Perry wrote and produced his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which grossed $50 million (£42m) at the box office and launched the polymath’s lucrative career in Hollywood.
One of Perry’s first Atlanta-based real estate investments was a parcel of land in Fairborn, Georgia. In April 2001, the up-and-coming Hollywood star stumped up $62,661 (£52k) for the land and proceeded to build a 17,252-square-foot mansion he would later call Avec Chateau.
With six bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms, Avec Chateau is a magnificent 26-room abode featuring hardwood and marble floors throughout, eight fireplaces and four living rooms. The main floor is adorned with 12 crystal chandeliers and coffered ceilings over 20 feet high.
Alongside a grand owners' suite on the main level, complete with separate wardrobe suite and five ensuite bedrooms, the sprawling estate also hosts a magnificent home theatre with plush velvet curtains, red carpets and leather sofas. Elsewhere you'll find a ballroom-sized “grand salon” and a handsome panelled library.
Sitting across 11 acres, Perry’s chateau also boasts a private pool/jacuzzi, outdoor fireplace, ponds, fountains, waterfalls, mature trees, manicured gardens and even an illuminated tennis court. Speaking to Ebony magazine, he declared the property “testament to the rewards of faith". Perry would go on to list the property for $3.69 million (£3m) in 2009.
In 2004 the Madea mastermind snapped up 22 acres of land in Beverley Ridge Estates for $4.3 million (£3.57m). With his taste for property development blossoming, Perry spent years building an eight-bedroom Tuscan-style villa, with a whopping 24,000-square-foot of living space. Valued at an estimated $18 million (£14.9m) according to Architectural Digest, the spacious abode even hosted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in early 2020.
Sharing a photo from the deck to Instagram, Perry gave his followers a dramatic view over the Beverly Ridge treetops from the Mediterranean-style balcony. A potted plant teeters on the edge of one column, while chic black iron outdoor seating hosts plump champagne cushioning fit for Hollywood royalty and, indeed, actual royalty.
For the star’s birthday in 2014, Perry was the host with the most at his Tuscan-style villa, inviting a plethora of A-listers to help him celebrate his 45th. Stevie Wonder was one hallowed guest, playing Tyler’s piano for a delighted audience. “I had to pinch myself,” Perry wrote in the accompanying caption, sharing a photo he took from above the double height reception room.
In March 2020, after their last official day as working royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to Los Angeles. While looking for a more permanent home, the couple stayed in Perry’s Tuscan-style villa, having met through their mutual friend Oprah. Here Meghan reads to baby Archie in one room of the expansive compound.
Fans were quick to gasp with envy at Perry’s luxurious bathroom, complete with grand columns and sunken round bathtub. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stayed at the abode in 2020 they were not so willing to share their intimate spaces, and according to The Sun reportedly installed privacy screens around the mansion after realising hikers could see into the home when the popular hiking route reopened.
In 2005, Perry reportedly paid $9 million (£7.6m) for a property on the Chattahoochee River that reportedly once belonged to segregationist Moreton Rolleston, proprietor of a motel which refused to serve African-Americans. Tearing down the building, Perry spent three years building this palatial pad atop its impressive 17 acreage.
The expansive estate stretches out across 34,000-square-feet and features seven bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Entering via the motor court with fountain, you are welcomed into a grand hallway with marble floors, double sweeping staircase and huge chandelier above.
Incredible double-height rooms are framed by arched open doorways while extravagant draped curtains cast the eye towards grand, floor-to-ceiling windows that host glorious views across beautifully landscaped grounds and Atlanta's upscale Buckhead neighbourhood.
More spectacular views await in one of seven bedrooms, while entertainment awaits downstairs in the underground ballroom, home cinema and wine cellar, as well as a rather impressive 70,000-gallon infinity pool with a bar. According to Architectural Digest, Perry sold the French Provincial-style pad in 2016 to evangelist David Turner for $17.5 million (£14.8m), who later sold up to TV host, Steve Harvey.
The same year Perry purchased his Atlanta palace, the star also bought up land in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with the intention of building a holiday log cabin. Sharing beautiful shots of sunsets from his deck, Perry has also snapped some intimidating wildlife in his backyard, including this moose that he filmed for Instagram in 2021, as well as a grizzly bear that trespassed in 2019, which he fondly recalls in an interview with Ellen.
Tyler Perry certainly knows how to treat himself. Captured here by Caribbean Journal, in 2009 the entertainment entrepreneur splashed out on 25-acre White Bay Cay private island and an adjacent seven-acre island in the Bahamas to celebrate his 40th birthday. According to the Wall Street Journal, the larger island cost $7 million (£5.9m) which he developed with a Balinese-style villa with neighbouring bungalows, built from scratch.
In 2015, Perry flexed his building abilities again and bought up a 330-acre lot in Atlanta, Georgia on which to build Tyler Perry Studios. Situated on the grounds of Fort McPherson, a former military base that served the Confederate Army, and one of the poorest black neighbourhoods in Atlanta, Perry wanted to make a statement and inspire young black kids. Here he poses outside his impressive near-exact replica of the White House, in a snap he shared on Facebook.
Accepting his 2019 BET Award, Perry declared, “The studio was once a Confederate Army base, which means that there were Confederate soldiers on that base, plotting and planning on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one Negro.” Black Panther was one of the first films shot at the studios, which also include an airport terminal, a strip mall, two baseball fields, a golf course and a residential neighbourhood.
Built in 1992, the same year Perry was writing his first play I Know I've Been Changed, this chic glass Beverly Hills was designed by billionaire physicist, philanthropist, and inventor Alfred E. Mann. Perry snapped it up as an investment property in 2017 for $14.5 million (£12.3m).
With incredible views across Los Angeles, the 17,245-square-foot, three-storey pad boasts 10 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms and stunning pyramid-shaped skylights, just in case the epic glass frontage wasn’t providing enough natural light.
Perry sold the property just five months later to rapper and producer Pharrell Williams for reportedly $15.6 million (£13.2m) in May 2018. With those spectacular views, resort-style swimming pool with slide and grotto, we’re not surprised it was snapped up so quickly.
The prolific director has most recently been working on constructing another mega-mansion in Atlanta, having bought 1,200 acres of land. TMZ reported in 2018 that building work was underway on the Gilded Age-style manse. Conveniently for the hardworking actor and producer, the 1,200-acre estate captured here by Atlanta Drone Girl, resides a mere 32 minutes from his 330-acre film studio, according to PriceyPads.com. The perfect commute.
The secluded home boasts a reported 35,000-square-foot of living space, as well as the huge plot. According to TMZ, Tyler hopes his son Aman – who he shares with ex-partner, producer and filmmaker Gelila Bekele – will grow up enjoying the land and animals, as he plans to cultivate an organic farm with horses and other wildlife on the Atlanta estate.
Alongside the imposing main house, there also sits a second, smaller structure that could be used as a guest house. There's even an airport runway, which is convenient for the multitalented Perry who has in the past reportedly possessed a pilot's license.
In October 2019, the hard-working writer posted a video to his social media accounts from his home in LA, to advertise the fact he'd be live-Tweeting from home through his show The Oval, which he wrote, directed and produced.
Also in 2019, Perry received a prestigious star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 27 years after he wrote his first play. Giving a sneak peek into his kitchen, Perry posted a photo of his Oscar trophy sitting on his kitchen countertop after the 2021 Academy Awards, when he took home the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
In January 2020, Perry reassured fans that he was continuing to work while posting a photo from his writer's room, complete with huge stone fireplace and roaring fire, leather armchairs and a cosy rug.
We are in no doubt that the super successful media mogul will continue to produce award-winning work and develop even more fantastic real estate to add to his portfolio. The future's looking bright, and as his Atlanta estate nears completion, we look forward to what's next for Tyler Perry!
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