(born 1957) Forerunner of a new generation of film-school trained black directors, Lee has expanded his films about race, class and gender into a more complex and enduring career with surprising tenderness as well as compelling questions both whites and blacks might prefer to forget. His films have spurred controversy and dislike from feminist critics of his debut, She’s Gotta Have It (1986), to uneasy white and ethnic readings of Do the Right Thing (1989) or Summer of Sam (1999), which portray a divided New York City.

Controversy has also plagued his relations with and criticism of Hollywood; although Malcolm X (1992) took on many of the trappings of a Hollywood production, award nominations that have eluded him most.