7 things you may not know about Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry, the man behind a streak of top-grossing films and popular plays, may be one of the most famous people you don't know much about.

Though he began his career as a playwright, holding his first production at a community theater in Atlanta, Perry hit the big time with 2005's "Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman," starring himself as Madea, an irascible granny with an appetite for destruction. The $5.5 million project baffled critics but opened at No. 1, grossed $50.6 million and launched what would become Perry's entertainment empire.

Perry's famous alter ego is back this week - not in the movies but in a traveling play, "Madea's Big Happy Family." Perry declined to be interviewed in advance of its arrival Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum; he doesn't often speak to the mainstream press. That's partly why he's a man of some mystery to those outside his circle of fans.

Here are seven facts about Perry you probably didn't know.

1. Madea, whose name is a Southern contraction of "mother dear," is based on Perry's own mother, Maxine, and his aunt Mayola. "My mother is the wisdom of Madea," he said in a 1995 interview, "but my aunt Mayola, that's her wig, that's her voice, that's her gun in the purse."

2.  "The Oprah Winfrey Show" helped turn Perry into a playwright. In one episode, Winfrey advised viewers to write down their thoughts; Perry did so, and his notes became his first play, 1992's "I Know I've Been Changed."

3. Along with Winfrey, he helped produce last year's Oscar-nominated drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

4. Though Perry has long been candid about suffering physical abuse as a child, it was only after seeing "Precious" that he publicly addressed his own molestation. "Forgiveness has been my weapon of choice," he wrote on his website. "It has helped to free me."

5. Though hugely popular among black audiences, Perry has been criticized for what some see as pandering and stereotyping. The animated television show "The Boondocks" depicted a Perry-esque character as a pious egomaniac; Spike Lee has compared Perry's work to "Amos 'n' Andy."

6. Perry's nine films, five of which opened at No. 1, have grossed about $486 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

7. Perry's first film role outside of his own work was in last year's "Star Trek." He appeared briefly as Adm. Richard Barnett, the head of Starfleet Academy.

WHAT Tyler Perry's "Madea's Big Happy Family"

WHEN | WHERE 8 p.m. Thursday, Nassau Coliseum

INFO $80.15-$90.45; 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com