Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The Television Academy has announced it will present actor, filmmaker and philanthropist Tyler Perry with the Governors Award at next month's virtual Emmy Awards ceremony.
"2020 marks the return of the Governors Award, honoring exceptional achievements in the television arts and sciences," the academy tweeted Tuesday. "We're proud to announce this year's recipient @TylerPerry and The Perry Foundation for their impact in television, and ongoing commitment to humanitarian efforts."
Perry, 50, has worked on 22 movies, more than 20 stage plays, 13 television shows and two bestselling books. He is also the head of Tyler Perry Studios and The Perry Foundation.
"Tyler Perry has changed the face of television and inspired a new generation of content creators. He pioneered a new brand of storytelling that engages people of color both in front of and behind the camera, and his shows have resonated with a global audience," Governors Award selection committee Chair Eva Basler said in a press release.
The Madea and The Haves and the Have Nots creator said he was "grateful and humbled" by the recognition.
"I've always prided myself on the work we do at the studio, our diverse representation of people from all walks of life, and the community we've built," Perry added. "My hope is that through moments like this we can remind others of the power of ownership and show that when the world doesn't offer you a seat at the table, you can build your own."
Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the 72nd Emmy Awards on ABC Sept. 20. The ceremony will be taped remotely in keeping with social-distancing practices intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
HBO's Watchmen led the pack with 26 when Emmy nominations recognizing excellence in television were announced in July. Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel came in second with 20 nominations, while Netflix's Ozark and HBO's Succession both earned 18 nods.
Moments from Tyler Perry's career
Tyler Perry arrives at the premiere of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" in Los Angeles on February 21, 2005. Later that year,
Perry attended the United Negro College Fund's annual "An Evening of Stars" fundraiser. Photo by Francis Specker/UPI |
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Perry arrives for the premiere of "Madea's Family Reunion" in Los Angeles on February 21, 2006. A few months later, the film
competed for No. 1 in DVD sales. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Perry signs copies of
his new book "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings" in New York City on April 11, 2006. The book
won Perry the Quill Award. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI |
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Left to right, cast members Jill Scott, Janet Jackson and writer-director Perry share a laugh at the premiere for "Why Did I Get Married?" in New York City on October 9, 2007. The film debuted at
No. 1 in DVD sales with more than 2 million copies sold. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI |
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Aretha Franklin (L) accepts the Vanguard Award from Perry at the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on February 14, 2008. Later on, Perry shared that the
first time she called him, she asked to speak to his character, "Madea." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Left to right, Taraji P. Henson, Perry and Sanaa Lathan arrive for a special screening of "Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys" in New York City on September 8, 2008. The film would
premiere at No. 2 in the box office and go on to
sell one million DVD copies in its first week debut. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI |
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Perry attends the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on February 12, 2009. A few months later, TBS
extended the sitcom, "Tyler Perry's House of Payne." Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Left to right, Mary J. Blige, Kwesi Boakye, Taraji P. Henson and Perry arrive for the premiere of "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" in New York City on September 8, 2009. The film
premiered at No. 1 at the box office. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI |
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Left to right, Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., Katie Couric, Perry, Ashton Kutcher and Bernadette Peters attend the Entertainment Industry Foundation press conference announcing two major initiatives encouraging volunteerism in New York City on September 10, 2009. A couple months later, Perry
was featured on Barbara Walter's "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009." Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI |
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Perry accepts the Chairman's Award during the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on February 26, 2010. A few months later, Lionsgate acquired the rights to his 11th Madea franchise film, "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Perry arrives on the red carpet at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 7, 2010. The next month, his film "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?"
premiered at No. 2 at the box office. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Perry attends the premiere, that came
in No. 2 on the box office, of "Madea's Big Happy Family" in Los Angeles on April 19, 2011. The following year, stars began lining up for the
next installment of the Madea franchise. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Cast member Perry attends the premiere, coming in
at No. 5 at the box office, of "Alex Cross" in Los Angeles on October 15, 2012. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Executive producer Perry (L) and writer-director Tina Gordon Chism attend the premiere of "Peeples" in Los Angeles on May 8, 2013. A couple months later,
"Tyler Perry's Tempation" was the No. 1 DVD and Blu-ray rental. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Perry arrives for the premiere of "Selma" in New York City on December 14, 2014. Earlier that month, Perry
welcomed his first child with girlfriend, Gelila Bekele. A few months earlier, Perry was confirmed
to star in "Gone Girl." Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Perry attends the premiere, that
topped the North American box office, of "Boo! A Madea Halloween" in Los Angeles on October 17, 2016. The year prior, Perry
was honored at the Directors Guild of America Honors gala. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Perry
won the Humanitarian Award during the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles on January 18, 2017. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Cast member Perry attends the premiere,
that topped the North American box office, of "Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween" in Los Angeles on October 16, 2017. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI |
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Perry
presented onstage at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville on November 8, 2017. Photo by John Sommers II/UPI |
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Perry arrives on the red carpet premiere of "Nobody's Fool" in New York City on October 28, 2018. A couple days later, Perry announced he was
closing the chapter on Madea. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Perry appears backstage during the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on January 6, 2019. Later that year, "Selma" director Ava Duvernay
raved about Perry's new film studio saying "history made." Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Perry accepts the Icon award onstage during the BET Awards in Los Angeles on June 23, 2019. Later that year, his new film "A Fall from Grace"
was announced to debut on Netflix. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Perry holds a replica plaque during an
unveiling ceremony honoring him with the 2,675th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on October 1, 2019. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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Perry attends the star unveiling ceremony
honoring Dr. Phil McGraw with the 2,688th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on February 21, 2020. A few months later,
he spoke out about the death of George Floyd. Photo by Chris Chew/UPI |
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