Tyler Perry couldn't hold back the tears when he saw a road sign directing drivers to Tyler Perry Studios.
"Driving into work today I saw these signs on the highways being changed," he wrote on Instagram. "My eyes filled with water knowing what God has allowed to happen in my life."
The man who brought hard to-forget Madea to life was once so down and out he lived in his car. "Atlanta has truly been the promised land for me," he said.
"I came here with nothing, lived off Sylvan Road, ended up homeless and starving, but I was always praying and believing. I was always keeping the faith, knowing that if I worked hard, did my absolute best, kept my integrity, honoured every, and remained grateful through it all that everything would work out."
It paid off. In 2011 Forbes magazine named Tyler as the highest-paid man in entertainment and he's now estimated to be worth between $600 million (R9,1 billion) and $800m (R12,1bn).
Much of his success is due to sassy granny Madea but he's also done work with Oprah and made several other films.
His advice to his fans?
"Just know that it is possible to believe in your dream and still wonder how or when it's going to happen. Stay the course. Pray, work, believe and repeat. You'll get there. Just believe for as much as you can and ask God to help you believe for the rest!"
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