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Mars Blackmon | |
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She's Gotta Have It character | |
First appearance | She's Gotta Have It |
Created by | Spike Lee |
Portrayed by | Spike Lee (1986) Anthony Ramos |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Male |
Significant other | Nola Darling |
Nationality | American |
Mars Blackmon is a fictional character in the film She's Gotta Have It (1986), played by the film's writer/director, Spike Lee. In the film, he is a "Brooklyn-loving" fan of the New York Knicks, sports, and Air Jordans (the basketball shoes worn by Michael Jordan). This led to late 1980s and early 1990s appearances in Nike Air Jordan commercials alongside Jordan and Mars becoming well known for his use of the phrase, "It's gotta be da shoes." [1] The ad campaign with Lee as Mars has been credited as a landmark in the evolution of sneakers into massively profitable items of fashion. [2] [3] When Lee was first approached to co-star with Michael Jordan for Nike, Lee thought the offer was a prank from his friends. [4] The Jordan Mars shoe line is named in honor of the Mars Blackmon character, with Spike Lee's son, Jackson Lewis Lee, being the designer of the Jordan Mars 270.
In the April 30, 2010 episode of the genealogy television show Who Do You Think You Are? that focused on Spike Lee's search for his mother's ancestors, Lee said that he had called his grandmother to ask for a name for the character. His grandmother gave him the name "Mars". In the episode, Lee's research finds that Mars was the name of his great-great-grandfather (his grandmother's grandfather). In March 2015 a Capital One Quicksilver credit card television commercial features Samuel L. Jackson, Charles Barkley and Lee. During the commercial's hotel check-in, Lee uses the pseudonym Mars Blackmon to register his room.
Nike used the character for its Jordan Spiz'ike line of shoes. [5]
For the 2017 Netflix comedy-drama series TV remake, Mars is played by Anthony Ramos. [6] In episode #OhJudoKnow?, it is revealed that Mars' father is Mookie from Do the Right Thing , a character also portrayed by Spike Lee in the film from 1989. [7]
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabody Awards. He has also been honored with an Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2015.
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She's Gotta Have It is a 1986 American black-and-white comedy drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Spike Lee. Filmed on a small budget and Lee's first feature-length film to be released, it earned positive reviews and launched Lee's career.
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Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.
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Blackmon is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Diandrea Rees is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films Pariah (2011), Bessie (2015), Mudbound (2017), and The Last Thing He Wanted (2020). Rees has also written and directed episodes for television series including Empire, When We Rise, and Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.
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Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he began working in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton. He received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the 2020 stage recording of the play.
She's Gotta Have It is an American comedy-drama television series created by Spike Lee. It is based on his 1986 film of the same name. Ten 30-minute episodes were ordered by Netflix, all of which were directed by Lee. The show premiered on November 23, 2017. On January 1, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 24, 2019. On July 17, 2019, Netflix canceled the series after two seasons.
Cleo Anthony is an American actor and model. Anthony is known for his role in the Netflix series She's Gotta Have It. He has also played roles in Divergent, The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus, and Sex/Life.
DeWanda Wise is an American actress. She starred in Spike Lee's Netflix comedy-drama series She's Gotta Have It (2017–19), a contemporary adaptation of his 1986 film.
Jordan Michael Geller is an American sneaker collector who founded and operated the ShoeZeum, the world's first sneaker museum. In 2012, Geller was certified by Guinness World Records for having the largest sneaker collection in the world, at 2,388 pairs.