Esquire magazine asked 50 men—athletes, politicians, actors, and business leaders—"Who made you the man you are today?" Movie writer and actor Tyler Perry said, "My next-door neighbor very early on, Mr. Johnson, was the kindest, most gentle man I've ever met, and he was the first person to actually see me. Not even in my house did I exist, but when he looked at me, he let me know that I was alive and I had a voice."