Sort by IMDb Rating - Highest Rated Movies and TV Shows With Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Job Types
- Movies or TV
- Genres
- Keywords
- IMDb Rating
- Instant Watch Options
- In Theaters
- Release Year
1.
Independent Lens (1999– )
Episode:
Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life
(2007)
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary
Billy Strayhorn was one of the forces behind the sound of the renowned Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Director: Robert Levi | Stars: Keith David, Dulé Hill, Bill Charlap, Elvis Costello
Votes: 61
2. Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
TV-PG | 360 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.
Stars: Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Andrew Young
Votes: 737
3.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2013)
Episode:
A More Perfect Union
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary
From PBS: After 1968, African Americans set out to build a bright future on the foundation of the civil rights movement's victories, but a growing class disparity threatened to split the ... See full summary »
Directors: Leslie Asako Gladsjo, Jamila Wignot | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Kathleen Cleaver, Vincent Brown, Maulana Karenga
Votes: 17
4.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
The Promised Land: 1967-1968
(1990)
TV-PG | 58 min | Documentary, History
Martin Luther King, Jr. stakes out new ground for himself and the rapidly fragmenting civil rights movement. He is assassinated in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel.
Directors: Jacqueline Shearer, Paul Stekler | Stars: Martin Luther King, Juanita Abernathy, Ralph Abernathy, Harry Belafonte
Votes: 16
5.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Ain't Gonna Shuffle No More: 1964-1972
(1990)
TV-PG | 56 min | Documentary, History
Call to pride and push for unity galvanize blacks. Cassius Clay challenges America to accept him as Muhammad Ali, who refuses to fight in Vietnam. Students at Howard University fight to ... See full summary »
Directors: Sheila Curran Bernard, Sam Pollard | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali, Amiri Baraka, Harry Belafonte
Votes: 18
6.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2013)
Episode:
Rise! (1940-1968)
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary
From PBS: "Rise!" examines the long road to civil rights, when the deep contradictions in American society finally became unsustainable. African Americans who fought fascism in World War II... See full summary »
Director: Phil Bertelsen | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Damon Keith, David Levering Lewis, Christopher S. Parker
Votes: 15
7.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
A Nation of Law?: 1968-1971
(1990)
TV-PG | 58 min | Documentary, History
Black activism is increasingly met with violent and unethical response from local and federal law enforcement. A five-day inmate takeover at Attica Prison calls the public's attention to ... See full summary »
Directors: Louis J. Massiah, Thomas Ott, Terry Kay Rockefeller | Stars: Amiri Baraka, L.D. Barkley, LaVerne Barkley, Herbert X. Blyden
Votes: 21
8.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Back to the Movement: 1979-Mid 1980s
(1990)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
Episode explores new and old challenges that black communities faced 25 years after civil rights struggle began. It follows black communities in Miami and Chicago and chronicles their dramatically different responses to these challenges.
Directors: James A. DeVinney, Madison D. Lacy | Stars: Muhammad Ali, Georgia Jones Ayres, Unita Blackwell, Julian Bond
Votes: 15
9.
Black in Latin America (2011)
Episode:
Mexico and Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet
(2011)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary
Travel to Mexico and Peru with Professor Gates as he explores the almost unknown history of the numbers of black people brought to these countries as early as the 16th and 17th centuries.
Director: Ilana Trachtman | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Carlos Aguirre, Maribel Arrelucea Barrantes, Susana Baca
Votes: 7
10.
Black in Latin America (2011)
Episode:
Cuba: The Next Revolution
(2011)
TV-PG | 56 min | Documentary
Find out how the culture, religion, politics and music of Cuba are inextricably linked to the importation of slaves.
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Carmen Barcia, Miguel Barnet, Fulgencio Batista
Votes: 7
11.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2013)
Episode:
Making a Way Out of No Way (1897-1940)
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary
From PBS: "Making a Way Out of No Way" portrays the Jim Crow era, when African Americans struggled to build their own worlds within the harsh, narrow confines of segregation. At the turn of... See full summary »
Director: Phil Bertelsen | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Isabel Wilkerson, David Levering Lewis, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Votes: 17
12. The Simpsons (1989– )
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner
Votes: 436,459
13. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
TV-PG | 53 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Before the popularity of AncestryDNA, journalist and cultural critic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. divulges the family trees of various celebrities, many times with stunning revelations.
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., CeCe Moore, Anita Hill, Ty Burrell
Votes: 1,642
14. The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2013)
TV-PG | Documentary
Professor Gates describes the history of the African American people by talking to historians, authors, and the people who made history.
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Vincent Brown, Bernard E. Powers Jr., Peniel E. Joseph
Votes: 291
15.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Two Societies: 1965-1968
(1990)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
Northern cities served as the backdrop for confrontations on a scale the civil rights movement had never seen before the mid-1960s. Scarred by widespread discrimination, black inner-city ... See full summary »
Directors: Sheila Curran Bernard, Sam Pollard | Stars: Ralph Abernathy, Julian Bond, Herb Boyd, Edward Brooke
Votes: 16
16.
Black in Latin America (2011)
Episode:
Haiti and Dominican Republic: An Island Divided
(2011)
TV-PG | 56 min | Documentary
Join Professor Gates as he explores how race has been socially constructed in the Dominican Republic and as he tells the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic in Haiti.
Director: Ricardo Pollack | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Guy Alexandre, Max Beauvoir, Rachel Beauvoir-Dominique
Votes: 14
17. American Experience (1987– )
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A series showcasing documentaries on American history.
Stars: David McCullough, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Murphy, Oliver Platt
Votes: 2,207
18. Frontline (1983– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, News
FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world and American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983
Stars: Will Lyman, Sarah Childress, Priyanka Boghani, Arun Rath
Votes: 2,297
19. Muhammad Ali (2021)
445 min | Documentary, Biography, History
An in-depth look at the life of boxer, Muhammad Ali, including his years as an activist and philanthropist.
Stars: Gerald Early, Todd Boyd, Salim Muwakkil, Jerry Izenberg
Votes: 1,373
20.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
No Easy Walk: 1961-1963
(1987)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
From PBS - This episode depicts major civil rights movement events in three American cities.
Directors: Callie Crossley, James A. DeVinney | Stars: Ralph Abernathy, William G. Anderson, Melvin Bailey, James Bevel
Votes: 35
21.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
The Keys to the Kingdom: 1974-1980
(1990)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
In the 1970s, anti-discrimination rights are put to the test. Boston whites violently resist federal school desegregation order. Atlanta's mayor Jackson proves affirmative action can work, but Bakke decision challenges that policy.
Directors: Jacqueline Shearer, Paul Stekler | Stars: Muhammad Ali, Tracy Amalfitano, Tom Atkins, Ruth M. Batson
Votes: 17
22.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2013)
Episode:
Into the Fire (1861-1890)
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary
From PBS: "Into the Fire" examines the most tumultuous and consequential period in African-American history: the Civil War and the end of slavery, and Reconstruction's thrilling but brief "... See full summary »
Director: Jamila Wignot | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Bernard E. Powers Jr., John Stauffer, Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander
Votes: 15
23.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Children of Exile
(2022)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Henry Louis Gates Jr. retraces the ancestral journeys of David Chang and Raúl Esparza, whose families fled their homelands, leading them to find lost parts of themselves along the way.
Director: Sabin Streeter | Stars: David Chang, Raúl Esparza, Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Votes: 52
24. The Colbert Report (2005–2014)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show
Satirical newscaster Stephen Colbert provides humorous commentary on the big issues going on in the United States and the rest of the world, with his larger-than-life ego and overly-patriotic spirit along with him every step of the way.
Stars: Stephen Colbert, Jay Katsir, Jon Stewart, Paul Dinello
Votes: 39,177
25.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Ain't Scared of Your Jails: 1960-1961
(1987)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
From PBS - Beginning in 1960, young people on Black college campuses took a more active role in the civil rights movement's leadership and determined their own methods of promoting change.
Director: Orlando Bagwell | Stars: Julian Bond, Angeline Butler, James Farmer, Jacqueline Kennedy
Votes: 36
26.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Awakenings: 1954-1956
(1987)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
The beginnings of the U.S. Civil rights struggle is profiled, including the Emmett Till murder trial and the Rosa Parks arrest/Montgomery bus boycott.
Director: Judith Vecchione | Stars: Ralph Abernathy, Joe Azbell, Frances Belser, Unita Blackwell
Votes: 44
27.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Fighting Back: 1957-1962
(1987)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown Vs the Board of Education decision, the civil rights movement presses the issue of desegregation in schools. From Little Rock High School and ... See full summary »
Director: Judith Vecchione | Stars: Lindsay Almond Jr., Melvin Bailey, Ross Barnett, Lucius Christopher Bates
Votes: 42
28.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Write My Name in the Book of Life
(2021)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Award-winning music star Pharrell Williams and Hollywood film director and actress Kasi Lemmons learn about their ancestors who suffered during slavery as well as those who had to live with its consequences after it was finally abolished.
Director: Krista Whetstone | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Kasi Lemmons, CeCe Moore
Votes: 34
29.
Muhammad Ali (2021)
Episode:
Round One: The Greatest (1942-1964)
(2021)
128 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The young boxing prodigy, Cassius Clay, rises up the amateur ranks to win gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics before turning pro.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnny Addie, Hana Ali, Rahman Ali
Votes: 112
30.
Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr. (2010)
Episode:
Know Thyself
(2010)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Episode four takes up the search for the guests' ancestries where the historical record leaves off and links their distinctive family histories to the broader history of "the family of man."
Directors: Stephen Ives, Amanda Pollak | Stars: Elizabeth Alexander, Mario Batali, Stephen Colbert, Louise Erdrich
Votes: 8
31.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Secret Lives
(2023)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash uncover some family secrets about the untold lives of their grandparents. One revelation so shocking that the guest learned it during filming to prepare her family for the result.
Director: Krista Whetstone | Stars: Carol Burnett, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Niecy Nash
Votes: 56
32.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Fathers and Sons
(2024)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Actors LeVar Burton and Wes Studi, two men who grew up without their fathers, explore their family histories.
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., LeVar Burton, Wes Studi
Votes: 38
33. The Daily Show (1996– )
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show
A comedy news show featuring humorous takes on top stories.
Stars: Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Roy Wood Jr.
Votes: 48,201
34. Jeopardy! (1984– )
TV-G | 30 min | Short, Game-Show, Reality-TV
A returning champion and two challengers test their buzzer skills and their knowledge in a wide range of academic and popular categories.
Stars: Alex Trebek, Johnny Gilbert, Jimmy McGuire, Sarah Whitcomb Foss
Votes: 8,228
35.
Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
Episode:
Bridge to Freedom: 1965
(1987)
TV-PG | 57 min | Documentary, History
From PBS - Ten years after the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, the civil rights leadership has become more sophisticated in its use of protest strategy.
Directors: Callie Crossley, James A. DeVinney | Stars: Ralph Abernathy, Wilson Baker, Harry Belafonte, James Bevel
Votes: 50
36.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Hidden in the Genes
(2022)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Henry Louis Gates Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detective work, illuminating both history and their own identities.
Director: Krista Whetstone | Stars: Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson, David Chang, Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Votes: 40
37.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Cory Booker and John Lewis
(2012)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Two African-American politicians from different generations and opposite backgrounds, legendary civil rights leader John Lewis, and Democratic senator Cory Booker, learn about black and white slavery era ancestors they never knew about.
Stars: Cory Booker, Henry Louis Gates Jr., John Lewis
Votes: 50
38.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice and Ruth Simmons
(2012)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Brown University president Ruth Simmons were all once second-class citizens in the Jim Crow south. Where in Africa do they come from and who are their white ancestors?
Director: Jesse Sweet | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice, Ruth Simmons
Votes: 40
39.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Family Reunions
(2016)
TV-PG | 52 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Uncover family mysteries about two legends of hip hop, Sean Combs and LL Cool J, through the use of DNA technology that reveals information that shakes their very foundations.
Director: Josh Gleason | Stars: Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Henry Louis Gates Jr., LL Cool J, CeCe Moore
Votes: 35
40.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Grandparents and Other Strangers
(2019)
TV-PG | 52 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and his team use both DNA testing and detective work to uncover the history of a grandparent line and try to find missing relatives for actor Andy Samberg and author George R. R. Martin.
Director: Sabin Streeter | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., George R.R. Martin, CeCe Moore, Andy Samberg
Votes: 60
41.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Freedom Tales
(2019)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
TV host Michael Strahan and actress S. Epatha Merkerson learn about the unusual circumstances surrounding their ancestors' success and suffering.
Director: Sabin Streeter | Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., S. Epatha Merkerson, CeCe Moore, Michael Strahan
Votes: 41
42. Watchmen (2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting to break new ground of its own.
Stars: Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers
Votes: 134,529
43. 13th (2016)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Votes: 37,701
44. American Masters (1985– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.
Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett
Votes: 1,173
45. Independent Lens (1999– )
TV-14 | Documentary
Independent Lens is an award-winning PBS documentary series that streams on the PBS App and airs on public television. Independent Lens documentaries focus on stories of underrepresented ... See full summary »
Stars: America Ferrera, Terrence Howard, Stanley Tucci, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 635
46. Reconstruction: America after The Civil War (2019– )
Documentary
A comprehensive and compelling history of the United States immediately following the Civil War.
Stars: Martha S. Jones, Andia Winslow, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Mark Lund
Votes: 224
47. Voice Arts® Awards (2020 TV Special)
Family
Director: Sarah Devon Ford | Stars: Paola Sanchez Abreu, Charlotte Ann, Jon Armond, Angely Baez
Votes: 8
48.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
All in the Family
(2019)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Comedian and Modern Family (2009) star Ty Burrell, and notable radio talk-show host and civil rights activist Joe Madison learn about their roots, which leads to many unexpected twists, shocking turns, and surprising similarities.
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Ty Burrell, Joe Madison
Votes: 37
49.
Reconstruction: America after The Civil War (2019– )
Episode:
Part 1, Hour 1
(2019)
TV-PG | 55 min | Documentary
After the Civil War, efforts to realize a "new south" begin. Whites offered share cropping to blacks, but agreements were not understood (due to lack of literacy skill) and insurmountable ... See full summary »
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Martha S. Jones, Mark Lund, Andia Winslow
Votes: 25
50.
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
Episode:
Slave Trade
(2020)
TV-PG | 52 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Clip show episode compiling three previous stories about people whose families' lives were forever changed in shocking and surprising ways by the slave trade: Ava DuVernay, S. Epatha Merkerson and Questlove.
Directors: Sabin Streeter, Krista Whetstone | Stars: Ava DuVernay, Henry Louis Gates Jr., S. Epatha Merkerson, Questlove
Votes: 35