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IMDbPro

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

  • TV Movie
  • 20172017
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,846
817
Oprah Winfrey in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.
Play trailer1:40
2 Videos
15 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,846
817
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • George C. Wolfe
    • Writers
      • Rebecca Skloot(based on the book written by)
      • Peter Landesman(screenplay by)
      • Alexander Woo(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Renée Elise Goldsberry
      • Sylvia Grace Crim
      • Reed Birney
    Top credits
    • Director
      • George C. Wolfe
    • Writers
      • Rebecca Skloot(based on the book written by)
      • Peter Landesman(screenplay by)
      • Alexander Woo(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Renée Elise Goldsberry
      • Sylvia Grace Crim
      • Reed Birney
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 46User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 wins & 21 nominations total

    Videos2

    Tonight 8/7c
    Trailer 1:40
    Tonight 8/7c
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:40
    Official Trailer

    Photos15

    Oprah Winfrey in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Oprah Winfrey and Leslie Uggams in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Tian Richards and L.Warren Young in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
    Tian Richards in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
    Oprah Winfrey and Kate Bond in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Behind the Scenes still of Tian Richards with director George C. Wolfe & L. Warren Young in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    Oprah Winfrey, Jaylon Gordon, and Johnnie Gordon on the set of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" in Baltimore
    Oprah Winfrey, Jaylon Gordon, Johnnie Gordon, and Jaedon Godley on the set of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" in Baltimore, MD
    Behind the scenes shot of Oprah Winfrey and Jaylon Gordon on the set of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" in Atlanta.

    Top cast

    Edit
    Renée Elise Goldsberry
    Renée Elise Goldsberry
    • Henrietta Lacks
    Sylvia Grace Crim
    Sylvia Grace Crim
    • Mary Kubick
    Reed Birney
    Reed Birney
    • Dr. George Gey
    Karen Wheeling Reynolds
    Karen Wheeling Reynolds
    • Mrs. Margaret Gey
    • (as Karen Reynolds)
    John C. Vennema
    John C. Vennema
    • Board Administrator
    Chasiti Ferrell
    • Baby Deborah
    Chelsea Ferrell
    • Baby Deborah
    Rose Byrne
    Rose Byrne
    • Rebecca Skloot
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    • Dr. Roland Pattillo
    Oprah Winfrey
    Oprah Winfrey
    • Deborah Lacks
    Jaedon Godley
    • Davon
    Rocky Carroll
    Rocky Carroll
    • Sonny Lacks
    John Douglas Thompson
    John Douglas Thompson
    • Lawrence Lacks
    Roger Robinson
    Roger Robinson
    • Day Lacks
    Adriane Lenox
    Adriane Lenox
    • Barbara Lacks
    Kyanna Simone
    Kyanna Simone
    • Teenage Deborah
    • (as Kyanna Simone Simpson)
    Jane Rumbaua
    Jane Rumbaua
    • Dr. Susan Hsu
    Byron Jennings
    Byron Jennings
    • Dr. Victor McKusick
    • Director
      • George C. Wolfe
    • Writers
      • Rebecca Skloot(based on the book written by)
      • Peter Landesman(screenplay by)
      • Alexander Woo(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a piece on this movie that aired on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," Eric Deggans said that the source book's author, Rebecca Skoot, told him in an interview that Henrietta Lacks's daughter Deborah Lacks Pullum wanted Oprah to play her in the movie version long before any movie version was actually in the works. Skloot said, "She always said, you know, this book is going to come out. It's going to be a bestseller. Oprah's going to make a movie, and she's going to play me. Like, she was just sure of it." Deborah died in 2009, so she was not alive to see that the book about her mother did become a bestseller and Oprah did play Deborah in the movie adaptation.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Working on the Railroad
      Traditional

      Performed by Compton Jones

      Courtesy of The University of Memphis

      By arrangement with High Water Records

    User reviews46

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    people differ; I thought the movie was superb!
    Yes, I see all the negative reviews, but my experience was different. This movie was wonderful. Admittedly it didn't come close to covering the entire book; what movie does? The slice covered is the experience of Henrietta Lacks' children and grandchildren and their reactions as adults to the attempt to write a book about their mother's situation. Rose Byrne did a great job, as always, as the writer of the book, and Oprah was heartpoundingly good as Lacks' troubled daughter. I love that the daughter wasn't glamorous, nor powerful, but Oprah still breathed life into her and absolutely owned the screen. To me this movie animates many different ways of dealing with loss, grief, and intense resentment at unfair treatment. If you're willing to see it as a story of Lacks' personal, not scientific, legacy, I think you'll find the movie transcendent, as I did.
    helpful•5
    0
    • csts1
    • Jul 1, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 22, 2017 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 海拉細胞的不朽旅程
    • Filming locations
      • Baltimore, Maryland, USA
    • Production companies
      • HBO Films
      • Your Face Goes Here Entertainment
      • Harpo Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1
      • 16:9 HD

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