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About
Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.
Theatrical
Aug 16, 2013
DVD / Blu-ray
Jan 14, 2014
Box Office
$177.3M
Budget
$25.0M
Return
7.1x
Director
Producers
Music
Studio
Follow Through Productions, Salamander Pictures, Laura Ziskin Productions, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Pam Williams Productions, Windy Hill Pictures
Keywords
the white house
usa president
1970s
butler
slavery
john f. kennedy
black panther party
martin luther king
racial segregation
ronald reagan
richard nixon
based on true story
racism
racial tension
usa history
historical drama
1980s
1950s
1960s
1930s
father son conflict
african american history
jimmy carter
dwight d eisenhower
civil rights movement
news footage
based on real person
Trailers & Clips
Cast
Full credits →
Forest Whitaker
Cecil Gaines
O
Oprah Winfrey
Gloria Gaines
D
David Oyelowo
Louis Gaines
J
John Cusack
Richard Nixon
J
Jane Fonda
Nancy Reagan
C
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Carter Wilson
M
Mariah Carey
Hattie Pearl
T
Terrence Howard
Howard
L
Lenny Kravitz
James Holloway
A
Aml Ameen
Cecil Gaines (15)
M
Michael Rainey Jr.
Cecil Gaines (8)
J
James Marsden
John F. Kennedy
A
Alex Pettyfer
Thomas Westfall
V
Vanessa Redgrave
Annabeth Westfall
A
Alan Rickman
Ronald Reagan
L
Liev Schreiber
Lyndon B. Johnson
R
Robin Williams
Dwight H. Eisenhower
Y
Yaya DaCosta
Carol Hammie
D
David Banner
Earl Gaines
C
Colman Domingo
Freddie Fallows
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