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Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The series first aired on ABC in January 1977. Roots received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings for the finale, which still holds a record as the third-highest-rated episode for any type of television series, and the second-most watched overall series finale in U.S. television history. It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million. The series introduced LeVar Burton in the role of Kunta Kinte.
Original Release
01/23/1977 on ABC
US Release
01/23/1977
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Robert Reed | Dr. William Reynolds |
John Amos | Older Kunta Kinte / Toby |
Louis Gossett Jr. | Fiddler |
Lynda Day George | Mrs. Reynolds |
Olivia Cole | Mathilda / Matilda Moore |
Madge Sinclair | Bell Reynolds |
Ben Vereen | Chicken George Moore |
Lloyd Bridges | Evan Brent |
Chuck Connors | Tom Moore |
Georg Stanford Brown | Tom Harvey |
Directors
Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, Gilbert Moses
Writers
Alex Haley, James Lee, William Blinn, Ernest Kinoy, M. Charles Cohen
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Robert Reed | Dr. William Reynolds |
John Amos | Older Kunta Kinte / Toby |
Louis Gossett Jr. | Fiddler |
Lynda Day George | Mrs. Reynolds |
Olivia Cole | Mathilda / Matilda Moore |
Madge Sinclair | Bell Reynolds |
Ben Vereen | Chicken George Moore |
Lloyd Bridges | Evan Brent |
Chuck Connors | Tom Moore |
Georg Stanford Brown | Tom Harvey |
Lorne Greene | John Reynolds |
Ralph Waite | Slater |
Sandy Duncan | Missy Anne Reynolds |
Brad Davis | Old George |
Edward Asner | Capt. Thomas Davies |
Hilly Hicks | Lewis Harvey |
Ji-Tu Cumbuka | Wrestler |
Vic Morrow | Ames |
Lynne Moody | Irene Harvey |
Leslie Uggams | Kizzy Reynolds Moore / Kizzy Reynolds |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
David L. Wolper | Executive Producer |
Stan Margulies | Producer |
Donald A. Ramsey | Producer |
William Beaudine Jr. | Producer |
Malcolm Alper | Producer |
Editors
Year | Type | Category | Won |
---|
1978 | Golden Globe | Best Television Series - Drama | Won |
1978 | Golden Globe | Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama or Comedy Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing for a Series | Won |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) | Won |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Art Direction or Scenic Design for a Drama Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Art Direction or Scenic Design for a Drama Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Won |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Nominated |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series | Won |
1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series | Nominated |