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The Lives of Benjamin Franklin is a 1974 American television miniseries that chronicles the life of the late Benjamin Franklin. It was broadcast by CBS and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series.
Original Release
11/21/1974 on CBS
US Release
11/21/1974
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Melvyn Douglas | Stateman Benjamin Franklin / Benjamin Franklin |
| Ian Holm | Wedderburn |
| Honor Blackman | Margaret Stevenson |
| Richard Widmark | Rebel Benjamin Franklin / Benjamin Franklin |
| Roger Livesey | Dunning |
| John Neville | Hillsborough |
| Anthony Quayle | Dartmouth |
| Nigel Havers | Benjamin Franklin Bache |
| Hurd Hatfield | John Church |
| Georgia Brown | Mrs. Peachum / Mrs Peachum |
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ambassador | Thursday, 21 November 1974 |
| 2 | The Whirlwind | Tuesday, 17 December 1974 |
| 3 | The Rebel | Thursday, 09 January 1975 |
| 4 | The Statesman | Tuesday, 28 January 1975 |
Directors
Writers
David Shaw, Edward Adler, Loring Mandel, Howard Fast, Corinne Jacker
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Melvyn Douglas | Stateman Benjamin Franklin / Benjamin Franklin |
| Ian Holm | Wedderburn |
| Honor Blackman | Margaret Stevenson |
| Richard Widmark | Rebel Benjamin Franklin / Benjamin Franklin |
| Roger Livesey | Dunning |
| John Neville | Hillsborough |
| Anthony Quayle | Dartmouth |
| Nigel Havers | Benjamin Franklin Bache |
| Hurd Hatfield | John Church |
| Georgia Brown | Mrs. Peachum / Mrs Peachum |
| Vivian Pickles | Mrs. Shipley / Mrs Shipley |
| John Bird | William Whateley |
| David Knight | William Franklin |
| David Markham | Bishop Shipley |
| Lloyd Bridges | Older Ben Franklin / Benjamin Franklin |
| Beau Bridges | Young Benjamin Franklin / Benjamin Franklin (as a Young Man) / Benjamin Franklin - as a Young Man |
| Bruce Davison | William Franklin - Son |
| Willie Aames | Benjamin Franklin at 12 |
| Sorrell Booke | Cochin |
| Donal Donnelly | (as Donal Donelly) |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Lewis Freedman | Executive Producer |
| George Lefferts | Producer |
| Glenn Jordan | Producer |
| Gareth Davies | Producer |
Editors
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Limited Series | Won |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Won |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design - For a Single Episode of a Comedy, Drama or Limited Series | Won |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Makeup | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series | Won |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts | Won |
