The Butler

The Butler

One quiet voice can ignite a revolution.

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.

US

Made in US

7.3/10

2013

Drama
Lee Daniels EntertainmentWindy Hill Pictures

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Cast

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

As Cecil Gaines

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

As Gloria Gaines

David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo

As Louis Gaines

John Cusack

John Cusack

As Richard Nixon

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda

As Nancy Reagan

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

As Carter Wilson

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

As Hattie Pearl

Terrence Howard

Terrence Howard

As Howard

Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz

As James Holloway

Aml Ameen

Aml Ameen

As Cecil Gaines (15)

Michael Rainey Jr.

Michael Rainey Jr.

As Cecil Gaines (8)

James Marsden

James Marsden

As John F. Kennedy

Alex Pettyfer

Alex Pettyfer

As Thomas Westfall

Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

As Annabeth Westfall

Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman

As Ronald Reagan

Liev Schreiber

Liev Schreiber

As Lyndon B. Johnson

Robin Williams

Robin Williams

As Dwight Eisenhower

Yaya DaCosta

Yaya DaCosta

As Carol Hammie

David Banner

David Banner

As Earl Gaines

Colman Domingo

Colman Domingo

As Freddie Fallows

Nelsan Ellis

Nelsan Ellis

As Martin Luther King Jr.

Nealla Gordon

Nealla Gordon

As Senator Kassebaum

Elijah Kelley

Elijah Kelley

As Charlie Gaines (15-18)

Minka Kelly

Minka Kelly

As Jackie Kennedy

Adriane Lenox

Adriane Lenox

As Gina

Mo McRae

Mo McRae

As Eldridge Huggins

Pernell Walker

Pernell Walker

As Lorraine

Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams

As Rev. James Lawson

Clarence Williams III

Clarence Williams III

As Maynard

LaJessie Smith

LaJessie Smith

As Abraham

John P. Fertitta

John P. Fertitta

As Mr. Jenkins

Jim Gleason

Jim Gleason

As R.D. Warner

Isaac White

Isaac White

As Charlie Gaines (10)

Joe Chrest

Joe Chrest

As White Usher

Tyson Ford

Tyson Ford

As Elroy

James DuMont

James DuMont

As Sherman Adams

Robert Aberdeen

Robert Aberdeen

As Herbert Brownell

Olivia Washington

Olivia Washington

As Olivia

Margaret M. Owens

Margaret M. Owens

As Woolworth Diner Patron #1

Eric Ducote

Eric Ducote

As Woolworth Diner Patron #2

Chloe Barach

Chloe Barach

As Caroline Kennedy

Danny Strong

Danny Strong

As Freedom Bus Journalist

Clara Hopkins Daniels

Clara Hopkins Daniels

As Freedom Bus Rider

Dana Gourrier

Dana Gourrier

As Helen Holloway

Shirley Pugh

Shirley Pugh

As Malcolm X Goer

Bill Newman

Bill Newman

As Pastor

Colin Walker

Colin Walker

As John Ehrlichman

Alex Manette

Alex Manette

As Bob Haldeman

Rusty Robertson

Rusty Robertson

As Senator Robertson

Stephen Rider

Stephen Rider

As Admiral Rochon

Sam Malone

Sam Malone

As Young Abraham (uncredited)

Tarra Riggs

Tarra Riggs

As Sophie Wilson (uncredited)

Xosha Roquemore

Xosha Roquemore

As Foxy (uncredited)

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