Movies by Maya Angelou
As part of the cast:
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Under African Skies (2012)
Cast: Paul Simon, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte …
Directed by: Joe Berlinger
Twenty-five years after the debut of his Grammy-winning album "Graceland," Paul Simon holds a concert to celebrate his culture-bridging project with South African musicians -- a collaboration…
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On the Shoulders of Giants (2011)
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spike Lee …
Directed by: Deborah Morales
Spotlighting the all-black Harlem Renaissance basketball squad -- aka the Harlem Rens -- this film documents the segregated world of pro hoops during the 1930s and follows the Rens on their…
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Good Hair (2009)
Cast: Chris Rock, Raven-Symoné, Maya Angelou …
Directed by: Jeff Stilson
Chris Rock hops around the world going from beauty salons to science labs to comb through the mystery of African American hair. Rock contemplates the purpose and application of a weave as…
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The Great Depression (2009)
Cast: Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte
Revisit the Great Depression in this four-part series that chronicles the forces that drove the United States to the brink of economic ruin and the resilience that helped the country recover.…
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Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed (2008)
Cast: Joe Louis, Maya Angelou, Joe Louis Barrow Jr. …
Joe Louis made his name as a heavyweight champion, but as this documentary reveals, he came to symbolize much more: A segregated America united to watch his rise to success. And as the Nazis…
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As Seen Through These Eyes (2008)
Cast: Maya Angelou
Directed by: Hilary Helstein
Renowned poet Maya Angelou narrates this harrowing documentary from Hilary Helstein that explores the horrors of the holocaust through the perspective of the artists and musicians who lived…
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The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration (2008)
Cast: Maya Angelou, Jim Brown, Chuck D. …
Directed by: M.K. Asante Jr.
Narrated by Maya Angelou, this pioneering program traces the history of Kwanzaa from its origins in the Black Power movement of the 1960s to its prominence as a vibrant wintertime holiday…
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Night School: An Evening with Stanley Clarke & Friends (2007)
Cast: Stevie Wonder, Flea, Sheila E. …
Bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke fronts this 2002 benefit concert taped at Tinseltown's Musician's Institute. Stevie Wonder, drummer Stewart Copeland, percussionist Sheila E. and other…
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Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song (2004)
Cast: Big Bird, Grover, Muppets …
Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the beloved children's show by visiting New York, Sesame Street's backyard, with Grover as he scours the city looking for that one song that…
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America Beyond the Color Line (2004)
Cast: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Maya Angelou, Colin Powell …
Directed by: Mary Crisp, Daniel Percival
Prominent literary critic and scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores the status of black America at the start of the 21st century in this documentary. Gates travels to the East Coast, the…
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Quincy Jones: In the Pocket (2002)
Cast: Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier …
Directed by: Michael Kantor
The American Masters series turns its impeccable eye on the life and career of indomitable composer and producer Quincy Jones. In a career that spans five decades, Jones has earned 26 Grammy…
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The Runaway (2001)
Cast: Dean Cain, Debbi Morgan, Maya Angelou …
Directed by: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Growing up in the segregated South, Luke (Cody Newton) and Joshua (Duane McLaughlin) overcome prejudice to become best friends. When their youthful antics lead to the discovery of a racially…
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Sesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas (1997)
Cast: Elmo, Kevin Clash, Carol Spinney …
Directed by: Emily Squires
After helping to dislodge Santa Claus from a chimney, Elmo is rewarded with an enchanted snow globe to make three special wishes -- and he decides that every day will be Christmas, his…
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How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
Cast: Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn …
Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Based on a novel by Whitney Otto, Jocelyn Moorhouse's directorial debut looks at relationships of all kinds -- romantic, platonic and familial. Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder), a graduate…
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The Journey of August King (1995)
Cast: Jason Patric, Thandie Newton, Larry Drake …
Directed by: John Duigan
Young widower August King encounters Annalees, a runaway slave, in the woods of North Carolina in 1815. Rather than let Annalees's cruel owner catch her, August decides to risk his own…
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Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World (1994)
Cast: Arthur Ashe, Ossie Davis, John McEnroe …
Directed by: Julie Anderson
Join tennis greats John McEnroe and Billie Jean King and world leader Nelson Mandela as they pay homage to the life and work of Arthur Ashe, the sports legend who transcended his athletic…
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Poetic Justice (1993)
Cast: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Maya Angelou …
Directed by: John Singleton
Pop superstar Janet Jackson makes her big-screen debut in this sensitive urban drama. Justice (Jackson) sacrifices her dream of attending college and becomes a cosmetologist after her…
As a director:
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Down in the Delta (1998)
Cast: Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr., Esther Rolle …
Directed by: Maya Angelou
Unemployed single mother Loretta Sinclair (Alfre Woodard) lives with her mother, Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice), in a Chicago apartment until drug abuse causes Loretta to neglect her children in this…