The Butler

Synopsis

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.

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Cast

Forest Whitaker

Cecil Gaines

Oprah Winfrey

Gloria Gaines

David Oyelowo

Louis Gaines

John Cusack

Richard Nixon

Jane Fonda

Nancy Reagan

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Carter Wilson

Mariah Carey

Hattie Pearl

Terrence Howard

Howard

Lenny Kravitz

James Holloway

Aml Ameen

Cecil Gaines (15)

Michael Rainey Jr.

Cecil Gaines (8)

James Marsden

John F. Kennedy

Alex Pettyfer

Thomas Westfall

Vanessa Redgrave

Annabeth Westfall

Alan Rickman

Ronald Reagan

Liev Schreiber

Lyndon B. Johnson

Robin Williams

Dwight H. Eisenhower

Yaya DaCosta

Carol Hammie

David Banner

Earl Gaines

Colman Domingo

Freddie Fallows

Crew

Art

• Tim Galvin Production Design
• Jason Baldwin Stewart Art Direction
• Kimberly Murphy Set Decoration Buyer
• Deanna Simmons Set Decoration Buyer
• Erik Polczwartek Art Direction
• Diane Lederman Set Decoration
• Lori Agostino Art Direction
• Randall S. Coe Construction Coordinator
• John Lindsay Greensman
• Sarah Forrest Set Designer
• Brian A. Waits Set Designer
• David Keith Broome Greensman

Camera

• Andrew Dunn Director of Photography
• Anne Marie Fox Still Photographer
• Grayson Austin Camera Operator
• Luis Lopez DeVictoria Additional Camera
• Michael Stumpf Additional Camera
• Jeffery J. Tufano Camera Operator
• Grayson Austin Steadicam Operator
• Hilton Garrett Best Boy Grip
• Hans Bjerno Aerial Director of Photography
• Damon Meledones Digital Imaging Technician
• Robert D Morrison Jr. Dolly Grip
• Andy Young Grip

Costume & Make-Up

• Ruth E. Carter Costume Design
• Debra Denson Makeup Department Head
• Beverly Jo Pryor Makeup Department Head
• Wendy Talley Costume Supervisor
• Dana Kay Hart Costume Supervisor
• Victoria Wood Wigmaker
• Annette Farnsworth Set Costumer
• Dana Boisseau Hairstylist
• Matthew W. Mungle Prosthetic Designer
• Daina Daigle Assistant Hairstylist
• Clinton Wayne Prosthetic Designer
• Yolanda Sheridan Key Makeup Artist

Crew

• Danny Epper Stunts
• Jeff Galpin Stunt Coordinator
• Elizabeth Himelstein Dialect Coach
• Charlotta Forssman Visual Effects Editor
• Meredith Richardson Stunts
• Jason Prowell Generator Operator
• Charlie Mann Carpenter
• Nicholas Ellerbee Carpenter
• Richie Roefaro Editorial Staff
• Edward Joubert Special Effects Technician
• David K. Nami Special Effects Coordinator
• Jason Frannino Animal Wrangler

Directing

• Lee Daniels Director
• Sebastián Silva Second Unit Director
• Amy Sanderson Script Supervisor
• Peter Dress Second Assistant Director
• Lisa C. Satriano First Assistant Director

Editing

• Joe Klotz Editor
• Kat Spiess First Assistant Editor
• Ulysses Guidotti First Assistant Editor
• Rick Derby Assistant Editor
• Christi Leftwich Digital Intermediate Assistant
• Ryan Rolandelli Digital Intermediate Assistant
• Patrick Rossi Digital Intermediate
• Anne O'Brien Assistant Editor
• Kevin Vale Digital Intermediate Producer
• Tim Stipan Digital Intermediate Colorist
• Eric Horwitz Digital Intermediate
• Eric Leverenz Online Editor

Lighting

• Trey Shaneyfelt Lighting Technician
• Kristopher Weaver Lighting Technician
• Jordan Whaley Additional Lighting Technician
• Raúl J. Marín Rigging Grip
• Bradley Martin Additional Lighting Technician
• Pete Chiaramonte Lighting Technician
• Len Levine Chief Lighting Technician
• Gerald Autin Rigging Grip
• Sidney Brisco Lighting Technician
• John Vinson Rigging Grip
• King Lanaux Key Rigging Grip
• Justin Wright Electrician

Production

• Laura Ziskin Producer
• Buddy Patrick Producer
• Lee Daniels Producer
• Cassian Elwes Producer
• Leah Daniels-Butler Casting
• Billy Hopkins Casting
• Jen Wall Production Supervisor
• Virginia McCollam Location Manager
• Mickey Lambert Location Manager
• Harvey Weinstein Executive Producer
• Len Blavatnik Executive Producer
• Bob Weinstein Executive Producer

Sound

• Rodrigo Leão Original Music Composer
• Robert Hein Supervising Sound Editor
• Debby VanPoucke Sound Designer
• Robert Hein Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• Michael Barry Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• Ben Schor Music Editor
• Heather Gross Foley Editor
• Branka Mrkic Supervising Dialogue Editor
• Ruth Hernandez ADR Editor
• David Wahnon Dialogue Editor
• Jonathan Jost ADR Mixer
• Glenfield Payne Sound Effects Editor

Visual Effects

• Daniel Cohen Visual Effects Producer
• Aniela Sidorska Visual Effects Producer
• Luke DiTommaso Visual Effects Supervisor
• Ted Markovic Visual Effects Producer
• Ray McIntyre Jr. Visual Effects Supervisor
• Mark Scott Friedman Compositing Supervisor
• Austin Meyers Compositing Supervisor
• Patrick Paul Mullane Matte Painter

Writing

• Danny Strong Writer

Photos