The Unforgettable Cast of Roots 1977 & More

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Cast of Roots (2016 Miniseries)/Roots Series 2016 Cast/Roots (2016 Miniseries) Main Characters/Roots 2016 Cast/Roots Cast

The cast of Roots (2016 Miniseries) stars a host of award-winning actors including Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley; Forest Whitaker; Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Anna Paquin and Anika Noni Rose.

The series also introduces Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte.

Kunta Kinte is a name that has become ingrained in American culture as the slave who fought back.

If you can’t quite put faces to those names, take a look at the new Roots (2016 miniseries) trailer below.

READ ALSO: Roots 1977 Trailer & More

Roots Movie Cast

Find the full cast of Roots (2016 Miniseries) below:

  • Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte
  • Nokuthula Ledwaba as Binta Kinte
  • Emayatzy Corinealdi as Belle
  • Forest Whitaker as Henry (Fiddler)
  • Babs Olusanmokun as Omoro Kinte
  • Anika Noni Rose as Kizzy
  • Emyri Crutchfield as Young Kizzy
  • Saniyya Sidney as Kizzy aged 6
  • Regé-Jean Page as Chicken George
  • Erica Tazel as Matilda
  • James Purefoy as John Waller
  • Katie McGuinness as Elizabeth Waller
  • Matthew Goode as Dr. William Waller
  • Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Tom Lea
  • Shannon Lucio as Patricia Lea
  • Chad Coleman as Mingo
  • Tony Curran as Connelly
  • Adam Fergus as Sir Eric Russell
  • Anna Paquin as Nancy Holt
  • T.I. as Cyrus
  • Derek Luke as Silla Ba Dibba
  • G Hannelius as Missy Waller
  • Carlacia Grant as Irene
  • Mekhi Phifer as Jerusalem
  • Sam Malone as Ashford
  • Denise Milfort as Ms. Ellen
  • Mandela Van Peebles as Noah
  • Terence Rosemore as Orly
  • Lane Garrison as Frederick Murray
  • Sedale Threatt Jr. as Tom
  • Brett Rice as William Byrd
  • Simona Brown as Jinna
  • Chris Obi as Kintango
  • Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley (voiceover narration)
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What Is the Roots Television Show About?

This dramatic, historical portrait of American slavery, recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy, is based on the 1976 Pulitzer Prize-winning book written by Alex Hayley, Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

The Roots (2016 miniseries) is a remake of the original 1977 Roots TV series. The original series still remains the most-watched TV drama in U.S. television history today.

Roots 2016 Miniseries Trailer

READ ALSO: Roots Showing in Africa

The epic family saga also has four award-winning directors each directing one of the two-hour episodes—Philip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Quiet American), Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy), Thomas Carter (Coach Carter) and Mario Van Peebles (Empire).

The 26-year-old British actor Malachi Kirby is best known for his roles in EastEnders and Doctor Who. He is likely to find global fame after his compelling performance in Roots.

He admits that the role has been life-changing.

“It has made me decide to look into my own roots. I was born in London, I am second generation Jamaican and I don’t know where I came from. I don’t know my history past my grandparents so I feel like there is a lack of identity that, in some ways, has disempowered me. So being part of ( the new Roots miniseries) has made me want to find out where I come from.”

Which Parts of the New Roots TV-Program Were Filmed in Africa?

South Africa’s Umlalazi River and the Dlinza Forest in the province of KwaZulu Natal served as replacements for scripted areas in The Gambia and along the Kambay Bolongo River.

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In the scenes filmed there, slave traders capture Kunta Kinte, transport him down the river, and put him on a ship set for America.

LeVar Burton, who played the lead role of Kunta Kinte in the original 1977 version, is back as a co-executive producer this time around: “Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever.”

cast of roots (2016 miniseries): Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte filmed in the Dlinza Forest near Eshowe

Burton said the show served an important purpose in telling the young generation about a somber chapter in history. “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. There’s slavery going on today on this planet as we speak. Unless someone stands up and tells these stories, history will keep repeating itself,” he said.

Cast of Roots 1977/Cast of Roots (1977 Miniseries)/Roots Cast 1977

poster with cast of Roots 1977
  • LeVar Burton – Young Kunta Kinte
  • Olivia Cole – Matilda
  • Louis Gossett Jr. – Fiddler
  • Ben Vereen – Chicken George Moore
  • Vic Morrow – Ames
  • John Amos – Older Kunta Kinte
  • Ji-Tu Cumbuka – Wrestler
  • Edward Asner – Capt. Davies
  • Lynda Day George – Mrs. Reynolds
  • Robert Reed – Dr. William Reynolds
  • Madge Sinclair – Bell Reynolds
  • Chuck Connors – Tom Moore
  • Sandy Duncan – Missy Anne Reynolds
  • Leslie Uggams – Kizzy Reynolds
  • Carolyn Jones – Mrs. Moore
  • Lloyd Bridges – Evan Brent
  • Georg Stanford Brown – Tom Harvey
  • Brad Davis – Ol’ George Johnson
  • Lane Binkley – Martha Johnson
  • Hilly Hicks – Lewis
  • Lynne Moody – Irene Harvey
  • Austin Stoker – Virgil
  • Ralph Waite – Third mate Slater
  • Cicely Tyson – Binta
  • Thalmus Rasulala – Omoro
  • Moses Gunn – Kintango
  • Hari Rhodes – Brima Cesay
  • Ren Woods – Fanta
  • Ernest Lee Thomas – Kailuba
  • Lorne Greene – John Reynolds
  • Scatman Crothers – Mingo
  • George Hamilton – Stephen Bennett
  • Lillian Randolph – Sister Sara
  • Roxie Roker – Malizy
  • Richard Roundtree – Sam Bennett
  • Thayer David – Harlan
  • Tanya Boyd – Genelva
  • John Quade – Sheriff Biggs
  • Maya Angelou – Nyo Boto
  • O.J. Simpson – Kadi Touray
  • Beverly Todd – Older Fanta
  • Paul Shenar – John Carrington
  • Gary Collins – Grill
  • Richard Farnsworth – Trumbull
  • Raymond St. Jacques – Drummer
  • Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs – Noah
  • John Schuck – Ordell
  • Macdonald Carey – Squire James
  • Ian McShane – Sir Eric Russell
  • Doug McClure – Jemmy Brent
  • Burl Ives – Sen. Arthur Justin
  • Richard McKenzie – Sam Harvey
  • Sally Kemp – Lila Harvey
  • William C. Watson – Gardner
  • Charles Cyphers – Drake
  • Macon McCalman – Poston
  • Brion James – Slaver
  • Tracey Gold – Young Missy Reynolds
  • Todd Bridges – Bud
  • Ross Chapman – Sergeant Williams
  • Grand L. Bush – Captured runaway slave
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Photo Credits: IMDB

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