Film record

The Butler

Original title: Lee Daniels' The Butler

2013Feature film132 minVerification: Verified

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Production countries
United States
Languages
English
Genres
drama film · biographical film

Credits

Direction

Lee Daniels — Directing

Cast

Forest Whitaker — Acting (Cecil Gaines)
Alex Pettyfer — Acting (Thomas Westfall,)
John Cusack — Acting (Richard Nixon)
Robin Williams — Acting (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
Terrence Howard — Acting (Howard)
James Marsden — Acting (John F. Kennedy)
Alan Rickman — Acting (Ronald Reagan)
Liev Schreiber — Acting (Lyndon B. Johnson)
Melissa Leo — Acting (First Lady Mamie Eisenhower)
Minka Kelly — Acting (First Lady Jackie Kennedy)
Jane Fonda — Acting (First Lady Nancy Reagan)
Cuba Gooding Jr. — Acting (Carter Wilson)
Jesse Williams — Acting (civil rights activist James Lawson)
Vanessa Redgrave — Acting (Annabeth Westfall)
Q41076 — Acting (Hattie Pearl)
David Oyelowo — Acting (Louis Gaines)
Q180224 — Acting (James Holloway)
Oprah Winfrey — Acting (Gloria Gaines)
Nelsan Ellis — Acting (Martin Luther King Jr.)
Michael Rainey Jr. — Acting (Cecil at age 8)
David Banner — Acting (Earl Gaines)
James DuMont — Acting (Sherman Adams)
Clarence Williams III — Acting (Maynard)
Jim Gleason — Acting
Adriane Lenox — Acting (Gina)
Yaya DaCosta — Acting (Carol Hammie)
Danny Strong — Acting (a Freedom Bus journalist)
Elijah Kelley — Acting (Charlie Gaines)
Dana Gourrier — Acting
Alex Manette — Acting (H. R. Haldeman)
Jimmy Carter — Acting (Self)
Gerald Ford — Acting (Self)
Redd Foxx — Acting
Ron Glass — Acting
Douglas M. Griffin — Acting
David Jensen — Acting
Gladys Knight — Acting
Hal Linden — Acting
Barack Obama — Acting (Self)
Marco St. John — Acting
Stephen Rider — Acting (Stephen W. Rochon)
Walter Cronkite — Acting
Martin Luther King Jr. — Acting (Self (archival footage))
Aml Ameen — Acting (Cecil at age 15)
Colman Domingo — Acting (Freddie Fallows)
Robert Aberdeen — Acting (Herbert Brownell Jr.)
Colin Walker — Acting (John Ehrlichman)
Jesse Jackson — Acting (Self)

Writing

Lee Daniels — Screenwriting
Danny Strong — Screenwriting

Production

Lee Daniels — Production
Danny Strong — Executive production
Cassian Elwes — Production

Music

Alexandre Desplat — Music composition

Cinematography

Andrew Dunn — Cinematography

Editing

Joe Klotz — Editing
Documented participation

Film companies and organizations

Each relationship distinguishes role, territory, medium and period.

Distribution

Netflix

International
Verified
Distribution

Vudu

International
Verified

Versions and cuts

No versions have been documented yet.

Releases by territory

United States · Original release
5 Aug 2013Checked 22 Sep 2026
Film connections

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Non-personalised suggestions built from visible relationships, not popularity.

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