The Cast of Roots

They're part of the ensemble that made Roots the most watched drama in television history. Find out what they're doing today.

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Cicely Tyson (Binta)

Born and raised in Harlem, it was Cicely Tyson's iconic beauty that got her noticed, but her talent made her a legend. She started out as a fashion model in the '50s. In 1963, she became one of the first black actors cast as a regular on a television series, in East Side/West Side. Her big break came in 1972 in the movie Sounder. That performance earned Cicely an Oscar® nomination. Five years later, she was cast as Kunta Kinte's mother, Binta, in Roots.

In 2011, Cicely appeared in The Help. She is currently working on films The Haunting in Georgia and I, Alex Cross, based on the novel by James Patterson.

Published on January 16, 2012

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From Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy

Published on January 16, 2012

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OWN Adds Primetime Specials to January Lineup

"Oprah's Master Class" Returns as a Series of Specials Beginning Sunday, January 8 and the Special Event "Oprah and the Legendary Cast of ‘Roots' 35 Years Later" will Air on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 16

First Look: Oprah and the Legendary Cast of Roots

In this OWN special event, Oprah opens the doors to her home and reunites the legendary cast of Roots 35 years after they helped make television history.

LeVar Burton on Revisiting History's Painful Past in Roots

The Middle Passage was the hellish 4,000-mile journey slaves were forced to endure across the Atlantic and a nightmare actor LeVar Burton had to portray on film as Kunta Kinte in the legendary miniseries Roots. Watch as he explains how he believes the ancestors helped protect him during the difficult shoot.

Exclusive Webisode: The Impact of Roots on America

Did Roots open the door to a greater conversation about race in America? Watch as cast members John Amos, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Louis Gossett Jr. discuss why that door needs to be opened wider and where they think the country is today.