Release date: December 11, 2007 More »

Country	Date
USA	December 11, 2007
Canada	December 25, 2007
Netherlands	October 6, 2009

Cast:

• Denzel Washington as Melvin B. Tolson
• Nate Parker as Henry Lowe
• Jurnee Smollett as Samantha Booke
• Denzel Whitaker as James Farmer Jr.
• Jermaine Williams as Hamilton Burgess
• Forest Whitaker as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
• Gina Ravera as Ruth Tolson
• John Heard as Sheriff Dozier
• Kimberly Elise as Pearl Farmer
• Devyn A. Tyler as Helen Farmer (as Devyn Tyler)
• Trenton McClain Boyd as Nathaniel Farmer
• Ritchie Montgomery as Deputy
• Jackson Walker as Pig Owner
• Tim Parati as Pig Farmer
• Robert X. Golphin as Dunbar Reed
• Justice Leak as Harland Osbourne
• Glen Powell as Harvard Debater #1 (as Glen Powell Jr.)
• Brad Watkins as Harvard Debater #2
• Brian Smiar as Harvard Dean
• Damien Leake as Wilson
• Voltaire Rico Sterling as Paul Quinn Debater #1
• Stephen Rider as Paul Quinn Debater #2
• Gordon Danniels as Paul Quinn Debate Judge
• Donny Boaz as Oklahoma City College Debater #1
• Samuel Elliott Whisnant as Oklahoma City College Debater #2 (as Sam Whisnant)
• Bonnie Johnson as Dr. Jennings
• Charissa Allen as Benita
• Michael Beasley as Trudell
• Gary Mathis as Enormous Man
• George Wilson as Samuel
• Fahnlohnee R. Harris as Clementine (as Fahnlohnee Harris)
• Harold Evans as William Taylor (as Harold X. Evans)
• J.D. Evermore as Captain Wainwright
• Sharon Jones as Lila
• Kelvin Payton as Joseph
• Southey Blanton as White Labor Organizer
• Michael Mattison as White Sharecropper #1
• Jeff Braun as White Sharecropper #2
• Milton R. Gipson as Prairie View Professor
• Frank Ridley as Security Guard
• Jeremiah Kissel as Radio Announcer at Harvard Debate
• Jack Radosta as White Man at Lynching
• Marcus Lyle Brown as Howard Debater #1
• Alvin Youngblood Hart as Juke Joint Musician #1 (as Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart)
• Dominique Flemons as Juke Joint Musician #2
• Justin Robinson as Juke Joint Musician #3
• Rhiannon Giddens as Juke Joint Musician #4
• Ahmad Powell as Fisk Professor
• Michael C. 'Mike' Allen as Deputy Texas Ranger (uncredited)
• Kevin Beard as Klansman at Lynching (uncredited)
• Ellen Becker-Gray as Faculty at Harvard Debate (uncredited)
• Chad Boldini as Harvard Debate Attendee (uncredited)
• Kole Caston as White man at lynching (uncredited)
• Thomas Cataloni as Sailor (uncredited)
• Michael DeMello as Debate Observer (uncredited)
• Roger Dillingham Jr. as Upscale Traveler (uncredited)
• Brian D. Evans as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Benjamin Fisher as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Jaishon Fisher as News paper boy (uncredited)
• Jamai Fisher as Kid at train station (uncredited)
• Steve Flynn as Harvard Dean (uncredited)
• Hevin Hampton as Bar Patron (uncredited)
• Joel B. Hayden as Harvard Professor (uncredited)
• Patrick Mel Hayes as Harvard Alumni (uncredited)
• Kenneth Lecompte as Share Cropper and Grocer (uncredited)
• Aqua Lee as Juke Joint Couple (uncredited)
• Jimmy Lee Jr. as Lyncher (uncredited)
• Robert Masiello as Harvard Alumni (uncredited)
• Josh McBride as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Tarek Moussa as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Jason Mulcahy as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Giovanni Pantaleo as Havard Student (uncredited)
• Cory Patt as Wiley Student (uncredited)
• Jeannie Perrin as Lynching Participant (uncredited)
• Todd Poudrier as Radio Tech (uncredited)
• Breon Pugh as Wiley Debater (uncredited)
• Alan Resnic as Harvard Scholar (uncredited)
• Heath Stewart as Reserve Harvard Debater (uncredited)
• Bill Stinchcomb as Lynch mob (uncredited)
• Ian Wallace as Harvard Student (uncredited)
• Donald Warnock as The Chief Harvard Judge (uncredited)
• Mike Wendt as Havard Student (uncredited)
• Russell Woron-Simons as Harvard Debate Attendee (uncredited)
• Adam Zalt as Harvard Student / Navy Sailor (uncredited)
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About:

Professor Melvin Tolson, a brilliant but volatile debate team coach, uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small African American college in the deep south into a historically elite debate team. A controversial figure, Professor Tolson challenged the social mores of the time and was under constant fire for his unconventional and ferocious teaching methods as well as his radical political views. In their pursuit for excellence, Tolson''s debate team receives a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard University ''s championship team.