Biography
Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr. is an American historian, literary critic, filmmaker and public intellectual who currently serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Known For
Complete Filmography
The Gettysburg Address
2025
as Self
In the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln went to Gettysburg. "The Gettysburg Address" investigates the five extant copies of Lincoln's famous ...
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. - The Fabric of America
2024
as Himself
Explore the work of one of the most renowned, respected and popular cultural historians with this new retrospective documentary, which explores his wo...
Gospel Live! Presented By Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
2024
as Self
A one-of-a-kind musical celebration that honors the legacy and influence of Gospel music in America. Contemporary artists join celebrated gospel singe...
Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches
2022
as Self
Acclaimed actors draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as ...
Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches
2022
Executive Producer
Acclaimed actors draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as ...
Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are)
2021
Executive Producer
A journey across the United States to explore the story of the Civil War of Americans from President Obama's final year in office through the present.
Black Art: In the Absence of Light
2021
Executive Producer
An introduction to the work of some of the foremost Black visual artists working today, inspired by the late David Driskell's landmark 1976 exhibition...
John Lewis: Good Trouble
2020
as Self
The timely biopic focuses on John Lewis’ longstanding prominence as a civil rights champion and his continuing crusade for racial and social equality....
Frontline: America's Great Divide
2020
as Self (archive footage) (as Henry Louis Gates)
A deep look into the growing divide in America from the Barack Obama era through the presidency of Donald Trump.
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
2019
as Self
The series explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound los...
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
2019
Executive Producer, Writer
The series explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound los...
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
2019
as Self - Professor, Author and Filmmaker
Actor Courtney B. Vance hosts this special celebrating Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s work with focus on his five quintessential documentary series abou...
America's Library
2018
as Self
With special access to the Library of Congress, rediscover the history and culture of America through rarely seen treasures unearthed from its extensi...
Not Black Enough
2017
as Self
A deep look at the class warfare and the contradictions that African-Americans face within their own community when many of them are ostracized becaus...
Birth of a Movement
2017
as Self
In 1915, Boston-based African American newspaper editor and activist William M. Trotter waged a battle against D.W. Griffith’s technically groundbreak...
13th
2016
as Self
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Black America since MLK: And still I rise
2016
Nas: Time Is Illmatic
2014
as Self
Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas' 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions t...
Looking for Lincoln
2009
as Self - Host
Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s quest to piece together Lincoln's complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, D.C. and face-to...
Looking for Lincoln
2009
Executive Producer, Writer
Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s quest to piece together Lincoln's complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, D.C. and face-to...
A Place of Our Own
2004
as Self (as Henry Louis Gates)
Filmmaker Stanley Nelson's look back at the 40 years he spent summering at Oak Bluffs, a black-oriented resort community on Martha's Vineyard.
Let the Church Say, Amen
2003
Executive Producer
In Washington D.C., one church becomes the symbol of a local community dedicated to one another.
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
2003
as Self
In 1831, Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in the United States that resulted in the murder of local slave owners and their families, the eventual exec...
Leaving Cleaver
1999
as Self
In March 1997, social activist, former Black Panther, and author, Eldridge Cleaver sat down with Henry Louis Gates Jr. for a discussion of his life as...
Leaving Cleaver
1999
Writer
In March 1997, social activist, former Black Panther, and author, Eldridge Cleaver sat down with Henry Louis Gates Jr. for a discussion of his life as...
Color Adjustment
1992
as Self
From Amos 'n' Andy to Nat King Cole, from Roots to The Cosby Show, black people have played many roles on primetime television. Brilliantly weaving cl...