Biography
James Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter, eventually referred to as "The Godfather of Soul"(GFOS). Brown started singing in gospel groups and worked his way on up. He has been recognized as one of the most iconic figures in the 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing. He was also called "the hardest-working man in show business". Brown began his professional music career in 1956 and rose to fame during the late 1...
Known For
Complete Filmography

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2025
as Self
THE AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE VAULT is a 2-disc, 500-minute odyssey that collects eight feature-length VHS mixtapes from the crackpots at AGFA—including tw...

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025
as Self (archive footage)
Untold stories behind the culture-defining and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022
as Self (archive footage)
An intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and...

Nueva York: A Musical History of Latin New York
2021
as Self (archive footage)
When the film West Side Story was released in 1961, New York's reviled Puerto Rican community gained some visibility and, over time, both in Spanish H...

The Making of 'Rocky vs. Drago'
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Fight alongside Sylvester Stallone as he creates a brand-new director's cut of Rocky IV: ROCKY VS. DRAGO. This feature-length documentary offers a per...

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Explore Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved ...

The Sparks Brothers
2021
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your fav...

Best of the 60s: The Story of Ready, Steady, Go!
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Best of the 60s is a documentary and a compilation from across the years of the iconic music series. More More. Best of the 60s is a compilation from ...

Africa Rising
2019
as Self - Musician (archive footage)
How African artists have spread African culture all over the world, especially music, since the harsh years of decolonization, trying to offer a nicer...

The Apollo
2019
as Self (archive footage)
The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.

Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast
2019
as Self - Singer (archive footage)
In the late 1990s, iconic photographer Bruce Weber barely managed to convince legendary actor Robert Mitchum (1917-97) to let himself be filmed simply...

1968: A Year of War, Turmoil and Beyond
2018
as Self (archive footage)
The Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the May events in France, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. ...

A Tale of James Brown
2016
as Self (archive footage)
Comedian/filmmaker Camille Solari spends the last year interviewing the legendary musical icon James Brown before his untimely death on Christmas 2006...

The Story of Funk: One Nation Under a Groove
2014
A documentary on funk and P-funk and the bands and artists that made it all happen: James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Maurice Wh...

James Brown - The Man, The Music & The Message
2014
as Self
The Godfather of Soul tells his life story and features his greatest live performances.

Get on Up
2014
Songs
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.

Mr. Dynamite - The Rise of James Brown
2014
as Self (archive footage)
James Brown changed the face of American music forever. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, James Brown was a self-made man who became one of t...

Finding the Funk
2014
as Self
Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk's roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands ...

Fathers and Songs: Music for Father's Day
2013
as Self (archive footage)
Fatherhood has proved a great subject for a variety of artists - some celebratory, some conflicted, but all inspired by what dad does and doesn't do. ...

Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
2012
as Self (archive footage)
A provocative look into the seven-year history of the series that gave hip hop a voice and broke color barriers, integrating MTV with rap. "Yo! MTV Ra...

The Real Rocky
2011
as Self (archive footage)
Chuck Wepner is a liquor salesman from Bayonne, N.J., who drives a Cadillac with “Champ” vanity plates. A former New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing ...

Soul Power
2009
as Self (archive footage)
Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film about the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa which accompanied the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight boxing cham...

Sex in '69: The Sexual Revolution in America
2009
as Self
Documentary on the sexual revolution in America.

James Brown Live At The Apollo '68
2008
as Self
This was one of a series of concerts James Brown gave at the Apollo in Harlem in March 1968. This performance was broadcast on television as James Bro...

James Brown Live At The Boston Garden - April 5, 1968
2008
as Self
Live at the Boston Garden: April 5, 1968 is a concert film starring James Brown. Recorded at the Boston Garden by WGBH-TV the night after the assassin...

Pavarotti The Duets
2008
as Self
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI was the rare artist who could easily bridge the divide between classical and popular music. Together with an impressive roster of th...

James Brown - The Night James Brown Saved Boston
2008
as Self (archive footage)
On April 5, 1968, soul legend James Brown performed a concert in Boston that many say shielded that city from the kinds of devastating riots that ripp...

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1977
2007
These are live performances from a television music show that aired late night on the NBC-TV network the U.S., from 1973-1981.

George Clinton: Tales of Dr Funkenstein
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Don Letts's hilarious and colourful profile of the godfather of funk, whose 50-year career has defined the genre. From his 1950s days running a doo-wo...

Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer
2006
as Self (archive footage)
"Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer" is a feature-length documentary. In this entertaining look at the legendary singer's life, hosted by two-time Gra...

Live 8
2005
as Self
On 2 July 2005 an estimated 3 billion people came together in the fight against extreme poverty. LIVE 8 - 10 concerts featuring over 1000 musicians fr...

Robots
2005
as Diesel (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rodney Copperbottom is a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, until the evil Ratchet takes over Bigweld Industries. Now...

James Brown: Live
2004
as Self
For one special night back in the mid '80s, the air in Atlanta, Georgia heated up a few degrees. With over 100 hits under his belt by the time this st...

James Brown: Body Heat
2004
as Self
In 1969 at a concert in Monterey James Brown announced his intention to retire from touring but it wasn't until 1975 that he finally stopped. Then in ...

Casey Kasem's Rock 'n' Roll Goldmine: The Soul Years
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Radio disc jockey legend Casey Kasem presents this collection featuring momentous occasions in music history. This installment delves into the mid-196...

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the medium's first half-century. Actors, writers and hi...

James Brown: Soul Survivor
2003
as Self
James Brown's legacy has influenced rap, soul, funk and R&B. But along with his huge talent, there's a dark side to Brown's success that includes stin...

Paper Chasers
2003
Paper Chasers is a feature length documentary about the impact of hip hop entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses in music, film, fashion, ...

The Giants of Black Music
2003
as Self
Mother Popcorn - James Brown What's The Use Of Breaking Up - Jerry Butler MacArthur Park - Della Reese Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday - Stevie Wo...

Beat the Devil
2002
as Mr. James Brown
The Driver drag-races the Devil, in order to earn James Brown his soul.

The Tuxedo
2002
as James Brown
Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's priz...

Undercover Brother
2002
as Self
An Afro-American organization, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., is in permanent fight against a white organization "The Man" defending the values of the bl...

It's Black Entertainment
2002
as Self (archive footage)
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Willi...

Rhythm and Blues 40: A Soul Spectacular
2001
as Self
This show brings together legendary artists of the 1960s and 1970s for a once-in-a-lifetime event: Ben E. King and The Drifters, Jerry Butler reunitin...

The UB40: Story of Reggae
2001
as Drummer

James Brown: Live From The House Of Blues
1999
as Self
The hardest working man in show business brings down the House of Blues with a live concert event in Las Vegas. Recorded with high definition equipmen...

Blues Brothers 2000
1998
as Cleophus James
Finally released from prison, Elwood Blues is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospit...

When We Were Kings
1996
as Self
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world....

The History of Rock 'n' Roll
1995
as Self
The history of rock n' roll and pop music are explored are explored via interviews and footage of well-known music stars.

Cincinnati's Rock 'N Roll Legends
1995
as Self
An excellent comprehensive look at all the music that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati "Rock Legends" "James Brown" "King Records" "Pure Prai...

RapLine
1993
as Self
Between 1990 and 1993, at a time when rap was not yet on the radio in France, Olivier Cachin hosted a musical TV show on M6 called "RapLine". The show...

Black Women, Sexual Politics and the Revolution
1992
Songs
Focuses on sexual equality in the Black community.

James Brown Live in Berlin
1991
The great James Brown and his band in concert, with a young Maceo Parker on saxophone. A live recording in Berlin, Germany 1988 features performances ...
The Lost James Brown Tapes
1991
as Vocals
In 1979, James Brown flew to Santa Cruz, California to make a comeback performance. The filmed tapes of that show were locked away for 12 years, until...

Jacob's Ladder
1990
Songs
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rap...

Legends of Rock 'n' Roll
1989
as James Brown
Are you ready for some old-time rock and roll?! Then you are ready for the masters, the originators, the men who made the music, the "Legends of Rock ...

James Brown & Friends: A Night of Super Soul
1987
as Self
Godfather of soul James Brown performs with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Billy Vera, Joe Cocker and Robert Palmer in this live concert. Lively int...

Rocky IV
1985
as The Godfather of Soul
After Apollo Creed is killed by Ivan Drago in a match, Rocky Balboa becomes depressed and becomes determined to get revenge.

James Brown - Live At Chastain Park
1985
as Himself
The hardest working man in show business is back--and some say better than ever--in this live concert filmed in 1985 at Georgia's famed Chastain Park....

When the Music's Over
1983
as Self
Rare clips of performance and interviews by a multiple of stars, all prematurely lost.

Doctor Detroit
1983
as Bandleader
A shy but gentle man named Clifford Skridlow is a professor of comparative literature at the financially-strapped fictional Monroe College in Chicago....

James Brown: Live at Montreux
1981
as Self
"Soul Brother No.1", "The Godfather Of Soul", "Mr Dynamite" are all titles that have been applied to James Brown over the years. A hugely influential ...

The Blues Brothers
1980
as Cleophus James
Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

James Brown Soul Brother No. 1
1978
The James Brown Story

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances 1974
1974
as Self
The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt...

James Brown: Soul Train 1973-1974
1974
as Self
All of James Brown's performances on Soul Train from 1973 to 1974.

Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
1973
Original Music Composer
Vigilante Slaughter comes under attack from Duncan, a local money launderer whose hit-man traps Slaughter in a car at a cliff, but Slaughter escapes, ...

Black Caesar
1973
Original Music Composer
Tommy Gibbs is a tough kid, raised in the ghetto, who aspires to be a kingpin criminal. As a young boy, his leg is broken by a bad cop on the take, du...

James Brown: Love Power Peace
1971
as Self
Live at the Olympia, Paris, 1971 is the only recording that documents one of his live performances with the original J.B.'s lineup featuring Bootsy an...

The Phynx
1970
as James Brown
A rock band is invented by the government as a cover to find hostages in a remote castle in Albania held by communist enemies of the USA.

Ski Party
1965
as Self
Two college boys from SoCal attend a spring break vacation at a ski lodge in Idaho to get insider tips on how the president of the ski club manages to...

The T.A.M.I. Show
1964
as Self
Hailed by one music reviewer as "the grooviest, wildest, slickest hit ever to pound the screen," "The T.A.M.I. Show" is an unrelenting rock spectacula...