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American Masters

  • TV-14
  • 1986–
  • 40 seasons
  • Documentary
  • 7.0

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

Episodes

10 episodes
  1. 1By Sidney Lumet

    90 minJan 3, 2017

    In a 2008 interview, director Sidney Lumet talks about his life and career, which included 44 films in 50 years.

  2. 2Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

    90 minFeb 21, 2017

    The life of author and activist Maya Angelou, with comments from Oprah Winfrey, Common, Bill and Hillary Clinton and others.

  3. 3Patsy Cline

    90 minMar 1, 2017

    A profile of influential country singer Patsy Cline (1932-63), featuring archival performances of such songs as "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy"; and remarks from artists who knew her and others influenced by her.

  4. 4James Beard: America's First Foodie

    90 minMay 19, 2017

    Experience a century of food through the life of one man, James Beard (1903-1985). Dubbed the “Dean of American Cookery” by The New York Times, Beard was a Portland, Ore., native who loved and celebrated the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. He spoke of the importance of localism and sustainability long before those terms had entered the vernacular.

  5. 5Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft

    90 minMay 26, 2017

    Discover the story of Chef Jacques Pépin (b. December 18, 1935), a young immigrant with movie-star looks, a charming Gallic accent, and a mastery of cooking and teaching so breathtaking he became an early food icon—joining James Beard and Julia Child among the handful of Americans who transformed the way the country views the food world.

  6. 6Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny

    90 minSep 1, 2017

    A trove of never-before-seen archival footage provides an unconventional look at the fiercely independent style of filmmaking that emerged out of Austin, Texas in the late 1980s and 1990s with Linklater as its poster boy.

  7. 7Tyrus

    90 minSep 8, 2017

    The unlikely story of 106-year old Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, and how he overcame poverty and racism in America to become a celebrated modernist painter, Hollywood sketch artist, and “Disney Legend” for his groundbreaking work on the classic animated film, Bambi.

  8. 8Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive

    90 minOct 30, 2017

    This documentary draws on the rich palette of Poe’s evocative imagery and sharply drawn plots to tell the real story of the notorious author, exploring the misrepresentations of Poe as a drug-addled madman akin to the narrators of his horror stories.

  9. 9Inspiring Woman Web Series

    90 minNov 8, 2017

    Six innovators tell their own stories and explain how they’re changing their respective industries: podcast host Tracy Clayton, Chef Angie Mar, JavaScript developer Sara Chipps, web-cam performance artist Molly Soda, entrepreneur Rakia Reynolds, and visual artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.

  10. 10This is Bob Hope

    90 minNov 13, 2017

    A candid look at a remarkable life with unprecedented access to Bob Hope’s personal archives, including writings voiced by Billy Crystal and clips from Hope’s body of work to reveal a gifted and very human individual who recognized the power of fame, embraced its responsibilities and handled celebrity with extraordinary wit and grace.

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Availability from JustWatch, via TMDB. Full listing for United States

Series cast

Hillary ClintonSelf3 episodes
Mike NicholsSelf3 episodes
Gloria SteinemSelf2 episodes
Steve MartinSelf2 episodes
Scarlett JohanssonSelf1 episode
Goran VišnjićRobert Capa (voice)1 episode
Patsy ClineSelf (archive footage)1 episode
Maya AngelouSelf1 episode
Sidney LumetSelf1 episode
Oprah WinfreySelf1 episode
CommonSelf1 episode
Bill ClintonSelf1 episode
Jane AlexanderNarrator1 episode
Graeme MalcomJohn Muir (voice)1 episode
Denis O'HareEdgar Allan Poe1 episode
Kathleen TurnerNarrator (voice)1 episode
Peter FalkSelf1 episode
Billie Jean KingSelf1 episode

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