The Butler

**Lee Daniels' The Butler** is a 2013 American historical drama movie directed by Lee Daniels. It is based on Eugene Allen, who was a White House butler during eight American presidencies from 1952 to 1986. It was the last movie produced by Laura Ziskin.

## Synopsis

The fictional Cecil Gaines is based on Eugene Allen who worked at the White House during eight presidential terms from 1952 to 1986.  He started as a "pantry man," was promoted to butler, and then Maître d'hôtel.

## Cast

- Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines. Aml Ameen portrays a young Cecil Gaines
- Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Carter Wilson
- Terrence Howard as Howard
- David Oyelowo as Louis Gaines
- Vanessa Redgrave as Annabeth Westfall
- Alex Pettyfer as Thomas Westfall
- Mariah Carey as Hattie Pearl
- Yaya DaCosta as Carol Hammie
- Colman Domingo as Freddie Fallows
- Clarence Williams III as Maynard

### Historical figures

- Robin Williams as President Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Melissa Leo as First Lady Mamie Eisenhower (scenes deleted)
- James Marsden as President John F. Kennedy
- Minka Kelly as First Lady Jackie Kennedy
- Liev Schreiber as President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Wanda Leigh as First Lady Lady Bird Johnson (scenes deleted)
- John Cusack as President Richard Nixon
- Alan Rickman as President Ronald Reagan
- Jane Fonda as First Lady Nancy Reagan
- Nelsan Ellis as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Alex Manette as White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman
- Lenny Kravitz as James Holloway
- Marco St. John as Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
- Jesse Williams as civil rights activist James Lawson
- Ray Gaspard as Pat Buchanan
- Orlando Eric Street as President Barack Obama (scenes deleted)

## Awards

|colspan="5" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Awards||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan=2|Hollywood Film Awards|Best Director|Lee Daniels||
|Spotlight|David Oyelowo||||
|rowspan=2|People's Choice Awards|Favorite Dramatic Movie|||
|Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress|Oprah Winfrey||||
|Phoenix Film Critics Society|Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Oprah Winfrey|||
|rowspan=3|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|||
|Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role|Forest Whitaker||||
|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role|Oprah Winfrey||||
|rowspan=3|Satellite Awards|Best Actor in a Motion Picture|Forest Whitaker||
|Best Actress in Supporting Role|Oprah Winfrey||||
|Best Art Direction & Production Design|Diane Lederman, Tim Galvin||||

## Infobox (film)

- **name**: Lee Daniels' The Butler
- **caption**: Theatrical release poster
- **director**: Lee Daniels
- **producer**: Lee Daniels
Cassian Elwes
Buddy Patrick
Pam Williams
Laura Ziskin
- **screenplay**: Danny Strong
Lee Daniels
- **starring**: Forest Whitaker
Oprah Winfrey
Liev Schreiber
John Cusack
Jane Fonda
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Terrence Howard
Lenny Kravitz
James Marsden
David Oyelowo
Alan Rickman
Mariah Carey
Robin Williams
- **music**: Rodrigo Leão
- **cinematography**: Andrew Dunn (cinematographer), Andrew Dunn
- **editing**: Joe Klotz
- **studio**: Laura Ziskin, Laura Ziskin Productions
Windy Hill Pictures
- **distributor**: The Weinstein Company
- **country**: United States
- **language**: English
- **budget**: $25 million