The Butler

PG-13

“One quiet voice can ignite a revolution.”

2013·132 min·Released

Studio: Follow Through Productions, Laura Ziskin Productions, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Pam Williams Productions, Salamander Pictures, Windy Hill Pictures

7.3TMDb

Available on

Theatrical Aug 16, 2013

Nexus ms4445TMDb 132363IMDb tt1327773

🇺🇸

USA · English · USA

Drama

Overview

Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

Trailer

Crew

DirectorLee Daniels

WriterDanny Strong

More like this

Keywords

usa presidentthe white house1970sbutlerslaveryjohn f. kennedyblack panther partyracial segregationmartin luther kingbased on true storyronald reaganrichard nixonracismracial tensionhistorical drama1980s1950s1960s1930sfather son conflict

Details

Budget

$25M

Revenue

$177M

TMDb Votes

3,019

Added May 14, 2026Updated Jun 2, 2026