The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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2017 | 93m | English
Popularity: 0.7 (history)
| Director: | George C. Wolfe |
|---|---|
| Writer: | George C. Wolfe, Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, Rebecca Skloot |
| Staring: |
| An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 22, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Director: | George C. Wolfe |
| Writer: | George C. Wolfe, Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, Rebecca Skloot |
| Genres: | Drama, History, TV Movie |
| Keywords | medical research, medical drama |
| Production Companies | Harpo Films, HBO Films, Cine Mosaic |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 05, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Oprah Winfrey | Deborah Lacks |
| Rose Byrne | Rebecca Skloot |
| Renée Elise Goldsberry | Henrietta Lacks |
| Reg E. Cathey | Zakariyyah |
| Courtney B. Vance | Sir Lord Keenan Coefield |
| Rocky Carroll | Sonny Lacks |
| Leslie Uggams | Sadie |
| Reed Birney | Dr. George Gey |
| John Douglas Thompson | Lawrence Lacks |
| Adriane Lenox | Barbara Lacks |
| Roger Robinson | Day Lacks |
| John Beasley | Cliff |
| Peter Gerety | Paul Lurz |
| Gabriel Ebert | Christoph Lengauer |
| John Benjamin Hickey | Bill Watson |
| Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Dr. Roland Pattillo |
| Byron Jennings | Dr. Victor McKusick |
| Sylvia Grace Crim | Mary Kubicek |
| Karen Wheeling Reynolds | Mrs. Gey |
| John C. Vennema | Board Administrator |
| Jaedon Godley | Davon Lacks |
| Kyanna Simone Simpson | Deborah (15-24YRS) |
| Jane Rumbaua | Dr. Susan Hsu |
| Jaylon Gordon | Alfred |
| Leon Lamar | Cootie |
| Andrea Frye | Gladys |
| Jazzy Ellis | Young Gladys |
| Tinashe Kajese | Sadie |
| Patrick Walker | Cousin Fred |
| L. Warren Young | Day Lacks |
| Ellen Barkin | Sasha Walz |
| Michael Gaston | Richard Wilson |
| Kate Bond | Young Woman |
| Tyvonna Jones | Elsie Lacks |
| Bill Martin Williams | Crownsville Administrator |
| Mary Shaw | Woman at Pump |
| Tian Richards | Lawrence (16 yrs.) |
| Kermit Burns III | Young Cootie |
| Lisa Arrindell | Aunt Ethel |
| Jordan Eli Arellano | Young Sonny Lacks |
| Kayla Anderson | Johns Hopkins Student |
| De'Marco Arrington | Young Joe |
| Matthew Bernard | Johns Hopkins Student |
| Raphael Dante' Carr Jr. | Young Sonny |
| Ninja N. Devoe | Country Girl Mae |
| Clint Edwards | Scientist |
| Christopher Robert Escobar | Chris the Intern |
| Sean Freeland | Charlie |
| Elizabeth Hackler | Rebecca's Co-worker |
| Linden Harris | Galen (as Linden Ronel Harris) |
| Todd Lee | Doctor |
| Miguel Angel Marrero | Scientist |
| Sage Mayer | Young Boy |
| Jock McKissic | Carl the Mechanic |
| Tatom Pender | Johns Hopkins Nurse |
| Earl Poitier | Cousin Josh |
| David Shae | Reporter |
| Tashaun Stanfill-Perry | Henrietta Lacks Neighbor |
| Alpha Trivette | First Administrator |
| Terrence V. Walker | Church Patron |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| George C. Wolfe | Screenplay, Director |
| Peter Landesman | Adaptation, Screenplay |
| Alexander Woo | Writer |
| Paul Tazewell | Costume Design |
| Caroline Hanania | Production Design |
| Aaron Yanes | Editor |
| Rebecca Skloot | Book |
| Cindy Tolan | Casting |
| Sofian El Fani | Director of Photography |
| Mateo Márquez | Digital Intermediate Assistant |
| Carla Martinez | Assistant Art Director |
| Sarah Carter | Set Decoration Buyer |
| Brittany Upchurch | Set Decoration Buyer |
| Branford Marsalis | Original Music Composer |
| Name | Title |
|---|
| Organization | Category | Person |
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Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 14 | 18 | 9 |
| 2024 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 6 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 33 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 10 | 26 | 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
**You will know everything, but Henrietta Lacks!** It's a good biographical drama, but the only problem is its not what exactly the title says. If you believed to learn about Henrietta Lacks and went to see it, you might end disappointingly. Because she was the only topic of the story, not the ac ... tual story, except a few glimpses. It is like you watched 'Infamous' or 'Capote', instead of 'In Cold Blood'. That's what like this film. Yet not a bad film. A writer pursuing the family members of a person who lived in the mid 20th century, because she was a medical phenomenon. Her cells used to treat cancer, despite she had died of cancer, leaving her young kids behind. Her descendants not aware of how things work in the medical research, only misguided by others, finally, set to discover the truth themselves about all the fuss. It was nominated for the Emmy, but did not win. Oprah was okay, but Rose Byrne impressed me. Except a misleading title, it is a good film, but I really wanted/want to know the Henrietta Lacks. That's funny, because they have told us an unnecessary story. I hope somebody would make a film about actual Henrietta Lacks! _5.5/10_