Cry Freedom
The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world.
1987 | 157m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Richard Attenborough |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Donald Woods, John Briley |
| Staring: |
| A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist. | |
| Release Date: | Nov 06, 1987 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Richard Attenborough |
| Writer: | Donald Woods, John Briley |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | journalist, 1970s, male friendship, south africa, apartheid, biography, police corruption, racism, based on memoir or autobiography, newspaper editor, cape town, south africa, asylum seekers, lesotho |
| Production Companies | Universal Pictures, Marble Arch Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $25,900,000
Budget: $29,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 03, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Kevin Kline | Donald Woods |
| Denzel Washington | Steve Biko |
| Penelope Wilton | Wendy Woods |
| Kate Hardie | Jane Woods |
| John Matshikiza | Mapetla |
| Zakes Mokae | Father Kani |
| John Thaw | Kruger |
| Kevin McNally | Ken |
| John Hargreaves | Bruce |
| Juanita Waterman | Ntsiki Biko |
| Julian Glover | Don Card |
| Josette Simon | Dr Ramphele |
| Timothy West | Capt. De Wet |
| Miles Anderson | Lemick |
| Ian Richardson | State Prosecutor |
| Andrew McCulloch | Policeman Nel |
| Gerald Sim | Police Doctor |
| Gary Whelan | Guard |
| Glen Murphy | Guard |
| Peter Cartwright | Police Sergeant |
| Badi Uzzaman | Mortician |
| Gwyneth Powell | Girl at Funeral |
| Philip Bretherton | Major Boshoff |
| Alec McCowen | Acting High Comissioner |
| Joseph Marcell | Moses |
| Judy Cornwell | Receptionist |
| John Paul | Wendy's Father |
| Gwen Watford | Wendy's Mother |
| William Marlowe | Police Sergeant |
| Paul Jerricho | Sergeant Louw |
| Nick Tate | Pilot |
| Andrew Whaley | Sub-Editor |
| Shelley Borkum | Woods' Receptionist |
| Albert Ndinda | Alec |
| Evelyn Sithole | Nurse at Clinic |
| Xoliswa Sithole | Nurse at Clinic |
| James Coine | Young Boy |
| Wabei Siyolwe | Tenjy |
| Tony Vogel | 2nd Roadblock Policeman |
| Michael Graham Cox | 3rd Passport Control Officer |
| Hepburn Graham | Soga |
| Graeme Taylor | Dillon Woods |
| Sophie Mgcina | Evalina |
| Jim Findley | Peter Jones |
| Garrick Hagon | McElrea |
| Adam Stuart Walker | Duncan Woods |
| Hamish Stuart Walker | Gavin Woods |
| Spring Stuart Walker | Meg Woods |
| Patricia Gumede | Shebeen Queen |
| Angela Gavaza | Shebeen Queen's Niece |
| Nocebo Mlambo | Aunt |
| Walter Matemavi | Nephew |
| Clement Muchachi | Father |
| Ruth Chinamando | Mother |
| Basil Chidyamathamba | Brother-in-Law |
| Marcy Mushore | Niece |
| Alton Kumalo | Speaker |
| Lawrence Simbarashe | Informer |
| Carl Chase | Policeman |
| William Morgan Sheppard | Policeman (as Morgan Sheppard) |
| Tichatonga Mazhindu | Dilima |
| Neil McPherson | Lemick's Assistant |
| Claude Maredza | 1st Rugby Player |
| Carlton Chance | 2nd Rugby Player |
| Russell Keith Grant | 2nd Security Guard |
| Munyaradzi Kanaventi | Samora Biko |
| George Lovell | Nkosinathi Biko |
| Graham Fletcher-Cook | Nel's Partner |
| Karen Drury | Young Secretary |
| Niven Boyd | 1st Roadblock Policeman |
| Christopher Hurst | 3rd Roadblock Policeman |
| Dudley Dickin | Nationalist Party Delegate |
| David Trevena | Mortician |
| Robert Phillips | Speaker at Funeral |
| Fishoo Tembo | Biko's Brother |
| Peggy Marsh | Helen Suzman |
| Gwyneth Strong | Girl at Funeral |
| Paul Herzberg | Beukes |
| Robert MacNamara | Security Policeman |
| Hans Sittig | Security Policeman |
| Kimpton Mativenga | Black Security Policeman |
| David Henry | Afrikaner Farmer |
| Michael Turner | Judge Boshoff |
| Mawa Makondo | Jason |
| Kalie Hanekom | Magistrate Prins |
| Star Ncube | 1st Prisoner |
| David Guwaza | 2nd Prisoner |
| Tommy Buson | Tami |
| Hilary Minster | 1st Passport Control Officer |
| James Aubrey | 2nd Passport Control Officer |
| Peter Cary | White Frontier Policeman |
| Dominic Kanaventi | Black Frontier Policeman |
| Sam Mathambo | Lesotho Passport Officer |
| Walter Muparutsa | Lesotho Businessman |
| Louis Mahoney | Lesotho Goverment Official |
| John Hartley | 4th Passport Control Officer |
| Simon Shumba | Young Lesotho Official |
| Marilyn Poole | Acting High Commissioner's Wife |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Lesley Walker | Editor |
| Jonas Gwangwa | Original Music Composer |
| Donald Woods | Novel |
| Gerry Levy | Production Manager |
| George Richardson | Supervising Art Director |
| Vera Mitchell | Hairstylist |
| John King | Art Direction |
| Brian Mann | Dialogue Editor |
| John Briley | Screenplay |
| Ronnie Taylor | Director of Photography |
| Martin Gant | Special Effects |
| Simon Kaye | Sound |
| Beryl Lerman | Makeup Artist |
| Alan Poole | Special Effects |
| Norman Dorme | Supervising Art Director |
| Jonathan Bates | Sound |
| Paula Gillespie | Hairstylist |
| Gift Nyamandi | Special Effects |
| David Tomblin | First Assistant Director |
| Michael Crouch | Dialogue Editor |
| Gerry Humphreys | Sound |
| Allan James | Production Manager |
| David Harris | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Michael Seirton | Set Decoration |
| Paul Knowles | Special Effects |
| Wally Schneiderman | Makeup Supervisor |
| Diana Hawkins | Publicist |
| John Mollo | Costume Design |
| Richard Attenborough | Director |
| George Fenton | Original Music Composer |
| Stuart Craig | Production Design |
| Susie Figgis | Casting |
| Gavin Bocquet | Assistant Art Director |
| Stephen Chigorimbo | Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| John Briley | Co-Producer |
| Norman Spencer | Co-Producer |
| Terence A. Clegg | Executive Producer |
| Richard Attenborough | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 34 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 23 | 44 | 13 |
| 2024 | 6 | 21 | 36 | 10 |
| 2024 | 7 | 18 | 26 | 11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 16 | 27 | 11 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 13 | 26 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 7 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 25 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 866 | 866 |