In 1957, Cecil is hired by the White House during Dwight D. While working there, Cecil meets and marries Gloria, and the couple have two sons: Louis and Charlie. Cecil learns advanced serving and interpersonal skills from Maynard, who later recommends Cecil for a position in a Washington, D.C., hotel. The elderly master-servant Maynard takes pity on him and gives him a job. Desperately hungry, he breaks into a hotel pastry shop. In 1937, at 18, Cecil leaves the plantation. Cecil is taken in by the estate's caretaker, who trains him to be an house servant. In 2009, an elderly Cecil Gaines recounts his life story while waiting at the White House to meet the newly inaugurated president.īorn and raised on a cotton plantation in Macon, Georgia to sharecroppers, in 1926 when he was seven, the owner rapes his mother Hattie, his father, Earl confronts him and is killed. The film grossed over $177 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million. The film was theatrically released by the Weinstein Company on August 16, 2013, to mostly positive reviews from critics, with many praising the cast but criticizing the historical accuracy, particularly the portrayal of President Reagan.

It was the last film produced by Laura Ziskin, who died on June 12, 2011, and it was also the final film appearance of Clarence Williams III, who retired from acting in 2018 and died on June 4, 2021. In addition to Whitaker, the film's all-star cast also features Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Nelsan Ellis, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Elijah Kelley, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, Robin Williams, and Clarence Williams III. Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, who worked in the White House for decades, the film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, an African-American who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's Washington Post article 'A Butler Well Served by This Election'. The Butler (full title Lee Daniels' The Butler) is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels and with a screenplay by Danny Strong.

Jim butler powerhouse