American Masters

Julia was a larger-than-life figure who revolutionized the way that Americans ate, talked, and thought about food. She was warm, completely unpretentious and embraced life with an ease and humor that was infectious and irresistible.

Discover the story of chef Jacques Pépin, a young immigrant with movie-star looks, a charming Gallic accent, and a mastery of cooking and teaching so breathtaking he became an American food icon.

Follow Alice Waters through a year of shopping and cooking, and discover the vision of an artist and advocate, who has taken her gift for food and turned it into consciousness about the environment, nutrition and a device for social change.

A feature documentary on the life and work of filmmaker, Richard Linklater. Produced and Directed by Louis Black (founder of SXSW Festivals and the Austin Chronicle) and Karen Bernstein (Emmy and Grammy Award winning documentary filmmaker), this is an unusual look at a fiercely independent style of filmmaking that arose from Austin, Texas in the 1980s/ early 90's and how Linklater's films, Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Waking Life and Boyhood, sparked a low budget, in your own backyard movement in this country and around the world.

the Definitive documentary about the extraordinary life of the greatest guitarist of all time, features new performance footage, home movies and an archive of unearthed primary documents.

A look at the life and career of Bob Hope.

TYRUS examines the life and work of pioneering Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong. Beginning with his arrival to the immigration detention center at Angel Island in 1919, nine year old Tyrus would overcome a life of poverty, racism, and discrimination to become a renowned painter and Hollywood sketch artist. The film will show how the quiet beauty of Tyrus's eastern influenced paintings caught the eye of Walt Disney and became the inspiration for the classic animated feature Bambi. For the next 25 years, Tyrus brought his artistry to Warner Brothers where his striking storyboards and set illustrations helped set the tone and drama for films such as The Sands of Iwo Jima, Rebel Without a Cause, William Goldman's Harper and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. At 104, Tyrus is the oldest living Chinese American artist.

This episode page reflects the reshowing of the original title Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017) as part of the American Masters Series

This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career.

James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist behind the double helix as he confronts his complex legacy. With unprecedented access to Watson and his family, this film explores his life, achievements, controversies and contradictions.

This episode page reflects the reshowing of the original title Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me (2019) as part of the American Masters Series

The complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.

Joseph Pulitzer spoke of "fake news" over 100 years ago and fought the dangers that the suppression of news had for a democracy long before our present threats to press freedom. His heroic battles have been forgotten along with the lessons we might learn from the tools he deployed against his enemies.

A documentary about an important American still photographer who captured New York City in the 1960s (his work there is said to have influenced the TV show Mad Men) and later the West in Texas and Los Angeles.

Robert Shaw - Man of Many Voices traces the journey of a small town California boy who planned to be a minister like his father, but instead became the greatest conductor of choral music the world has ever known. At the heart of the film is the mystery of Shaw's genius. With no formal musical training, he achieved a stunning early success in popular music and later became legendary for his interpretations of classical music's great choral masterpieces. An early champion of civil rights, Shaw had a mystical belief in the power of community and could communicate his passion for music with spellbinding intensity. As Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the latter half of the twentieth century, Robert Shaw changed the course of musical history through the many voices he set on fire with an enduring love of music.

Decades before Hogwarts, Ursula K. Le Guin invited young readers to wizard school in her classic Earthsea fantasy series, and dazzled the science fiction world with masterworks like The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin tells the groundbreaking author's story in her own words, sprinkled with stunning animation and commentary from literary luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, and Michael Chabon. Produced with Le Guin's participation over ten years, Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin is a breathtaking journey through the late writer's career and her worlds, both real and fantastic.

"American Masters - Raúl Juliá: The World's a Stage" is a Special Presentation of American Masters and VOCES. Produced by Latino PBS, VOCES is an acclaimed PBS documentary series featuring the best Latino arts, culture and history.

Mark Rothko, a master of abstract expressionism, created 835 paintings during his five-decade career.

The life and career of groundbreaking writer, performer and subversive star Mae West. Over a career spanning eight decades, she broke boundaries and possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s.

Six women trailblazers help shape American politics at the turn of the 20th century; narrator Julianna Margulies.

The life and times of radio commentator and syndicated newspaper gossip columnist Walter Winchell, who reached an audience of 50 million at his peak.

Explore the lives and trailblazing careers of six iconic African-American entertainers; Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier; who changed American culture through their films, fashion, music and politics.

"Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic..." Flannery O'Connor, 1958. Shy, funny, devout, disabled--words that describe one of the most acclaimed American short story writers of all time. Flannery O'Connor's stories about the southern U.S. have inspired writers, artists and musicians for decades with their dark humor and "gothic" sensibilities. "Flannery" tells the life story of a brilliant, young woman who died before she was forty through the eyes of contemporary writers and artists with cartoons, animations, never-before-seen archival footage and great music. Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Walker, Mary Karr, Tobias Wolff, Hilton Als, Alice McDermott, Bill T. Jones, Lucinda Williams--all share their opinions, their art and their music in this feature-length, NEH-funded documentary. How can people go to church AND commit murder, she wonders...?

Twyla Moves will provide a first-hand glimpse into the legendary choreographer's storied career and famously rigorous creative process. A pioneer of both modern dance and ballet, Tharp will share intimate details behind her trailblazing dances (Fugue, Push Comes to Shove, Baker's Dozen), her cinematic partnership with Milos Forman (Hair, Amadeus, Ragtime) and her wildly successful Broadway career alongside such luminaries as Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra and David Byrne. Tracing her influential career, the film follows Tharp as she builds a high-profile work from the ground up with an international cast of stars (Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Maria Khoreva) who rehearse by video conference during the coronavirus pandemic. In Twyla Moves, Tharp will revisit her most memorable pieces through archival footage. Reflecting on her road to success and her quest to constantly evolve as a person and a choreographer, she will share her favorite stories of triumph and defeat, and how she remains deeply in love with dance. The documentary also features interviews with her family, friends and closest collaborators: the dancers, choreographers, directors and musicians she's worked with and influenced throughout her life, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Billy Joel, David Byrne, Bob Dylan, and more.

Biography of renowned trumpet player and "Tonight Show" bandleader Doc Severinsen.