Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Up Next
Back to Show
Watch Preview
Finding Your Roots
Rising From the Ashes
Season 9
Episode 5
Henry Louis Gates traces the roots of actors Brian Cox and Viola Davis—two people who overcame traumatic childhoods, revealing that they aren’t the first in their families to face enormous odds. From workhouses in Scotland to slave plantations in South Carolina, long-lost records reveal the stories of ancestors who laid the groundwork for Brian and Viola’s success by fighting so hard to survive.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. unearths the hidden roots of Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Explore the roots of Alanis Morissette and Ciara and their hidden connections to history.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Henry Louis Gates uncovers the lost roots of actors Billy Crudup and Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Journalists Jim Acosta and Van Jones uncover the ancestors who blazed a trail for them.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Henry Louis Gates reveals the unexpected family trees of Angela Y. Davis and Jeh Johnson
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
David Duchovny and Richard Kind trace their Jewish roots from Eastern Europe to the US.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Joe Manganiello and Tony Gonzalez discover close relatives whose names they’ve never heard
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Cyndi Lauper, Jamie Chung and Danny Trejo uncover the stories of their immigrant ancestors
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Comedians Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash discover scandals hidden within their roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:09
We explore Edward Norton and Julia Roberts' roots, revealing their hidden connections.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:14
Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley trace their ancestral roots.