The Shirts on Their Backs

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

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The Shirts on Their Backs

Season 7 Episode 4 | 52m 10s | CC

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the immigrant roots of actors Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni, introducing ancestors who came to America to build a better life.

Finding Your Roots

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigates the family history of Roy Wood, Jr. and Lewis Black.

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Glenn Close and John Waters.

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Against All Odds

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Andy Cohen and Nina Totenberg.

Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.

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