Paul Winfield Movies

Adapted from Alice Childress' inspirational novel of the same name, director Ralph Nelson's sentimental addiction drama tells the story of an intelligent yet alienated ghetto youth seduced into the world of hard drugs. Unable to stand being in the same apartment as his gruff but caring foster-father Butler (Paul Winfield), inner-city high school student Benjie (Larry B. Scott) opts to pass the time smoking grass and drinking with his good friend Jimmy Lee (Kenneth Green) and small-time drug dealer Carwell (Erin Blunt). Before long Benjie is hooked, and hanging out with local pusher Tiger (Kevin Hooks) in order to get the hard stuff. Increasingly alienated from both his foster-father and his grandmother (Helen Martin), young Benjie must rely on the assistance of a caring social worker (Claire Brennan) in order to stay clean and get back on his feet. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Babylon 5 plays reluctant host to 25,000 ground-pounding Earth troops, who, acting under secret orders, have been assigned to snuff out a rebellion. Exacerbating an already unpleasant situation is the fact that the troop's leader (Paul Winfield is Dr. Franklin's long-estranged father. The title of this episode refers to a vindictive alien race, from whom Delenn can expect no good. Written by Lawrence G. DiTillio, "Gropos" was originally broadcast on February 8, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When prodigal son Billy Turner (Judd Nelson) returns to his Florida home town, he's caught in a brawl and thrown in jail. He tells the guards to call his father, the mayor, who will have him released; however, he soon discovers his father has been killed. After Turner finally gets out of jail, he starts to hunt down his father's murderer, with the eventual help of Annie Rayford (Ally Sheedy) and her brother Joey (David Caruso). Their nemesis is the nasty crime boss Perry Kerch (Scott Wilson) and his henchmen, though the slow-witted police chief (Paul Winfield) is not much help, either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Sidney Poitier stars as John Kane, a heavenly emissary who pays a visit to the Alabama town where he was born. Making it his mission to purge the community of all hatred and prejudice, "Brother John" is nothing less than the Messiah returned to earth. Trouble is, he's black, and it's Alabama-so who's going to pay attention? Will Greer costars as a local town doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Catfish In Black Bean Sauce, Paul Winfield and Mary Alice play an African-American couple who in the 1970's adopted two Vietnamese children, a brother and sister. 20 years on, the two kids have grown to adulthood; Dwayne (Chi Muoi Lo) has absorbed a great deal of black culture from his adopted parents and is engaged to an attractive African-American woman (Sanaa Lathan). His sister (Lauren Tom), however, feels more comfortable with Asian cultural paths and has married an older Asian man (Tzi Ma). The siblings have recently come in contact with their birth mother (Kieu Chinh), and are awaiting her first visit to the United States, which causes no small amount of personal, cultural and familial clashes. Catfish In Black Bean Sauce is the feature debut from writer/director Chi Muoi Lo, who also plays Dwane; it was a prize winner at the 1999 WorldFest/Houston Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Recession-weary Ohio becomes the setting for A&E's look at a millionaire murder in City Confidential: Akron -- Brother Against Brother. Constantine "Dean" Milo represented the American success story, having built a small family business into a 50-million-dollar operation. But, nobody said making it to the top was easy. Along the way, Milo racked up a handful of enemies who later became suspects when the cosmetics dynamo turned up dead in his own home. Suddenly, the town that prided itself on its rubber industry and annual boxcar races was thrown into turmoil when investigators began looking for the killer. A&E turns Akron inside out as it follows the path of a hired hit. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Money will drive men to extremes, even to murder. A&E investigates the madness of one small town entrepreneur in City Confidential: Athens -- Showdown at the Station. Athens, GA, is by most accounts a pleasant college town. Full of decent, hardworking young people, the local state university provides a brisk business for restaurants and bars. T.K. Harty took advantage of the ready clientèle and opened a handful of popular hangouts including T.K. Harty's Saloon. But his growing portfolio also swallowed up smaller venues like John Mooney's Somebody's Pizza. The sudden loss of his lifelong dream enraged Mooney and eventually led to Harty's demise. A&E documents Mooney's slow burn in this one-hour program. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Nestled within the rolling hill country of central Texas is the largest state university in the nation. As the capital and political center, Austin houses an eclectic collection of good ol' boys and outspoken liberals. A&E's City Confidential: Austin -- Empty Graves takes the viewer to the hot summer of 1995 when the city lost its innocence. Remembered as the atheist who separated church and state for good, Madeline Murray O'Hare was both loved and hated. Her home in Austin was a base for non-believers to converge. But, when O'Hare turned up missing along with her son, foul play was immediately suspected. A&E follows the search for O'Hare and the surprising results of a worldwide scandal. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Sex and politics collide in the A&E program City Confidential: Baton Rouge -- Scandal on the Bayou. Known for its spicy nightlife, Louisiana's capital has played host to governors and criminals alike. One of the latter came in the form of a flirtatious Madame named Sylvia Landry. As the proprietress of three busy escort services, Landry raked in over 500,000 dollars a year. She thought she had it made until her wheeling and dealings landed her in jail. Landry was disappointed when her high-profile visitors failed to ease her situation, but nevertheless, she refused to reveal her clientèle. Supposedly, the list could have been massively damaging. A&E explains the unlikely incarceration of a party girl and her even more surprising suicide. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Paradise is shattered in the A&E program City Confidential: Bermuda -- Death on the Rocks. Thought of as a bastion of relaxation and tropical luxury, Bermuda is a hot tourist destination. But in 1996, the Garden of Eden became a crime scene when Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton was found raped and stabbed on a country road. She was unable to speak because of a slashed throat and died soon after. Middleton's abduction began when she and her host, Jasmin Meens, accepted motorbike rides from a few locals after being unable to get taxis. Meens made it home safely but her friend never did. The subsequent trials of two Bermudans led to an international frenzy. A&E relives the controversial verdicts that enraged victim advocates and defense attorneys alike. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide