A Lesson Before Dying (film)

A Lesson Before Dying is a 1999 American made-for-television drama film adapted from the 1993 Ernest J. Gaines novel of the same name. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie^[1] and a Peabody Award.

A Lesson Before Dying
Based on	A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Written by	Ann Peacock
Directed by	Joseph Sargent
Starring	Don Cheadle Cicely Tyson Mekhi Phifer Irma P. Hall Brent Jennings
Theme music composer	Ernest Troost
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Cinematography	Donald M. Morgan
Editor	Michael Brown
Running time	105 minutes
Production companies	Ellen M. Krass Productions HBO NYC Productions Spanky Pictures
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	May 22, 1999 (1999-05-22)

Cast and characters

• Don Cheadle as Grant Wiggins
• Cicely Tyson as Tante Lou
• Mekhi Phifer as Jefferson
• Irma P. Hall as Miss Emma
• Brent Jennings as Reverend Ambrose
• Lisa Arrindell Anderson as Vivian Baptiste
• Frank Hoyt Taylor as Sheriff Guidry
• Stuart Culpepper as Henri Pichot
• Patty Mack as Inez
• Elijah Kelley as Clarence
• Wynton Yates as Louis Washington
• Clay Chappell as Paul
• Cierra Meche as Estelle