Home / Full timeline / Television mini-series “Roots,” which was based on Alex Haley’s novel about his family in Africa and America, sweeps the nineteenth annual Emmy Awards.
Television mini-series “Roots,” which was based on Alex Haley’s novel about his family in Africa and America, sweeps the nineteenth annual Emmy Awards.
1977 (Sep 11)
The epic television mini-series "Roots," based on Alex Haley's novel about his family in Africa and America, swept the nineteenth annual Emmy Award presentations in Los Angeles, California. Among the top Emmys awarded were: Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series: Lou Gossett, Jr., who portrayed the smooth survivor "Fiddler;" Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series: Ernest Kinoy and William Blinn; Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series: David Greene; and Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama or Comedy Series: Edward Asner and Olivia Cole, respectively. The drama also garnered the Outstanding Limited Series award. "Roots," the most successful mini-series in television history, was broadcast over eight nights on the ABC television network in January and February 1977.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.