American Masters Pictures Movies

From Schubert to Strauss, Bach to Brahms, Mozart to…Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman’s violin playing transcends mere performance to evoke the celebrations...

An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.

Explores Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf...

A celebration of Dr. Maya Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exube...

The extraordinary life story of science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) who, in spite of remaining for many years on the side...

Rita Moreno defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become one of a select group who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award...

First and foremost, Frank Gehry is an artist. Described as a young child as having golden hands, Frank begins his creation through sketch. Forming tho...

James Baldwin was at once a major 20th century American author, a Civil Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americ...

A study of the Group Theatre, a company that changed the face of American drama. The Group was founded in 1931 by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman and...

During his career, Bob Hope was the only performer to achieve top-rated success in every form of mass entertainment. American Masters explores the ent...

The story of the legendary wits who lunched daily at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the 1920s. The core of the so-called Round Table grou...

This documentary takes an intimate look at the time Lennon, Yoko Ono and their son, Sean, spent living in New York City during the 1970s. It features...

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. [Made for and aired on PBS's Am...

This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works, and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout h...

Joni Mitchell's career as a singer-songwriter and painter is extensively profiled in this in-depth documentary, which originally aired as part of the...

Playwright Arthur Miller, director Volker Schlöndorff and actor Dustin Hoffman are seen creating the Roxbury Productions and Punch Productions telepla...

Song for Cesar is a documentary film with a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. The film tells a previousl...

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage is a warm and revealing portrait of the charismatic, groundbreaking actor’s journey from his native Puerto Rico to the...

Discover the story behind singer Brenda Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early fame and life of poverty shaped her artistry across pop, rock ‘n’...