Cicely Tyson was Emmy-nominated as Outstanding Actress for her portrait of a Chicago schoolteacher whose remarkable achievements with black children labelled "unteachable" were spotlighted in a 1979 "60 Minutes" segment about how she became disillusioned with the traditional school system and decided to work outside of it, transforming her students into young scholars through her unique teaching style.
Cicely Tyson
as Marva Collins
Morgan Freeman
as Clarence Collins
Rodrick F. Wimberly
as Martin Luther Jones (as Roderick Wimberly)
Mashaune Hardy
as Cindy Collins
Brett Bouldin
as Patrick Collins
Samuel Muhammad Jr.
as Eric Collins
Dianne Kirksey
as Cynthia Rawls
Steven Williams
as McCloud
Frankie Hill
as Ida Banbower
Charlie Brown
as Chester Boland
Marsha Warfield
as Lela Boland
Ce Ce Thompson
as Louise Jones
