The Greatest 47 years old

The story you only think you knew.

The Greatest

The Greatest is a 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali, in which Ali plays himself. It was directed by Tom Gries and Monte Hellman. The song "Greatest Love of All", later remade by Whitney Houston, was written for this film and sung by George Benson. The movie follows Ali's life from the 1960 Olympics to his regaining the heavyweight crown from George Foreman in their famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in 1974.

Credits

The Greatest Cast

Name Character
Robert Duvall He was 46, now 93 years old as Bill McDonald
James Earl Jones He was 46, now 93 years old as Malcolm X
Ernest Borgnine He was 60, 95 years old when he died as Angelo Dundee
Paul Winfield He was 37, 64 years old when he died as Draft Lawyer
John Marley He was 69, 76 years old when he died as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
Muhammad Ali He was 35, 74 years old when he died as Himself
Dina Merrill She was 53, 93 years old when she died as Velvet Green
Drew Bundini Brown He was 49, 59 years old when he died as Himself
Ben Johnson He was 58, 77 years old when he died as Hollis
Lloyd Haynes He was 42, 52 years old when he died as Herbert Muhammad
Skip Homeier He was 46, 86 years old when he died as Major
David Huddleston He was 46, 85 years old when he died as Cruikshank
Stack Pierce He was 43, 82 years old when he died as Rahaman
Chip McAllister He was 19, now 67 years old as Cassius Clay aged 18
Roger E. Mosley He was 38, now 86 years old as Sonny Liston
Annazette Chase She was 35, now 83 years old as Belinda Ali
Sally Bondi as Bess
Teddy Wilson He was 64, 73 years old when he died as Joe The Gardener
Lucille Benson She was 62, 69 years old when she died as Mrs. Fairlie
Richard Gullage as Commission Doctor

The Greatest Crew

Name Department
Byron 'Buzz' Brandt as Editor. Editing
Harry Stradling, Jr. as Director of Photography. He was 52 (92) years old when He died Camera
Tom Gries as Director. He was 54 (54) years old when He died Directing
Michael Masser as Music. He was 36 (now 83) years old Sound
Ring Lardner, Jr. as Writer. He was 61 (85) years old when He died Writing
Muhammad Ali as Novel. He was 35 (74) years old when He died Writing
Monte Hellman as Director. He was 44 (now 92) years old Directing
The Greatest poster
The Greatest (47 years)

The story you only think you knew.

  • Release day: Tuesday, May 17, 1977
  • Runtime: 102 minutes