The Greatest 47 years old
The story you only think you knew.
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 85 years old | as Sonny Liston |
| Annazette Chase She was 35, now 82 years old | as Belinda Ali |
| Richard Gullage | as Commission Doctor |
| 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 |
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 (47 years)
The story you only think you knew.
- Release day: Tuesday, May 17, 1977
- Runtime: 102 minutes