Madam CJ Walker, a four-part limited series, tells the untold, culturally important, and highly relevant story of black hair care pioneer and mogul Madam CJ Walker and how she overcame hostile turn-of-the-century America, epic rivalries, tumultuous marriages and family challenges to become America’s first black, self-made female millionaire.

Oscar®-winning actress Octavia Spencer will executive produce and star as Sarah Breedlove, famously known as Madam CJ Walker. Madam CJ Walker is inspired by the book “‘On Her Own Ground’ “by A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great-granddaughter. The project is produced by SpringHill Entertainment and Zero Gravity in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Tiffany Haddish (The Kitchen) will play Lelia, the smart and feisty daughter of Sarah Breedlove and her late first husband. Raised by her single, hard-working mother, she is eager to be independent. After falling in love and marrying the feckless John Robinson, she frequently finds herself coming to her husband's defenses.

Carmen Ejogo (True Detective, Selma) will play Addie, a hairstylist and former friend of Sarah Breedlove. She is a savvy business woman herself, who parlays her good looks and social standing into a profitable African American hair care business. Fiercely competitive, when she quickly dismisses Sarah’s ambitions to be one of her sales women, charting a course to become Sarah’s nemesis and rival.

Blair Underwood (When They See Us, Juanita) will play Chares James Walker, Sarah's husband. He's incredibly supportive and encouraging of his wife's hair product business, which he helps her run. CJ has a way of calming Sarah down and soothing her worries, but he grows concerned about her increasing stress over the ups and downs of her business.

Garrett Morris (Shameless, 2 Broke Girls) will play Cleophus, CJ's father, and a former slave who comes to live with CJ and Sarah. He gets along well with Sarah and helps in her hair product business.

Kevin Carroll (Snowfall, The Leftovers) will play Ransom, a Pullman porter whose many degrees include law and patents from Columbia University. When he agrees to help Sarah with her hair product patents and becomes the company lawyer, he does his best to pull her back from what he feels is a risky expansion and efforts.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Launch Date: 2020
Showrunners / Writers / Executive Producers: Janine Sherman Barrois and Elle Johnson
Director / Executive Producer: Kasi Lemmons (Episode 1)
Executive Producers: Octavia Spencer, Christine Holder, Mark Holder, with LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill Entertainment.
Creator/Writer