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LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte - 35 years ago, LeVar Burton starred as Kunta Kinte, his breakout role in the epic miniseries Roots.(Photo: Warner Bros. Productions)

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Levar Burton at the Director's Guild of America Awards - Today, LeVar Burton is a director and producer who has directed episodes of Star Trek as well as the movie Reach for Me.  (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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John Amos as the Older Kunta Kinte - John Amos was already the star of Good Times when he was cast as the older Kunta Kinte in Roots. (Photo: Warner Bros. Productions)

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John Amos at the Premiere for Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail in 2008 - John Amos still acts in movies and television, including the shows 30 Rock and Lie to Me. (Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

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Cicely Tyson as Binta - Cicely Tyson starred as Binta, Kunta Kinte's mother. At the time, she had already been nominated for an Oscar and had won two Emmys. (Photo: Fotos INternational/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Cicely Tyson at the Alex Cross Premiere - Cicely Tyson is still an active actress, having starred in Oscar-winning movie The Help and several Tyler Perry films. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Ben Vereen as Chicken George - Ben Vereen starred as Chicken George, the grandson of Kunta Kinte.  (Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images)

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Ben Vereen at the Leap Of Faith Premiere - Ben Vereen still acts on stage and television and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2011. (Photo: Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images

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Maya Angelou as Nyo Boto - Maya Angelou was already renowned as a poet and actress before being cast as Nyo Boto, a friend of Kunta Kinte's mother. (Photo: Warner Bros. Productions)

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Maya Angelou at the 2012 BET Honors - In 2010, Maya Angelou won a Presidential Medal Of Freedom and is still an activist and a poet. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)

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Lou Gossett Jr. as Fiddler - Lou Gossett Jr. won an Emmy for his performance as Fiddler, a mentor to Kunta Kinte. (Photo: Warner Bros. Productions)

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Lou Gossett Jr. at the 9th Annual BET Celebration Of Gospel - Lou Gossett Jr. is one of a very small group actors to win an Oscar and an Emmy and is still acting today. (Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images)