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Larger Than Life

Season 11 Episode 1 | 52m 10s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces actors Lea Salonga and Amanda Seyfried to ancestors who are every bit as dramatic as the characters they’ve played on stage and screen. Moving from a naval base in the Philippines to a small town bakery in Pennsylvania to steamships on the Atlantic Ocean, Lea and Amanda hear stories of relatives who survived wars, murders, and heart-wrenching ordeals.

Aired: 01/06/25 | Expires: 02/04/25
Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.
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Extras
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces musicians Flea and Lizzo to their inspiring ancestors.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. heads west to map the family trees of Sara Haines and Tracy Letts.
Brittney Griner discovers the origin of the "Adams" name on her father's side.
Chris Paul discovers the first labor contract his paternal family ever signed.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of basketball stars Brittney Griner and Chris Paul.
Lizzy contemplates the difficult decision her ancestor made upon immigrating to New York.
Hasan discovers the possibility that he may have royal roots in Northern India.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Lizzy Caplan and comedian Hasan Minhaj.
Delroy Lindo dives deeper into his mother's ancestry.
Liza discovers her maternal great-great grandmother's experience as an enslaved person.
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