CBS News looks at Malcolm X, focusing on his public life from 1959 to his assassination in 1965, suggesting that his death was a great loss to the nation. The film intercuts archival footage of Malcolm and interviews with family, friends, colleagues, scholars, and writers. CBS documents Malcolm's move from being Elijah Muhammad's deputy in the Nation of Islam to his embrace of Islam: his new links with the civil rights movement posed a real threat to the powers that be. CBS details his death after secret FBI acts to increase the rift between Muhammad and Malcolm. Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Andrew Young offer trenchant comments. "He was our manhood," eulogized Ossie Davis.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Dan RatherSelf - Narrator / Interviewer | Self - Narrator / Interviewer |
 Maya AngelouNot listed | Not listed |
 Chuck DNot listed | Not listed |
 James FarmerNot listed | Not listed |
 Dick GregoryNot listed | Not listed |
 Lionel HamptonNot listed | Not listed |
 Clarence JonesNot listed | Not listed |
 Quincy JonesNot listed | Not listed |
| BBetty ShabazzNot listed | Not listed |
 Wesley SnipesNot listed | Not listed |
 Mario Van PeeblesNot listed | Not listed |
 Malcolm-Jamal WarnerNot listed | Not listed |
 Keenen Ivory WayansNot listed | Not listed |
 Andrew YoungNot listed | Not listed |
 Walter CronkiteNot listed | Not listed |
 Ossie DavisNot listed | Not listed |
 J. Edgar HooverNot listed | Not listed |
 John F. KennedyNot listed | Not listed |
 Robert F. KennedyNot listed | Not listed |
 Ted KennedyNot listed | Not listed |
 Martin Luther King Jr.Not listed | Not listed |
 Malcolm XNot listed | Not listed |
| EElijah MuhammadNot listed | Not listed |
 Jacqueline KennedyNot listed | Not listed |