Jelani Cobb

Acting

Jelani Cobb

Born 1969-08-21 · Queens, New York City, New York, USA

William Jelani Cobb is an American writer, author and educator. The Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, Cobb was previously an associate professor of history and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, from 2012 to 2016.

Acting credits

13th poster
7.8

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

13th

2016

Heightened Scrutiny poster
4.5

Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights.

Heightened Scrutiny

2025

No artwork available
NR

Actor Courtney B. Vance hosts this special celebrating Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s work with focus on his five quintessential documentary series about American, African and African American history for PBS.

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America

2019

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

McCarthy poster
8.0

"McCarthy" chronicles the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who came to power after a stunning victory in an election no one thought he could win. Once in office, he declared that there was a vast conspiracy threatening America — emanating not from a rival superpower, but from within. Free of restraint or oversight, he conducted a crusade against those he accused of being enemies of the state, a chilling campaign marked by groundless accusations, bullying intimidation, grandiose showmanship and cruel victimization. With lawyer Roy Cohn at his side, he belittled critics, spinning a web of lies and distortions while spreading fear and confusion. After years in the headlines, he was brought down by his own excesses and overreach. But his name lives on linked to the modern-day witch hunt we call “McCarthyism.”

McCarthy

2020

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union poster
4.0

Reviewing the pursuit of democracy within the U.S. on the anniversary of the 2021 Capitol riot.

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union

2022

No artwork available
8.0

Documentary looking at the introduction of the some of the first black superheroes.

White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books

2010

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story poster
7.0

The history of the East Lake Meadows public housing project in Atlanta and the people who lived there from 1970 to its demolition in 2000, with special emphasis on the activism of Eva Davis asserting the rights of the tenants.

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story

2020

No artwork available
NR

“Looks at the impact key movements throughout U.S. history have had in shaping our society, laws and culture. From the labor movement of the 1880s, women's suffrage and civil rights, to the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements, protest is in the American DNA and this documentary gives an unfiltered look at the ways it has evolved the world in which we live.”

Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America

2021

America After 9/11 poster
NR

From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.

America After 9/11

2021

Policing the Police poster
10.0

George Floyd’s killing triggered mass demonstrations nationwide calling for racial justice and police accountability in the United States. In the wake of those protests, New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb returns to a troubled police department he first visited four years ago (Policing the Police) to examine whether reform can work, and how police departments can be held accountable.

Policing the Police

2016

One Person, One Vote? poster
5.0

An in-depth look at the Electoral College, its slavery origins, and its impact on society today. The film features four dynamic electors from different parties offering insight into the inner workings of this often-misunderstood institution. A timely, nonpartisan film that will fill a stark information gap in American presidential elections.

One Person, One Vote?

2024

Lies, Politics and Democracy poster
7.0

Frontline’s season premiere investigates American political leaders and choices they’ve made that have undermined and threatened democracy in the U.S. In a two-hour documentary special premiering ahead of the 2022 midterms, Frontline examines how officials fed the public lies about the 2020 presidential election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.

Lies, Politics and Democracy

2022

Policing the Police 2020 poster
NR

George Floyd’s killing triggered mass demonstrations nationwide calling for racial justice and police accountability in the United States. In the wake of those protests, New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb returns to a troubled police department he first visited four years ago (Policing the Police) to examine whether reform can work, and how police departments can be held accountable.

Policing the Police 2020

2020

Behind the camera