Starring no less than seven Academy Award(R) winners, the 1977 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth was a global television event – one of the most celebrated TV biographies of Jesus ever made. Now, 40 years later, the actor who portrayed the Son of God, Robert Powell, is returning to the Holy Land to seek out clues to the real historical figure who inspired Christianity.
THE REAL JESUS OF NAZARETH, a new four-part series, premiered on Easter Sunday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel. Jesus of Nazareth featured a cast of blockbuster stars, including Anne Bancroft, Ian McShane, Sir Laurence Olivier and James Earl Jones, but for his lead character, legendary Italian filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli chose the relatively unknown British actor – Robert Powell – who gave a performance for the ages.
Since then, the series has become an Easter and Christmas television tradition for many – more than 90 million people have watched the series in the U.S. alone. Now, this four-part series will draw parallels between the scripted depiction of the biblical story and the real history behind it by breaking down the life of Jesus and the world he lived in – a world ripe for a radical message that would change history.
key behind the scenes crew
Charles Poe as Executive Producer (Smithsonian)
David Royle as Executive Producer (Smithsonian)
John Cavanagh as Executive Producer (Smithsonian)
Jonathan Drake as Executive Producer
Steve Maher as Executive Producer
show type
documentary
broadcast from
4/16/2017
1 season with 4 episodes in total
network and production companies
Smithsonian – Impossible Factual
