Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Born: February 27, 1934
in Winsted, Connecticut, USA
Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He became famous in the 1960s and 1970s for his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which criticized the automotive industry for its safety record and helped lead to the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966.

The son of Lebanese immigrants to the United States, Nader attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He first came to prominence in 1965 with the publication of the book Unsafe at Any Speed, a highly influential critique of the safety record of American automobile manufacturers. Following the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader led a group of volunteer law students—dubbed "Nader's Raiders"—in an investigation of the Federal Trade Commission, leading directly to that agency's overhaul and reform. In the 1970s, Nader leveraged his growing popularity to establish a number of advocacy and watchdog groups including the Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen. Two of Nader's most notable targets were the Chevy Corvair and the Ford Pinto.

Nader made four bids to become President of the United States, running with the Green Party in 1996 and 2000, the Reform Party in 2004, and as an independent in 2008. In each campaign, Nader said he sought to highlight under-reported issues and a perceived need for electoral reform. He received nearly three million votes during his 2000 candidacy, but also stirred controversy over allegations that his campaign helped Republican candidate George W. Bush win a close election against Democratic candidate Al Gore.

A two-time Nieman Fellow, Nader is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books and was the subject of a documentary film on his life and work, An Unreasonable Man, which debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. He has been repeatedly named to lists of the "100 Most Influential Americans", including those published by Life, Time, and The Atlantic. The New York Times described him as a "dissident".

Movies for Ralph Nader...

The Great Postal Heist
Title: The Great Postal Heist
Character: Self
Released: January 25, 2022
Type: Movie
The Great Postal Heist follows director Jay Galione's father, a 30-year US Post Office clerk, who was harassed, threatened, and fired for standing up for his colleagues. A moving indictment of the toxic culture and push to downsize, the documentary chronicles the journey of postal workers, experts, and advocates who experienced firsthand the abuses in the oldest federal agency in America and stood up against the USPS's notoriously violent work environment, featuring interviews with Ralph Nader and Richard Wolff. The atmosphere was a result of systematic dismantling and privatization of the trillion-dollar mail industry by lobbyists and politicians who seek to make profits at the expense of the mental health, living wages, and working conditions of their employees.
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537 Votes
Title: 537 Votes
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 21, 2020
Type: Movie
Documentary chronicling the political machinations that led to the unprecedented, contested outcome of the 2000 presidential election, including the chaotic voter recount in Florida that ended with George W. Bush winning by a razor-thin margin.
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The Corporate Coup D'État
Title: The Corporate Coup D'État
Character: Self - Lawyer and Consumer Advocate (archive footage)
Released: November 18, 2018
Type: Movie
A democracy should protect its most vulnerable citizens, but increasingly the United States is failing to do so. This investigation blends the insights of experts with the experiences of citizens of the Rust Belt in the Midwest where the steel industry once flourished, but where closures and outsourcing have left urban areas desolate. It is here where Donald Trump finds some of his most fervent supporters.
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Citizen Clark... A Life of Principle
Title: Citizen Clark... A Life of Principle
Character: Himself
Released: December 13, 2017
Type: Movie
For fifty years, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark has challenged the abuses of U.S. power and championed the causes of human rights.
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Workers Con
Title: Workers Con
Character: Himself - Civil Rights Advocate (archive footage)
Released: November 1, 2017
Type: Movie
Adding insult to injury
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The 24 Hour War
Title: The 24 Hour War
Character: Self
Released: November 20, 2016
Type: Movie
In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari went to war on the battlefield of Le Mans. This epic battle saw drivers lose their lives, family dynasties nearly collapse, and the development of a new car that changed racing.
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All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
Title: All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
Character: Self, author and political activist
Released: November 4, 2016
Type: Movie
Vancouver-based filmmaker and TV news veteran Fred Peabody explores the life and legacy of the maverick American journalist I.F. Stone, whose long one-man crusade against government deception lives on in the work of such contemporary filmmakers and journalists as Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, David Corn, and Matt Taibbi.
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The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Title: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Character: Himself
Released: April 22, 2011
Type: Movie
A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.
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Hempsters: Plant the Seed
Title: Hempsters: Plant the Seed
Character: Himself
Released: May 25, 2008
Type: Movie
The film follows the lively exploits of activists for (and against) the movement for the legalization of the hemp plant in America. It features Woody Harrelson, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and a whole host of farmers, politicians, businessmen, and laypeople as they search for the truth about this mysterious and demonized plant.
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Overdrawn!
Title: Overdrawn!
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 2007
Type: Movie
Explores the predatory lending practices of the major national banks, focusing on overdraft fees. Also explores the larger issues of corporate domination of our culture and government.
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Fun with Dick and Jane
Title: Fun with Dick and Jane
Character: Ralph Nader - Defensive Line Coach
Released: December 21, 2005
Type: Movie
After Dick Harper loses his job at Globodyne in an Enron-esque collapse, he and his wife, Jane, turn to crime in order to handle the massive debt they now face. Two intelligent people, Dick and Jane actually get pretty good at robbing people and even enjoy it -- but they have second thoughts when they're reminded that crime can hurt innocent people. When the couple hears that Globodyne boss Jack McCallister actually swindled the company, they plot revenge.
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Title: The Colbert Report
Character: Self
Released: October 17, 2005
Type: TV
The Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. It stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is a spin-off from and counterpart to The Daily Show that comments on politics and the media in a similar way. It satirizes conservative personality-driven political pundit programs, particularly Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. The show focuses on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits. The Colbert Report has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards each in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, two Television Critics Association Awards Awards, and two Satellite Awards. In 2013, it won two Emmys. It has been presented as non-satirical journalism in several instances, including by the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust and by Robert Wexler following his interview on the program. The Report received considerable media coverage following its debut on October 17, 2005, for Colbert's coining of the term "truthiness", which dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster named its 2006 Word of the Year.
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American Dictators: Staging of the 2004 Presidential Election
Title: American Dictators: Staging of the 2004 Presidential Election
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: August 4, 2004
Type: Movie
In Alex Jones' 11th feature documentary, made in 2004, Alex documents the major candidates in the staged 2004 United States presidential election.
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Off the Record: The 9/11 Election
Title: Off the Record: The 9/11 Election
Character: Self
Released: November 4, 2003
Type: Movie
Filmmaker Jonah Green documents his father Mark Green's 2001 campaign for mayor of New York City, detailing how the events of 9/11 severely altered the landscape of the election itself.
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Title: Anderson Cooper 360°
Released: September 8, 2003
Type: TV
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news.
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Title: Real Time with Bill Maher
Character: Self
Released: February 21, 2003
Type: TV
Each week Bill Maher surrounds himself with a panel of guests which include politicians, actors, comedians, musicians and the like to discuss what's going on in the world.
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Yesterday's Tomorrows
Title: Yesterday's Tomorrows
Character: Self
Released: August 9, 1999
Type: Movie
Showtime's "In the 20th Century" is a millennium-related strand of feature-length documentaries in which famous directors take on major subjects of their choosing. In the third of the six films, "Yesterday's Tomorrows," filmmaker Barry Levinson delves into what we, as Americans, thought the future would be as we traveled through the 20th century. Houses and cars of the future, the promise of technology, and the other hopes and dreams of the early part of the century gave way to the fears and anxieties brought about by the atomic age and the Hollywood disaster films that followed. Soon we wondered if we could control technology, or if it would control us. This film is by turns light-hearted and thoughtful, and rare historical and archival film, produced by government and industry, alternates with on-screen interviews with people as diverse as consumer advocate Ralph Nader, cartoonist Matt Groening, futurist Alvin Toffler, comedienne Phyllis Diller, and actor Martin Mull.
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Title: LateLine
Released: March 17, 1998
Type: TV
LateLine is an American TV sitcom that ran on NBC from March 17, 1998, through March 16, 1999. Due to an abrupt cancellation, there were seven unaired episodes. Created by John Markus and Al Franken, LateLine depicted the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a fictitious late-night television news broadcast, patterned in part after the long-running ABC program Nightline. Many plotlines in the series were satirical, dealing with topics like Deep Throat and the Watergate break-in, and the episodes often had cameos by famous politicians. On August 17, 2004, Paramount released a DVD set containing all nineteen episodes on three discs.
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Title: The Daily Show
Character: Self
Released: July 22, 1996
Type: TV
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
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Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie: An All-Star Musical Special
Title: Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie: An All-Star Musical Special
Character: Self
Released: October 5, 1988
Type: Movie
The stars come out on Sesame Street in this fun-filled video featuring the show's most memorable moments. Sing-along in this star-studded celebration!
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Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel
Title: Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel
Character: Self
Released: February 29, 1988
Type: Movie
A humourous telling of the history of the comic book superhero.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - Host
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - Cameo (uncredited)
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
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Title: The Dick Cavett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: June 6, 1968
Type: TV
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
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Title: The Mike Douglas Show
Character: Self
Released: December 11, 1961
Type: TV
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
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Title: Today
Character: Self
Released: January 14, 1952
Type: TV
Today is a daily American morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and is the fifth-longest running American television series. Originally a two-hour program on weekdays, it expanded to Sundays in 1987 and Saturdays in 1992. The weekday broadcast expanded to three hours in 2000, and to four hours in 2007. Today's dominance was virtually unchallenged by the other networks until the late 1980s, when it was overtaken by ABC's Good Morning America. Today retook the Nielsen ratings lead the week of December 11, 1995, and held onto that position for 852 consecutive weeks until the week of April 9, 2012, when it was beaten by Good Morning America yet again. In 2002, Today was ranked #17 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest Television Shows of All Time.
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The Arab Americans
Title: The Arab Americans
Character: Self
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
The history of Arab-Americans and their contribution to the American fabric.