Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
To Kill a Mockingbird
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch stands beside Philip Alford and Mary Badham in a jail scene from To Kill a Mockingbird, facing a seated group of men in hats. Estelle Evans as Calpurnia stands with hands on hips beside Phillip Alford as Jem Finch and Mary Badham as Scout Finch on a porch in To Kill a Mockingbird. (From left to right) Phillip Alford, Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, and John Megna in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch stands in a crowded courtroom in a scene from the film To Kill a Mockingbird, with spectators watching from benches and a balcony.
What inspired Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?
Quizzes
Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)
Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz
Illustration of movie theater popcorn bucket, cinema ticket, clapboard, and film reel. (movies, hollywood, pop culture, 3D render)
Hollywood What If Quiz
USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Pop Culture Quiz
Asphalt Jungle (1950) Movie scene of actress Marilyn Monroe as Angela Phinlay in an early film career appearence with actor Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley in movie directed by John Huston.
Ready, Set, Action!
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
print Print
Please select which sections you would like to print:
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what youā€™ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch stands beside Philip Alford and Mary Badham in a jail scene from To Kill a Mockingbird, facing a seated group of men in hats.
To Kill a Mockingbird Gregory Peck (center left) as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

To Kill a Mockingbird

film by Mulligan [1962]
Written by
Lee Pfeiffer
Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. His book The Essential Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007 (written with...
Lee Pfeiffer
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
ā€¢History

To Kill a Mockingbird, American dramatic film, released in 1962, that was adapted from Harper Leeā€™s coming-of-age novel that addressed racism and injustice. Deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significantā€ to Americaā€™s film heritage, the Library of Congress honoured it with inclusion in the National Film Registry.

(Read Martin Scorseseā€™s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

To Kill a Mockingbird recounts the childhood experiences of six-year-old ā€œScoutā€ Finch (played by Mary Badham) during the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. When her widowed father (Gregory Peck), a principled and respected attorney, defends a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, Scout and her brother witness the horrors of racism. They also learn valuable lessons about courage, compassion, tolerance, and prejudice.

Illustration of movie theater popcorn bucket, cinema ticket, clapboard, and film reel. (movies, hollywood, pop culture, 3D render)
Britannica Quiz
Hollywood What If Quiz

Peckā€™s Academy Award-winning performance as Atticus Finch became an enduring part of cinema history; in 2003 his character was voted the top film hero in a poll conducted by the American Film Institute. Badham, as the tomboyish Scout, earned praise in her first screen role. Scoutā€™s friend, the imaginative, storytelling ā€œDill,ā€ was patterned after Leeā€™s childhood friend, the writer Truman Capote. Robert Duvall made his film debut as ā€œBooā€ Radley, a reclusive neighbour.

Production notes and credits

Cast

  • Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch)
  • Mary Badham (ā€œScoutā€ Finch)
  • Phillip Alford (ā€œJemā€ Finch)
  • Robert Duvall (ā€œBooā€ Radley)
  • John Megna (ā€œDillā€ Harris)
  • Brock Peters (Tom Robinson)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

  • Picture
  • Director
  • Cinematography (black and white)
  • Art directionā€“set decoration (black and white)*
  • Screenplay, adapted*
  • Lead actor* (Gregory Peck)
  • Supporting actress (Mary Badham)
  • Score
Lee Pfeiffer