 | H.B. Warner | ... | Jesus, the Christ |
| Dorothy Cumming | ... | Mary, the mother |
| Ernest Torrence | ... | Peter |
| Joseph Schildkraut | ... | Judas Iscariot |
| James Neill | ... | James, brother of John |
| Joseph Striker | ... | John, the beloved |
| Robert Edeson | ... | Matthew, the publican |
| Sidney D'Albrook | ... | Thomas, the doubter |
| David Imboden | ... | Andrew, a fisherman |
| Charles Belcher | ... | Philip |
| Clayton Packard | ... | Bartholomew |
| Robert Ellsworth | ... | Simon, the zealot |
| Charles Requa | ... | James The Lesser |
| John T. Prince | ... | Thaddeus |
| Jacqueline Logan | ... | Mary Magdalene |
| Rudolph Schildkraut | ... | Caiaphas, high priest of Israel |
| Sam De Grasse | ... | Pharisee |
| Casson Ferguson | ... | Scribe |
| Victor Varconi | ... | Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea |
| Majel Coleman | ... | Proculla, wife of Pilate |
| Montagu Love | ... | Roman Centurion |
| William Boyd | ... | Simon Of Cyrene |
| Michael D. Moore | ... | Mark (as Micky Moore) |
| Theodore Kosloff | ... | Malchus, captain of the high priest's guards |
| George Siegmann | ... | Barabbas |
| Julia Faye | ... | Martha |
| Josephine Norman | ... | Mary Of Bethany |
| Kenneth Thomson | ... | Lazarus |
| Alan Brooks | ... | Satan |
| Viola Louie | ... | Adulterous woman |
| Muriel McCormac | ... | Blind girl |
| Clarence Burton | ... | Dysmas, the repentant thief |
| Jim Mason | ... | Gestas, the unrepentant thief (as James Mason) |
| May Robson | ... | Mother of Gestas |
| Dot Farley | ... | Maidservant of Caiaphas |
| Hector Sarno | ... | Galilean carpenter |
| Leon Holmes | ... | Imbecile boy |
| Otto Lederer | ... | Eber, a Pharisee |
| Bryant Washburn | ... | Young Roman |
| Lionel Belmore | ... | Roman noble |
| Monte Collins | ... | Rich Judeaean |
| Luca Flamma | ... | Gallant Of Galilee |
| Sojin | ... | Prince Of Persia |
| André Cheron | ... | Wealthy merchant |
| Willy Castello | ... | Babylonian noble |
| Noble Johnson | ... | Charioteer |
| Jim Farley | ... | Executioner |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: |
| Richard Alexander | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Nona Arlynn | ... | Waif with broken doll (uncredited) |
| Jere Austin | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Emily Barrye | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Miriam Battista | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Fred Becker | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Joseph Belmont | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Wilson Benge | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Elaine Bennett | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Marjorie Bonner | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Joe Bonomo | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Ed Brady | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Lucile Browne | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| William P. Burt | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| George Calliga | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| David Cavendish | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Fred Cavens | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Kathleen Chambers | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edythe Chapman | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Colin Chase | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Colbert Clark | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Charles Clary | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edna Mae Cooper | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Josephine Crowell | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Frances Dale | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Milla Davenport | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| William De Boar | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Anna De Linsky | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Victor De Linsky | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Malcolm Denny | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| James Dime | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| David Dunbar | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Lillian Elliott | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Anielka Elter | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Louise Emmons | ... | Crowd Extra (uncredited) |
| Ray Erlenborn | ... | Boy (uncredited) |
| Jack Fife | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Budd Fine | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Redmond Finlay | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Evelyn Francisco | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Margaret Francisco | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Sidney Franklin | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Dale Fuller | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Curt Furburg | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| John George | ... | Onlooker (uncredited) |
| Natalie Golitzen | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Inez Gomez | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edna Gordon | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Julia Swayne Gordon | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Winifred Greenwood | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Bert Hadley | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edward Hearn | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Stanton Heck | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Fred Huntley | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Brandon Hurst | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Rex Ingram | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Eulalie Jensen | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Cammilla Johnson | ... | Little Girl (uncredited) |
| Jane Keckley | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Isabelle Keith | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Nora Kildare | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Lydia Knott | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Alice Knowland | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Otto Kottke | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edward Lackey | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Celia Lapan | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Tom London | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Theodore Lorch | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Bertram Marburgh | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| James A. Marcus | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| George F. Marion | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Robert McKee | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Lal Chand Mehra | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Earl Metcalfe | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Ruth Miller | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Jack Montgomery | ... | Egyptian cavalryman (uncredited) |
| Max Montor | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Alla Moskova | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Louis Natheaux | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Richard Neill | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Gertrude Norman | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Peter Norris | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Robert Ober | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Frank O'Connor | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Jack Padjan | ... | Captain of the Roman Guard (uncredited) |
| Alexander Palasthy | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Patricia Palmer | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Louis Payne | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edward Peil Sr. | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Herbert Prior | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Albert Prisco | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Gertrude Quality | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Rae Randall | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Ayn Rand | ... | Extra (uncredited) |
| Sally Rand | ... | Slave to Mary Magdalene (uncredited) |
| Hedwiga Reicher | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Dick Richards | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Reeka Roberts | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Warren Rogers | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Edward Schaeffer | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Peggy Schaffer | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Evelyn Selbie | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Charles Sellon | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Semone Sergis | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Tom Shirley | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Walter Shumway | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Bernard Siegel | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Philip Sleeman | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Robert St. Angelo | ... | Roman soldier (uncredited) |
| Charles Stevens | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Carl Stockdale | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| William H. Strauss | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Mark Strong | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Josef Swickard | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Ann Teeman | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Barbara Tennant | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Mabel Van Buren | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Wilbert Wadleigh | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Kit Wain | ... | Extra (uncredited) |
| Fred Walker | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Will Walling | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Paul Weigel | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Charles West | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Stanhope Wheatcroft | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
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company.
Cecil B. DeMille's film about Jesus was made during a period in his career when he left Paramount and organized his own studio. Unfortunately for DeMille his studio went belly up after the stock market crash of 1929. The King of Kings is unquestionably the greatest film he made during that period.
But in DeMille's cinema gospel he eschewed the traditional Christmas story to be found in those four other gospels. DeMille begins his movie with a real lavish party at the home of a noted women of the town Mary Magdalene played by Jacqueline Logan. It's DeMille showing revelry at its best and most alluring.
Logan asks why one of her favorites, Judas Iscariot hasn't been attending her clambakes recently. She hears he's been hanging around with this carpenter from Nazareth reputed to have performed some miracles and who doesn't approve of her lifestyle.
That's it for Ms. Magadalene; she's not about to let this hick take one of her favorites away. Off in a chariot pulled by Zebras she goes after this carpenter. She finds H.B. Warner as Jesus doing one of the miracles and becomes a follower herself.
After this the film becomes a reverential straightforward account as you would find in the Bible.
Reverence and revelry, the hallmark of a DeMille film is found in equal measure in The King of Kings. H.B. Warner does a fine job in the lead role, he makes a saintly Jesus. I do wonder what led DeMille to cast Warner, to think of him in the first place. Warner was 52 at the time playing a 30 something Jesus.
The King of Kings offers the movie fan to see father and son Rudolph and Joseph Schildkraut who play Caiaphas and Judas. Both contribute fine performances to the endeavor. Unlike later gospel based films, this one clearly has Caiaphas as the villain of the piece. He's described in the subtitles as a man concerned more with 'revenue than religion' which doesn't make him all that different from some folks I could mention today. The Schildkrauts however were Jewish and stars in the Yiddish Theater in Europe and America. They got good and slammed for their participation in The King of Kings by more than a few of their co-religionists.
Sharp eyed viewers will also note that the guy playing Simon of Cyrene who helps Jesus with his cross is none other than Hopalong Cassidy, William Boyd. Boyd was a DeMille discovery and had previously starred in another DeMille production, The Volga Boatman. This of course was years before he became the idol of the nation's children.
In his autobiography DeMille goes into some detail about how Jeremiah Milbank helped him with the financing of the DeMille Studio from which The King of Kings was produced. After the initial run, Milbank set up a foundation in which prints of The King of Kings were copied and made available to various Christian mission groups free for their work. It's one reason why this particular film is never in any danger of being lost.
DeMille was told on at least one occasion that this was his greatest picture because there is no greater subject. It's arguably one of his best from a technical standpoint. Still for the hundreds of millions of affiliated Christians on the planet, The King of Kings certainly occupies a special place.