| Photos (see all 55 | slideshow) |
| Charlton Heston | ... | Judah Ben-Hur | |
| Jack Hawkins | ... | Quintus Arrius | |
| Haya Harareet | ... | Esther | |
| Stephen Boyd | ... | Messala | |
| Hugh Griffith | ... | Sheik Ilderim | |
| Martha Scott | ... | Miriam | |
| Cathy O'Donnell | ... | Tirzah | |
| Sam Jaffe | ... | Simonides | |
| Finlay Currie | ... | Balthasar | |
| Frank Thring | ... | Pontius Pilate | |
| Terence Longdon | ... | Drusus | |
| George Relph | ... | Tiberius Caesar | |
| André Morell | ... | Sextus | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Ady Berber | ... | Malluch (uncredited) | |
| Marina Berti | ... | Flavia (uncredited) | |
| Hugh Billingsley | ... | Mario (uncredited) | |
| Jerry Brown | ... | The Corinthian (uncredited) | |
| Robert Brown | ... | Chief of Rowers (uncredited) | |
| Lando Buzzanca | ... | Jewish Slave in the Desert (uncredited) | |
| Joe Canutt | ... | Sportsman (uncredited) | |
| Otello Capanna | ... | The Byzantine (uncredited) | |
| Emile Carrer | ... | Rower No. 28 (uncredited) | |
| Richard Coleman | ... | Metellus (uncredited) | |
| Michael Cosmo | ... | Raimondo (uncredited) | |
| Alfredo Danesi | ... | The Armenian (uncredited) | |
| David Davies | ... | Quaestor (uncredited) | |
| Princess Carmen de Hohenlohe | ... | Guest at Banquet (uncredited) | |
| Victor De La Fosse | ... | Galley Officer (uncredited) | |
| Liana Del Balzo | ... | Guest at Banquet (uncredited) | |
| Mino Doro | ... | Gratus (uncredited) | |
| Michael Dugan | ... | Seaman (uncredited) | |
| Dino Fazio | ... | Marcello (uncredited) | |
| Enzo Fiermonte | ... | Galley Officer (uncredited) | |
| Giuliano Gemma | ... | Roman in the Baths (uncredited) | |
| John Glenn | ... | Rower No. 42 (uncredited) | |
| José Greci | ... | Mary (uncredited) | |
| Richard Hale | ... | Gaspar (uncredited) | |
| Claude Heater | ... | Jesus - The Christ (uncredited) | |
| John Horsley | ... | Spintho (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Juaregui | ... | The Athenian (uncredited) | |
| Bill Kuehl | ... | Soldier (uncredited) | |
| Duncan Lamont | ... | Marius (uncredited) | |
| Howard Lang | ... | Hortator (uncredited) | |
| Stevenson Lang | ... | Blind Man (uncredited) | |
| Lord Layton | ... | Good Thief on Cross (uncredited) | |
| John Le Mesurier | ... | Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Tutte Lemkow | ... | Leper (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Lyons | ... | The Lubian (uncredited) | |
| Luigi Marra | ... | The Syrian (uncredited) | |
| Ferdy Mayne | ... | Captain of Rescue Ship (uncredited) | |
| Nona Medici | ... | Guest at Banquet (uncredited) | |
| Tiberio Mitri | ... | Roman at Bath (uncredited) | |
| Aldo Mozele | ... | Barca (uncredited) | |
| Thomas O'Leary | ... | Starter at Race (uncredited) | |
| Remington Olmstead | ... | Decurian (uncredited) | |
| Laurence Payne | ... | Joseph (uncredited) | |
| Aldo Pial | ... | Cavalry Officer (uncredited) | |
| Aldo Pini | ... | Bad Thief on Cross (uncredited) | |
| Diego Pozzetto | ... | Villager (uncredited) | |
| Edwin Richfield | ... | Supplier to Leper Colony (uncredited) | |
| Hector Ross | ... | Officer (uncredited) | |
| Maxwell Shaw | ... | Rower No. 43 (uncredited) | |
| Noel Sheldon | ... | Centurion (uncredited) | |
| Aldo Silvani | ... | Man in Nazareth (uncredited) | |
| Reginald Lal Singh | ... | Melchior (uncredited) | |
| Pietro Tordi | ... | Pilate's Servant (uncredited) | |
| Giuseppe Tosi | ... | Chariot Driver (uncredited) | |
| Ralph Truman | ... | Aide to Tiberius (uncredited) | |
| Raimondo Van Riel | ... | Old Man (uncredited) | |
| Stella Vitelleschi | ... | Amrah (uncredited) | |
| Dervis Ward | ... | Jailer (uncredited) | |
| Irina Wassilchikoff | ... | Guest at Banquet (uncredited) | |
| Joe Yrigoyen | ... | The Egyptian - Chariot Racer (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| William Wyler | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Lew Wallace | (novel) (as General Lew Wallace) | |
| Karl Tunberg | (screenplay) | |
| Maxwell Anderson | uncredited and | |
| Christopher Fry | uncredited and | |
| Gore Vidal | uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Sam Zimbalist | .... | producer | |
| William Wyler | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Miklós Rózsa | (as Miklos Rozsa) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Robert Surtees | (director of photography) (as Robert L. Surtees) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| John D. Dunning | |||
| Ralph E. Winters | |||
Casting by | |||
| Irene Howard | (uncredited) | ||
Production Design by | |||
| Vittorio Valentini | (uncredited) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Edward C. Carfagno | (as Edward Carfagno) | ||
| William A. Horning | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Hugh Hunt | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Elizabeth Haffenden | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Gabriella Borzelli | .... | hair stylist | |
| Charles E. Parker | .... | makeup artist (as Charles Parker) | |
Production Management | |||
| Edward Woehler | .... | unit production manager | |
| Dave Friedman | .... | production manager (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Gus Agosti | .... | assistant director | |
| Yakima Canutt | .... | second unit director | |
| Alberto Cardone | .... | assistant director | |
| Andrew Marton | .... | second unit director | |
| Sergio Leone | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
| Mario Soldati | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
| Richard Thorpe | .... | third unit director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Ken Adam | .... | assistant art director (uncredited) | |
| Mentor Huebner | .... | primary conceptual artist and production illustrator (uncredited) | |
| Harold Michelson | .... | storyboard artist (uncredited) | |
| Italo Tomassi | .... | head scenic painter (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Sash Fisher | .... | sound recordist | |
| Franklin Milton | .... | recording supervisor | |
| William Steinkamp | .... | sound recordist | |
| Van Allen James | .... | co-supervising sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Milo B. Lory | .... | special sound effects (uncredited) | |
| Mauro Zambuto | .... | sound engineer (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| A. Arnold Gillespie | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Robert R. Hoag | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Lee LeBlanc | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Doug Hubbard | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Shirpser | .... | special photographic effects (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Robert MacDonald | .... | visual effects (uncredited) | |
| Matthew Yuricich | .... | matte artist (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Bill Babcock | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jerry Brown | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Joe Canutt | .... | stunt double: Charlton Heston (uncredited) | |
| Joe Canutt | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Tap Canutt | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Michael Dugan | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Mickey Gilbert | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Juaregui | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Lyons | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Nosher Powell | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Glenn Randall Jr. | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Boyd Stockman | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Joe Yrigoyen | .... | stunt double: Stephen Boyd (uncredited) | |
| Ian Yule | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Piero Portalupi | .... | additional photographer (as Pietro Portalupi) | |
| Harold E. Wellman | .... | additional photographer | |
| Eric Carpenter | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Nino DiGiovanni | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Edward Phillips | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
| Piero Portalupi | .... | camera operator: second unit (uncredited) | |
| John Schmitz | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Edward Wahrman | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
| Harold E. Wellman | .... | camera operator: third unit (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Jack Martell | .... | wardrobe (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Joan Bridge | .... | color consultant: costumes | |
| Charles K. Hagedon | .... | color consultant: settings | |
| Fredric Steinkamp | .... | associate editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Eugene Zador | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Morgan Hudgins | .... | unit publicist (uncredited) | |
| Ralph McCutcheon | .... | horse trainer (uncredited) | |
| Glenn H. Randall Sr. | .... | horse trainer (uncredited) | |
| Mauro Zambuto | .... | set engineer (uncredited) | |
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| Gladiator | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Braveheart | Spartacus |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Action section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
Wow, what can you say about a film that won 11 Academy Awards back in the days where the best films actually were honored, not the garbage they salute today.
In other words, this film lives up to its reputation and has to be ranked as one of the most memorable movies of all time. Nobody who ever saw this film ever forgot the chariot race, for instance, perhaps the greatest action scene filmed without special effects.
This can be a very sad film as well. I doubt if I've ever watched this without a few tears in my eyes at certain points. The scenes with hero's mother and sister suffering with leprosy are still some of the most heart-wrenching scenes I've ever witnessed on film. They can just tear you apart.
The combination of drama, action and romance, along with very involving storyline is aided by an incredible soundtrack, once again one of the best ever put on film. The more one hears this music, the more was is moved by it.
To fully appreciate the cinematography in this film I recommend you purchase the recently-released 4-disc DVD special edition which also includes the first rendition of this story, the silent movie "Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ." That was name of the book, by the way, the second part of the title being left off the 1959 movie as Hollywood slowly began deemphasizing Christianity in films. However, there is a reverence for Jesus Christ in this film, which should be there since it's a key element of the storyline, even though most folks forget that.
In summary, this is about as good an example as ever found of what is labeled an "epic" movie. It's an incredible story transferred memorably on screen.