Casablanca: The Cast
Can anyone imagine a cast starring Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan and Dennis Morgan? Or, how about Joseph Cotten, Hedy Lamarr and George Raft? Or, maybe even a female Sam? All of these casts were suggested, before finally settling on Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid, and relative unknown Ingrid Bergman for the lead roles.
Click on the characters on the poster to the left, or use the cast list below to view the actor's biographies.
Cast List
| Rick Blaine | Humphrey Bogart |
| Ilsa Lund | Ingrid Bergman |
| Victor Laslo | Paul Henreid |
| Captain Renault | Claude Rains |
| Sam | Dooley Wilson |
| Senor Ferrari | Sydney Greenstreet |
| Major Strassor | Conrad Veidt |
| Yvonne | Madeleine Le Beau |
| Carl | S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall |
| Ugarte | Peter Lorre |
Paul Henreid
Paul Henreid was born January 10, 1908 in Trieste. He arrived in the US in 1940, and was immediately recognized as the "tall handsome and sophisticated European leading man" and was cast in a film about the French resistance called Joan of Paris. Now Voyager followed, and he played Bette Davis's leading man. While the success of his first two movies made him a perfect choice for Casablanca, Henreid was less than anxious to take the role. He was concerned about playing under Bogart after having headlining roles in his two previous films, and expressed that he felt that Victor Laszlo was "ridiculous and redolent of musical comedy." Ironically, his fear of playing under Bogart should have been taken more seriously. Casablanca was the peak of his career. After the success of the film, Henreid was expected to continue to play the resistance leader type character in his next films. Paul refused to play such stereotypical roles, and was eventually given a more heroic role in The Spanish Main. Henreid's career went downhill, and he ended up directing "B" pictures.
Claude Rains
born November 10, 1889, in London England. Movies include The Invisible Man, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Caesar And Cleopatra, and the remake of The Phantom of the Opera. Notorious reunited Rains with Ingrid Bergman in another film noir WWII classic.
Sydney Greenstreet
Greenstreet started his film career at the ripe age of 61, playing opposite Bogart in a little film called The Maltese Falcon. Known for his 325 pound "stage presence", he spent most of his life in theater. After Casablanca he had little success.
Conrad Veidt
Born in Berlin, Conrad Veidt made an international breakthrough with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a German expressionist film. He made several silent pictures in the US and several British films during the early part of his career. Because of his heritage, and his marriage to a Jewish woman, Veidt was almost kept in Germany in 1938 -- thanks to Gaumont British Sudios, who had his contract, he was rescued and brought back to England. After that incident, he became a British citizen. While filming The thief of Bagdad he relocated to Hollywood and stayed there. At his own demand, Veidt was only cast in villain roles. He played Nazis in several movies, hoping that his portrayal of them would help educate America against Nazi Germany.
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre born in Rosenberg, Hungary, where turned to acting after a failed career in psychiatry. Films included Mad Love, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Secret Agent, The Maltese Falcon, and All Through the Night.
