The sprawling international cast of Quentin Tarantino’s World War II epic Inglourious Basterds features prolific actors from all over the world playing complex characters. Inglourious Basterds revolves around two separate plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler – one by a Jewish refugee seeking revenge for the deaths of her family and one by a platoon of Allied soldiers – that converge at the premiere of a Nazi propaganda film. From the Apache leader of the Basterds to the sinister SS officer determined to foil the assassination, Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds script is full of great parts for actors to sink their teeth into.
Tarantino looked outside his regular company of actors to cast big-name stars he’d never worked with before, like Brad Pitt, as well as brilliant undiscovered actors who delivered star-making performances in the movie, like Christoph Waltz. Regular Quentin Tarantino movie actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel made brief cameo appearances, but the main roles were played by newcomers to his company. Inglourious Basterds' on-screen players collectively won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and the Critics Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble.
Brad Pitt As Lieutenant Aldo Raine
Lt. Aldo Raine, the badass commanding officer who assembles the Basterds, is played by Brad Pitt. Aldo claims to be a descendant of Jim Bridger and is determined to use guerilla warfare methods against the Nazis. Often called a character actor in a leading man’s body, Pitt has the ability to play eccentric, off-the-wall roles and still radiate star power. Pitt has starred in such classic movies as Se7en, Fight Club, and Snatch, and he reunited with Tarantino to play stuntman Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a role that earned him an Oscar for Best ing Actor.
Mélanie Laurent As Shosanna Dreyfus
Shosanna Dreyfus, the Jewish refugee who narrowly escapes a Nazi firing squad in the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds, is played by Mélanie Laurent. Shosanna assumes the alias “Emmanuelle Mimieux,” takes over a French cinema, and plots to bring down the Third Reich at the Nation’s Pride premiere. Laurent might not be a household name in Hollywood, but she’s a heavyweight talent in French cinema. Throughout her career, she has received two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Laurent got her breakthrough role in Don’t Worry, I’m Fine and voiced Disgust in the French dub of Pixar’s Inside Out.
Christoph Waltz As SS Colonel Hans Landa
The sinister main villain of Inglourious Basterds, SS Col. Hans Landa, is played by Christoph Waltz. Landa has been named “The Jew Hunter” for his ability to locate Jewish refugees. With an unsettling blend of eloquence and menace, Landa is Tarantino’s most iconic villain. Waltz won the Academy Award for Best ing Actor for his performance as Landa and went on to win the same award for his turn in Tarantino’s next film, Django Unchained. Waltz appeared in The Zero Theorem, Downsizing, and The French Dispatch, and he played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond movies Spectre and No Time to Die.
Eli Roth As Sergeant Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz
Sgt. Donny Donowitz, nicknamed “The Bear Jew,” is one of the Basterds’ most formidable . When Nazi officers refuse to talk while being interrogated, the Basterds bring out Donny to execute them with a baseball bat. Donny is played by Eli Roth. Although Roth had acting roles in Tarantino’s Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds, he’s primarily known as a horror filmmaker. Roth directed such “splatter” movies as Cabin Fever and the controversial Hostel, as well as the remake of Death Wish and the family-friendly fantasy comedy The House with a Clock in Its Walls.
Michael Fassbender As Lieutenant Archie Hicox
Lt. Archie Hicox, the British film critic-turned-commando who s the Basterds’ undercover mission in , is played by Michael Fassbender. When Inglourious Basterds was released, Fassbender wasn't yet a star, but he’s since become one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He’s won a SAG Award and a Critics Choice Award and has been nominated for two Oscars, four BAFTAs, and three Golden Globes. Fassbender has since played a younger Magneto in the X-Men prequels, a malicious AI in Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels, and the eponymous Apple co-founder in Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs.
Diane Kruger As Bridget Von Hammersmark
Bridget von Hammersmark, a German movie star who agrees to spy on the Germans for British intelligence, is played by Diane Kruger. She reluctantly agrees to help the Basterds get into the Nation’s Pride movie premiere. Kruger gained international recognition for her roles as Helen in the historical epic Troy and Dr. Abigail Chase opposite Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure series of action-adventure movies. Kruger has been honored with the Trophée Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival, and she’s been made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Daniel Brühl As Fredrick Zoller
The German army sniper Fredrick Zoller, who stars as himself in the propaganda film Nation’s Pride, is played by Daniel Brühl. Zoller has unrequited romantic feelings for Shosanna. Although he’s hailed as a war hero by the Germans, the only person whose approval he cares about is hers. At the time, Brühl was a well-known movie star in , but Inglourious Basterds introduced him to international audiences. Brühl is now known for playing Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda opposite Chris Hemsworth’s James Hunt in Rush and the villainous Helmut Zemo in various movie and TV projects in the MCU.
Til Schweiger As Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz
Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, a German member of the Basterds, is played by Til Schweiger. Stiglitz is sentenced to death by the German armed forces for murdering several Gestapo officers, but the Basterds spring him from prison to their crusade before his execution date. Schweiger got his start with a role on the long-running German soap opera Lindenstraße and later appeared on the police procedural Die Kommissarin. He also played Cynric in King Arthur, Sean in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, and the mysterious watchmaker in Atomic Blonde.
Inglourious Basterds ing Cast & Characters
B.J. Novak as Smithson Utivich: A member of the Basterds nicknamed “The Little Man” by the Germans, Smithson Utivich is played by B.J. Novak. The actor is best known for playing Ryan Howard on The Office in addition to writing for the show.
Omar Doom as Omar Ulmer: This member of the Basterds who winds up trapped in the theater with Donny is played by Omar Doom, who had previously appeared in Tarantino’s vehicular slasher Death Proof.
Samm Levine as Hirschberg: Another member of the Basterds unit, Hirschberg is played by Samm Levine. Levine is best known for playing Neal Schweiber in the short-lived comedy-drama series Freaks and Geeks.
Paul Rust as Andy Kagan: Another member of the Basterds, Andy Kagan is played by Paul Rust, who starred in the movie I Love You, Beth Cooper and co-wrote and starred in the Netflix romantic comedy series Love.
Gedeon Burkhard as Corporal Wilhelm Wicki: The Basterds’ Austrian-born translator, Corporal Wilhelm Wicki, is played by Gedeon Burkhard. The actor first gained recognition for his role as Alexander Brandtner in the Austrian/German TV series Kommissar Rex.
Jacky Ido as Marcel: Shosanna’s projectionist and partner-in-crime, Marcel, is played by Jacky Ido. The actor made his film debut in the German movie The White Masai and later made an uncredited cameo appearance as an enslaved man in Tarantino’s next film, Django Unchained.
Denis Ménochet as Perrier LaPadite: The dairy farmer whom Landa interrogates at the beginning of the movie, Perrier LaPadite, is played by Denis Ménochet. The actor also played a police chief in the horror prequel Hannibal Rising and Adhemar in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood.
Léa Seydoux as Charlotte LaPadite: LaPadite’s daughter, Charlotte, is played by Léa Seydoux. The actress famously played “Bond girl” Madeleine Swann opposite Daniel Craig’s 007 and played ing roles in the Wes Anderson films The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch.
Mike Myers as General Ed Fenech: Hicox’s commanding officer, General Ed Fenech, is played by Mike Myers. The actor rose to prominence as a Saturday Night Live cast member before starring in beloved comedy movie franchises like Wayne’s World and Austin Powers.
Rod Taylor as Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is played by Rod Taylor. A screen icon with more than 50 feature film credits, he voiced Pongo in the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians and starred in The Time Machine and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Sylvester Groth as Joseph Goebbels: Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels is played by Sylvester Groth. The actor had previously played Goebbels in My Führer – The Really Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler and later played Uncle Rudi in the film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Martin Wuttke as Adolf Hitler: The Nazi leader, killed off in a historically inaccurate fashion in Inglourious Basterds, is played by Martin Wuttke. The actor later played Knepfler in Hanna and three intertwined roles in Cloud Atlas.
