The Ten Commandments: A Cast of Legends and Unsung Heroes

The other night I was talking with my father‑in‑law about old movies, and somehow we ended up deep down the rabbit hole of The Ten Commandments (1956). As we talked, one thing became absolutely clear — the sheer number of names in that movie is completely crazy.

I mean, sure, everybody remembers the headliners:

• Charlton Heston as Moses

• Yul Brynner as Rameses II

• Anne Baxter as Nefretiri

• Edward G. Robinson as Dathan

• Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora

But when you start looking closer, the list goes on and on:

• John Derek (Joshua)

• Sir Cedric Hardwicke (Seti I)

• Nina Foch (Bithiah)

• Martha Scott (Yochabel)

• Judith Anderson (Memnet)

• Vincent Price (Baka)

• John Carradine (Aaron)

• Olive Deering (Miriam)

• Douglass Dumbrille (Jannes)

• Frank De Kova (Abiram)

• Henry Wilcoxon (Pentaur)

• Eduard Franz (Jethro)

• Donald Curtis (Mered)

• Lawrence Dobkin (Hur Ben Caleb)

• H.B. Warner (Amminadab)

• Julia Faye (Elisheba)

And that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

You’ve got smaller roles with faces and names that movie lovers might catch, like:

• Fraser Heston (Charlton Heston’s infant son) as Baby Moses

• Woody Strode as the King of Ethiopia

• Tommy Duran as Gershom

• Eugene Mazzola as Rameses’ son

• Joan Woodbury as Korah’s wife

• Abba El Boughdadly as Rameses’ charioteer

• John Miljan as The Blind One

• Francis J. McDonald as Simon

And of course, the army of featured extras that made the Exodus scene feel real:

14,000 extras and 15,000 animals were used. That’s not just epic — that’s cinema on a biblical scale.

My father‑in‑law and I were laughing as we went down the list, realizing how many people came together to create this monumental film. It wasn’t just a movie — it was a massive collaboration, a landmark moment in Hollywood history.

If you haven’t watched The Ten Commandments in years — or ever — do yourself a favor. You’ll be surprised how many familiar faces you recognize… and how many legendary names you might be learning for the first time.

Related reading

• Meanwhile in New Jersey