| Photos (see all 24 | slideshow) |
| Charles Chaplin | ... | Hynkel - Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber | |
| Jack Oakie | ... | Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria | |
| Reginald Gardiner | ... | Schultz | |
| Henry Daniell | ... | Garbitsch | |
| Billy Gilbert | ... | Herring | |
| Grace Hayle | ... | Madame Napaloni | |
| Carter DeHaven | ... | Bacterian Ambassador (as Carter De Haven) | |
| Paulette Goddard | ... | Hannah | |
| Maurice Moscovitch | ... | Mr. Jaeckel (as Maurice Moscovich) | |
| Emma Dunn | ... | Mrs. Jaeckel | |
| Bernard Gorcey | ... | Mr. Mann | |
| Paul Weigel | ... | Mr. Agar | |
| Chester Conklin | ... | Barber's Customer | |
| Esther Michelson | ... | Jewish Woman | |
| Hank Mann | ... | Storm Trooper Stealing Fruit | |
| Florence Wright | ... | Blonde Secretary | |
| Eddie Gribbon | ... | Tomanian Storm Trooper | |
| Rudolph Anders | ... | Tomanian Commandant at Osterlich (as Robert O. Davis) | |
| Eddie Dunn | ... | Whitewashed Storm Trooper | |
| Nita Pike | ... | Secretary | |
| George Lynn | ... | Commander of Storm Troopers (as Peter Lynn) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Wheeler Dryden | ... | Heinrich Schtick - Translator (voice) | |
| Fred Aldrich | ... | Soldier (uncredited) | |
| Richard Alexander | ... | Tomainian Prison Guard in 1918 (uncredited) | |
| William Arnold | ... | Tomanian Officer (uncredited) | |
| Sig Arno | ... | Compact Parachute Inventor (uncredited) | |
| Joe Bordeaux | ... | Ghetto Extra (uncredited) | |
| Don Brodie | ... | Reporter from International Press (uncredited) | |
| Hans Conried | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | |
| Gino Corrado | ... | Sculptor (uncredited) | |
| John Davidson | ... | Hospital Superintendent (uncredited) | |
| Max Davidson | ... | Jewish Man (uncredited) | |
| Lew Davis | ... | Hospital Orderly (uncredited) | |
| Francis Ernest Drake | ... | Storm Ttrooper (uncredited) | |
| Pat Flaherty | ... | Friendly Storm Trooper (uncredited) | |
| Bud Geary | ... | Storm Trooper (uncredited) | |
| Sam Harris | ... | Officer (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Hart | ... | Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Leyland Hodgson | ... | Big Bertha Gunnery Officer (uncredited) | |
| William Irving | ... | Man Seated on Bed (uncredited) | |
| Charles Irwin | ... | Banquet Butler (uncredited) | |
| Ethelreda Leopold | ... | Blonde Secretary (uncredited) | |
| Torben Meyer | ... | Bald Barbershop Customer (uncredited) | |
| Jules Michelson | ... | Man in Ghetto (uncredited) | |
| Bert Moorhouse | ... | Hynkel's Staff Officer (uncredited) | |
| Nellie V. Nichols | ... | Jewish Woman (uncredited) | |
| Manuel París | ... | Dance Extra at Ball (uncredited) | |
| Jack Perrin | ... | Jewish Man (uncredited) | |
| Lucien Prival | ... | Storm Trooper Officer (uncredited) | |
| Cyril Ring | ... | Officer Extra (uncredited) | |
| Henry Roquemore | ... | Soldier (uncredited) | |
| Tiny Sandford | ... | Soldier in 1918 Tomainia (uncredited) | |
| Hans Schumm | ... | Soldier (uncredited) | |
| Harry Semels | ... | Jewish Fruit Stand Proprietor (uncredited) | |
| Charles Sullivan | ... | Prison Guard (uncredited) | |
| Carl Voss | ... | Officer (uncredited) | |
| Leo White | ... | Hynkel's Barber (uncredited) | |
| Harry Wilson | ... | Soldier in Field (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Charles Chaplin | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Charles Chaplin | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Charles Chaplin | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
| Carter DeHaven | .... | associate producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Charles Chaplin | (uncredited) | ||
| Meredith Willson | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Karl Struss | (director of photography) | ||
| Roland Totheroh | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Willard Nico | |||
| Harold Rice | (uncredited) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| J. Russell Spencer | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Edward G. Boyle | (uncredited) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ed Voight | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Alfred Reeves | .... | production manager (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Wheeler Dryden | .... | assistant director | |
| Dan James | .... | assistant director | |
| Bob Meltzer | .... | assistant director | |
| Alex Finlayson | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| William Bogdanoff | .... | construction foreman (uncredited) | |
| Dick Fritsch | .... | assistant art director (uncredited) | |
| Frank Veseley | .... | painter (uncredited) | |
| Clem Widrig | .... | props (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Glenn Rominger | .... | sound | |
| Percy Townsend | .... | sound | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Jack Cosgrove | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Ralph Hammeras | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Buster Wiles | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Frank Testera | .... | chief electrician (uncredited) | |
| William Wallace | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Wyn Ritchie | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
| Ted Tetrick | .... | costume supervisor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Meredith Willson | .... | musical director | |
| Al Kaye | .... | music librarian (uncredited) | |
| Max Terr | .... | assistant musical director (uncredited) | |
| Meredith Willson | .... | conductor (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Henry Bergman | .... | general assistant (uncredited) | |
| Rollin Brown | .... | laboratory contact (uncredited) | |
| Kay Clement | .... | secretary (uncredited) | |
| Evelyn Earle | .... | script clerk (uncredited) | |
| Monroe Greenthal | .... | press representative (uncredited) | |
| Moody | .... | dailies projectionist (uncredited) | |
| Kathleen Pryor | .... | secretary (uncredited) | |
| Gene Testera | .... | filing clerk (uncredited) | |
| Carl Voss | .... | military advisor (uncredited) | |
| Oscar Wright | .... | purchasing (uncredited) | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Comedy section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
"The Great Dictator" (United Artists, 1940), became the long awaited talking debut of silent film comedian, Charlie Chaplin (who also wrote and directed), in a political satire on Adolph Hitler, only the way Chaplin dared to do at the time. He plays a Jewish barber and Hynkel, dictator of Tomania. Some of the humor cannot really be obsorbed at first glance, but after repeated viewing, it gets better. My personal classic moment occurs with Chaplin in the barber shop working on a bald-headed customer by giving him a shave while listening to a classical composition on the radio, never missing a beat. Co-starring opposite Chaplin for the second and final time is Paulette Goddard as Hannah. Goddard became the only Chaplin leading lady to ever make a success on her own while the others just drifted to "B" movies or faded away. Jack Oakie as Napaloni, the Dictator of Bacteria (a spoof on Mussolini), appears late in the story but shares with Chaplin some of its brilliant comedic moments. Both Chaplin and Oakie earned Academy Award nominations for their performances (Chaplin for Best Actor/Oakie for Best Supporting Actor), but no wins. Henry Daniell as Garbitsch and Reginald Gardiner as Schultz also share the spotlight. Aside from Chaplin's screenplay in poking fun of its then current issues on European invasion by the Nazis, "The Great Dictator" expertly blends satire with dramatic overtones. Its closing scene in which Chaplin makes a speech pleading for all people to follow the path of peace, brotherhood and democracy, is not to be missed. Whether this movie is above or beyond the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" (Paramount, 1933) is anyone's matter of taste.