IMDb > "The World at War" (1973) > Episodes cast

Season: 1
Year: 1973 | 1974

Season 1

Season 1, Episode 1: A New Germany: 1933-1939

31 October 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)

Season 1, Episode 2: Distant War: September 1939-May 1940

7 November 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Robert Boothby ... Himself (as Lord Boothby)
R.A. Butler ... Himself (as Lord Butler)
Lord Chandos ... Himself
J.R. Colville ... Himself
Lucy Faithfull ... Herself
Martin Lindsay ... Himself (as Captain Mark Lindsay)
Sir Charles Woodhouse ... Himself
Neville Chamberlain ... Himself (archive sound) (uncredited)
Winston Churchill ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Édouard Daladier ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gracie Fields ... Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
George Formby ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 3: France Falls: May-June 1940

14 November 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
André Beaufre ... Himself (as General André Beaufre)
Lawrence Durrell ... Himself
Edward Spears ... Himself (as Sir Edward Spears)
Hasso von Manteuffel ... Himself (as General von Manteuffel)
Walter Warlimont ... Himself (as General Warlimont)
Gordon Waterfield ... Himself
Siegfried Westphal ... Himself (as General Siegfried Westphal)

Season 1, Episode 4: Alone: May 1940-May 1941

21 November 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Sir Max Aitken ... Himself
J.R. Colville ... Himself
Anthony Eden ... Himself (as Lord Avon)
Adolf Galland ... Himself (also archive footage)
Charles Gardner ... Himself - BBC Reporter (archive sound)
Bertie Good ... Himself
Ray Holmes ... Himself
John McBeath ... Himself (as Rear-Admiral John McBeath)
J.B. Priestley ... Himself
Robert Wright ... Himself
Winston Churchill ... Himself (archive sound) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 5: Barbarossa: June-December 1941

28 November 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Averell Harriman ... Himself
Sir John Russell ... Himself
Paul Schmidt ... Himself
Albert Speer ... Himself
Grigori Tokaty ... Himself
Walter Warlimont ... Himself (as General Warlimont)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 6: Banzai! Japan: 1931-1942

5 December 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)

Season 1, Episode 7: On Our Way: U.S.A. - 1939-1942

12 December 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
George Ball ... Himself
Vannevar Bush ... Himself
Masataka Chihaya ... Himself
J. Lawton Collins ... Himself (as General Lawton Collins)
J.R. Colville ... Himself
Norman Corwin ... Himself
James Doolittle ... Himself (as General James Doolittle)
Mitsuo Fuchida ... Himself
Minoru Genda ... Himself
Averell Harriman ... Himself
John J. McCloy ... Himself
Isamu Noguchi ... Himself
Paul Samuelson ... Himself
Richard Tregaskis ... Himself
Edison Uno ... Himself
Winston Churchill ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Bing Crosby ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Bob Hope ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Tyrone Power ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jonathan M. Wainwright ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 8: The Desert: North Africa - 1940-1943

19 December 1973


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
David Belchem ... Himself (as Gen. David Belchem)
Paola Colacicchi ... Himself - Italian Army
Sir Francis de Guingand ... Himself (as Gen. Sir Francis De Guingard)
Lawrence Durrell ... Himself
Field Marshal Lord Harding ... Himself - Commander, 7th Armoured Division
Sir Richard O'Connor ... Himself (as Gen. Sir Richard O'Connor)
Siegfried Westphal ... Himself
Bernard L. Montgomery ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Benito Mussolini ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 9: Stalingrad: June 1942-February 1943

2 January 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Friedrich Paulus ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 10: Wolf Pack: U-Boats in the Atlantic - 1939-1944

9 January 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Edward Butler ... Himself
Peter Cremer ... Himself
Karl Dönitz ... Himself (as Grossadmiral Karl Donitz)
William Edward Rawlings Eyton-Jones ... Himself - S.S. Ben Vrachie (as Captain Eyton-Jones)
Thomas Finch ... Himself
Sir Peter Gretton ... Himself (as Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Gretton)
Raymond Hart ... Himself (as Captain Raymond Hart)
Otto Kretschmer ... Himself (as Flotillenadmiral Otto Kretschmer)
Hartwig Looks ... Himself (as Kapt. z. See Hartwig Looks)
Wilfred Oulton ... Himself (as Air Vice Marshall Wilfred Oulton)
Gilbert Roberts ... Himself (as Captain Gilbert Roberts)
Robert Sherwood ... Himself (as Captain Robert Sherwood)
Rodney Stone ... Himself
Winston Churchill ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 11: Red Star: The Soviet Union - 1941-1943

16 January 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Ivan Chistyakov ... Himself - Commander, 6th Guard Army
Vsevelod Klokov ... Himself - Ukrainian Partisan
Ivan Ludnikov ... Himself - Corps Commander
Hans Rudel ... Himself
Olga Rybakova ... Herself - Leningrad Housewife
Nikolai Volkov ... Himself - Factory Worker

Season 1, Episode 12: Whirlwind: Bombing Germany - September 1939-April 1944

23 January 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Hans Brunswig ... Himself
John Corcoran ... Himself - Pilot
Ira C. Eaker ... Himself (as Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker)
Adolf Galland ... Himself (as General Adlof Galland)
Sir Arthur Harris ... Himself
Wilhelm Herget ... Himself
Leon Johnson ... Himself - Group Commander (as General Leon Johnson)
Curtis LeMay ... Himself - Divisional Commander (as General Curtis Le May)
Hamish Mahaddie ... Himself (as Group Captain Hamish McAddie)
William Reid ... Himself
John Rogan ... Himself
Werner Schroer ... Himself
Albert Speer ... Himself

James Stewart ... Himself - Squadron Commander
Lore Thran ... Herself (as Frau Lore Thran)
Ben Witter ... Journalit

Season 1, Episode 13: Tough Old Gut: Italy - November 1942-June 1944

30 January 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Bill Becket ... Himself - Sherwood Foresters
Mark W. Clark ... Commander, U.S. 5th Army (as General Mark Clark)
Walter Davis ... Himself - Sherwood Foresters
Field Marshal Lord Harding ... Himself - Alexander's Chief of Staff
Bill Mauldin ... Himself - Cartoonist, 'Stars and Stripes'
Drew Middleton ... Himself
Sir Kenneth Strong ... Himself (as Gen. Sir Kenneth Strong)
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas ... Himself
Siegfried Westphal ... Himself (as General Siegfried Westphal)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 14: It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma - 1942-1944

6 February 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Walter Boller ... Himself - Major, R.O.A.C.
Sydney Bowers ... Himself - Sergeant, R.A.F.
Leonard Brown ... Himself - Private, 14th Army
Michael Calvert ... Himself (as Brigadier Michael Calvert)
Gilbert Collins ... Himself - Gunner, 14th Army
Neville G. Gordon ... Himself - Captain, 14th Army
Vera Lynn ... Herself (also archive footage)
Louis Mountbatten ... Himself (as Lord Louis Mountbatten)
Teruo Okada ... Himself (as Lt. Teruo Okada)
Sir J.G. Smyth ... Himself - 17th Div., Burma (as General Sir J.G. Smyth V.C.)
Freddie Tomkins ... Himself - Sergeant, 14th Army

Season 1, Episode 15: Home Fires: Britain - 1940-1944

13 February 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Sir William Beveridge ... Himself (archive footage)
Mrs. Gwen Bunt ... Herself (as Mrs Gwen Bunt)
R.A. Butler ... Himself - Minister of Education (as Lord Butler)
Lord Chandos ... Himself
Sir Stafford Cripps ... Himself - Ambassador to Russia 1940-1942 (archive footage)
Tom Driberg ... Himself (as Tom Driberg M.P.)
Anthony Eden ... Himself (as Lord Avon)
Sir Trevor Evans ... Himself
Michael Foot ... Himself - Acting Editor, Evening Standard 1942 (also archive footage)
David Hewetson ... Himself - Bevin Boy 1943-1947 (also archive footage)
Alderman G. Hodgkinson ... Himself - Chairman, Coventry War Emergency Committee
Cecil King ... Himself - Director, Daily Mirror
Frederick Marquis ... Himself - Minister of Food 1940-1943 (as Lord Woolton)
Harry Pollitt ... Himself - Communist Party Secretary 1929-1956 (archive footage)
J.B. Priestley ... Himself
Bill Roberts ... Himself - Betteshanger Miner
Emanuel Shinwell ... Himself (as Lord Shinwell)
Mrs. Herma Wolfgang ... Herself (as Mrs Herma Wolfgang)
Lord Beaverbrook ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ernest Bevin ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Winston Churchill ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gracie Fields ... Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
George Formby ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tommy Handley ... Radio Characters (archive footage) (uncredited)
Myra Hess ... Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 16: Inside the Reich: Germany - 1940-1944

20 February 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Hertha Beese ... Herself
Christabel Bielenberg ... Herself
Emmi Bonhoeffer ... Herself
Otto John ... Himself (as Dr. Otto John)
Traudl Junge ... Herself
Hans Kehrl ... Himself
Friedrich Luft ... Himself
Richard Schultze-Kossens ... Himself
Albert Speer ... Himself
Marlene Tucking ... Herself
Fritz Todt ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 17: Morning: June-August 1944

27 February 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
David Belchem ... Himself (as Maj. Gen. David Belchem)
J. Lawton Collins ... Himself (as Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins)
Louis Mountbatten ... Himself (as Lord Louis Mountbatten)
Goronwy Rees ... Himself
J.M. Stagg ... Himself (as Dr. J.M. Stagg)
Kay Summersby ... Herself - Eisenhower's Driver

Bob Hope ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bernard L. Montgomery ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Erwin Rommel ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 18: Occupation: Holland - 1940-1944

13 March 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Rita Boas-Koopman ... Herself (as Rita Boas Koopman)
J.A.H.J.S. Bruins Slot ... Himself (as J.A.H.J.S. Bruin Slot)
J.F. Bubberman-Boer ... Herself
Eddy Christiani ... Himself
Louis De Jong ... Himself
Petra Eldering ... Herself
Jan Kilkens ... Himself
Jetty Paerl ... Herself (as Yetje Pearl)
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands ... Himself - The Prince of the Netherlands (as H.R.H. Prince Bernhard the Prince of the Netherlands)
J.B. Roodbol ... Himself
Florrie Rost van Tonningen ... Herself (as Florrie Rost Van Toningen)
Arthur Seyss-Inquart ... Himself (archive footage)
R.M. van der Veen ... Himself
T. van Ralte ... Himself (as T. Van Ralte)
Gerben Wagenar ... Himself
R.B. Woudenber ... Himself

Season 1, Episode 19: Pincers: August 1944-March 1945

20 March 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
J. Lawton Collins ... Himself (as General J. Lawton Collins)
Sir Francis de Guingand ... Himself (as General Sir Francis de Guingand)
Averell Harriman ... Himself
Brian Horrocks ... Himself (as General Sir Brian Horrocks)
Sir Kenneth Strong ... Himself (as General Sir Kenneth Strong)
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas ... Himself
Hasso von Manteuffel ... Himself (as General Hasso von Manteuffel)
Siegfried Westphal ... Himself (as General Siegfried Westphal)

Season 1, Episode 20: Genocide: 1941-1945

27 March 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Rita Boas-Koopman ... Herself - Dutch Jew (as Rita Boas Koopman)
Richard Böch ... Himself S.S. Lance Corporal
Anthony Eden ... Himself (as Lord Avon)
Wilhelm Hoettl ... Himself - S.S. Major (as Dr. Wilhelm Höttl)
Avraham Kochavi ... Himself - Polish Jew
Primo Levi ... Himself - Italian Jew
Dov Paisikovic ... Himself - Hungarian Jew
Rudolf Vrba ... Himself - Czechoslovak Jew
Karl Wolff ... Himself
Rivka Yosilevska ... Herself - Polish Jew
Hermann Göring ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Heinrich Himmler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 21: Nemesis: Germany - February-May 1945

3 April 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Antonov ... Himself - Red Army
Eberhard Bethge ... Himself - Prisoner of the Gestapo
Lt. Col. C.J.R. Duffin M.C. ... Himself - 6th Guards Armoured Bdge
Willy Feldheim ... Himself (15 year old soldier at time of war)
Ursula Grey ... Herself - Dresden Civilian
Traudl Junge ... Herself
Heinz Linge ... Himself - Hitler's Valet
Friedrich Luft ... Himself - Berliner
Major Anna Nikulina ... Herself - Red Army
Felix Putterman ... Himself - U.S. Artilleryman
Lt. Yelena Reveshkaya ... Herself - Red Army Interpreter
Christa Ronke ... Herself - Berliner
John Seney ... Himself - U.S. Paratrooper
Albert Speer ... Himself
Carola Stern ... Herself - German Citizen

Season 1, Episode 22: Japan: 1941-1945

10 April 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Naoki Hoshino ... Himself - Cabinet Minister
Toshikazu Kase ... Himself
Hideki Tojo ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 23: Pacific: February 1942-July 1945

17 April 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Frank Manson ... Himself - Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Butch Voris ... Himself - Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Douglas MacArthur ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Chester W. Nimitz ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Season 1, Episode 24: The Bomb: February-September 1945

24 April 1974
Following the events from the death of US President Roosevelt through to the dropping of the two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that prompted Japan's surrender.

Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
McGeorge Bundy ... Himself
James Byrnes ... Himself
Anthony Eden ... Himself (as Lord Avon)
Averell Harriman ... Himself
Alger Hiss ... Himself
Toshikazu Kase ... Himself
Koichi Kido ... Himself (as Marquis Kido)
Yoshio Kodama ... Himself
John J. McCloy ... Himself (as John McCloy)
J. Robert Oppenheimer ... Himself (as Robert Oppenheimer)
Hisatsune Sakomizu ... Himself
Charles W. Sweeney ... Himself (as Charles Sweeney)
Paul Tibbets ... Himself (as Colonel Paul Tibbets)
Douglas MacArthur ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Harry S. Truman ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 25: Reckoning: 1945... and After

1 May 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
Stephen Ambrose ... Himself
Charles Bohlen ... Himself - U.S. State Department, 1945
Anthony Eden ... Himself (as Lord Avon)
Noble Frankland ... Himself
Ursula Gray ... Herself - German Refugee, 1945
Averell Harriman ... Himself
Louis Mountbatten ... Himself (as Admiral Lord Mountbatten)
William Robertson ... Himself - U.S. Army, 1945
Christa Ronke ... Herself - Berliner, 1945
Albert Speer ... Himself
Douglas Spencer ... Himself - U.K. Occupation Force, 1945
Kay Summersby ... Herself - U.S. Army, 1945
Hermann Göring ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rudolf Hess ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Joseph Stalin ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Harry S. Truman ... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 26: Remember

8 May 1974


Laurence Olivier ... Himself - Narrator (voice)
John Barne ... Himself
Stanley Drinkwater ... Himself
Lawrence Durrell ... Himself
Noble Frankland
J. Glenn Gray ... Himself - Authour 'The Warriors'
Bill Mauldin ... Himself
Joe Minogue ... Himself
Herman Pheffer ... Himself - Disabled U.S. Veteran
Jimmy Thomas ... Himself - Royal Navy
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas ... Himself

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