Night of The Living Dead - Cast

Cast

• Duane Jones as Ben: The lead role of Ben was played by unknown stage actor Duane Jones. His performance depicted Ben as a "comparatively calm and resourceful Negro", according to a contemporary (1969) movie reviewer. Casting Jones as the hero was, in 1968, potentially controversial. At the time, it was atypical for a Negro man in the U.S. to be the hero of a film when the rest of the cast was composed of whites; but Romero said that Jones "simply gave the best audition". After Night of the Living Dead, he was in a few other films, and continued as a theater actor and director until his death in 1988. Despite his other film roles, Jones worried that people only recognized him as Ben.
• Judith O'Dea as Barbra: Judith O'Dea, a 23-year-old commercial and stage actress, had once worked for Hardman and Eastman in Pittsburgh. At the time of audition, O'Dea was in Hollywood seeking to enter the movie business. She remarked in an interview that starring in the film was a positive experience for her, although she admitted that horror movies terrified her, particularly Vincent Price's House of Wax (1953). Besides acting, O'Dea performed her own stunts, which she jokingly claimed amounted to "lots of running". Assessing Night of the Living Dead, she stated "I honestly had no idea it would have such a lasting impact on our culture". She was just as surprised by the renown the film brought her: "People treat you differently. ho-hum Judy O'Dea until they realize Barbra from Night of the Living Dead. All of a sudden not so ho-hum anymore!"
• Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper
• Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper: Eastman also played a female zombie eating an insect.
• Keith Wayne as Tom
• Judith Ridley as Judy: Judith Ridley later co-starred in Romero's There's Always Vanilla (1971).
• Kyra Schon as Karen Cooper: Karen was played by Hardman's 11-year-old daughter.
• Charles Craig as Newscaster / Zombie
• Bill Hinzman as Cemetery Zombie: The cemetery zombie who kills Johnny in the first scene was played by S. William Hinzman (credited as Bill Hinzman). Hinzman also appeared in new scenes that were filmed for the 25th anniversary edition of the films.
• George Kosana as Sheriff McClelland: Kosana was Image Ten's production manager.
• Russell Streiner as Johnny
• Bill Cardille, a.k.a., "Chilly Billy Cardilly." Cardille was well-known locally as a Pittsburgh TV man who had his own horror movie show, "Chiller Theater" on TV late Saturday nights in the 1960s and 1970s. Bill portrays a WIIC-TV, Channel 11 (a real Pittsburgh TV station) news reporter.

Romero's friends and acquaintances were recruited as zombie extras. Romero stated, "We had a film company doing commercials and industrial films so there were a lot of people from the advertising game who all wanted to come out and be zombies, and a lot of them did". He adds amusingly, "Some people from around Evans City who just thought it was a goof came out to get caked in makeup and lumber around".