Orson Welles
Carrying on a tradition that dates back through the entire history of the play, Orson Welles is a white actor playing a black character in Othello. While such a casting choice would be unthinkable today, at the time it barely raised an eyebrow. Besides, the film was all his baby anyway. The movie took three years to film with Welles taking off to accept roles in a string of bad movies for the purpose of raising money to complete. His presence is the film is the titanic force which ties it all together and becomes a strong argument in favor of disallowing race to play a part in casting.
Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál MacLiammóir is an instrumental figure in the story of Orson Welles becoming a legend. The older actor had been suitably impressed with the very young upstart and gave Welles his start in a theater in Dublin back in the 1930’s. MacLiammóir never managed to become a movie star, but his Iago is one of the truly unique interpretations of the play’s villain in recorded history.
Suzanne Cloutier
With the film’s completion dependent upon timing, scheduling and lack of money, it may come as little surprise that many parts had to be recast. Cloutier was a little-known French actress both before and after the film’s release and wound up being the fourth Desdemona. Cloutier followed the arrival and subsequent departure of Lea Padovani, Cecile Aubry and—the most famous of the quartet—Betsy Blair. Even though she appears on screen, yet another actress was brought in to dub the dialogue for Cloutier for the American release of the film: Gundrun Ure, in what would be her first screen credit.
Hilton Edwards
Micheál MacLiammóir’s longtime romantic partner was cast as Brabantio. Edwards and his lover had co-founded the Gate Theater in Dublin—the very theater which helped launched the career of Welles—back in 1928.
Robert Coote
Coote may be most famous for being overlooked to recreate his Tony-nominated performance as Col. Pickering in the film version of My Fair Lady. His film credits include such classics as Gunga Din, A Matter of Life and Death, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Nevertheless, much of Roderigo’s dialogue would be re-dubbed by Welles himself.
