Simone Mareuil (listed in the film as “Simonne Mareuil”)
Buñuel met Mareuil (1903-1954) when he worked assistant director for Henri Etiévant and Mario Nalpas on the film La Sirène des tropiques / The Siren of the Tropics (1927), in which Mareuil played the titular siren. Among the actors in the film, only she (as "Simonne Mareuil") and Pierre Batcheff (as "Pierre Batchef") are listed in the credits. Many have detected misogynistic motivations on Buñuel's part in the trauma to which he subjects Mareuil's character. This perception appears to receive confirmation in a letter Buñuel wrote to the Spanish writer Pepín Bello describing Mareuil in crudely sexual terms (Adamowicz 82-83). Mareuil committed suicide by setting herself on fire in 1954.
Pierre Batcheff (listed in the film as "Pierre Batchef")
Buñuel met Batcheff (1901-1932), a famous actor at the time, when the former worked as assistant director for Henri Etiévant and Mario Nalpas on the film La Sirène des tropiques / The Siren of the Tropics (1927). Buñuel and Dalí hoped that Batcheff's fame would help the film secure funding (Adamowicz 12). Most of the film took place in Batcheff's apartment. Batcheff's performance recalls his own romantic role in 1920s cinema, as well as actors in American silent comedy, especially Buster Keaton (Adamowicz 73). Among the actors in the film, only he (as "Pierre Batchef") and Simone Mareuil (as "Simonne Mareuil") are listed in the credits. Like Mareuil, he took his own life, in his case by overdosing on Veronal in 1932.
Fano Messan
Messan was not in fact an actor, but rather a sculptor active in the Parisian art scene of the 1920s. She is best-known for her role in Un Chien Andalou. Her name does not appear in the film's credits.
Robert Hommet
In a letter to Dalí dated 22 March 1929, Buñuel described Hommet as "the young, strong, blonde, square-jawed, German, oozing elegant health" (Adamowicz 12). His name does not appear in the film's credits.
Jaime Miravilles, Salvador Dalí (in the first shot), and Marval (replacing Dalí)
Jaime Miravilles was a Catalan anarchist publisher. Marval was the film's production manager, and replaces Dalí in the second shot showing the Marist Brothers. Of the three actors playing the Marist Brothers, only Dalí is listed in the credits (not as an actor, but as scriptwriter with Buñuel).
Salvador Dalí and Jeanne Rucar
In the scene following the Second Man's collapse in the park, the film shows several individuals carrying him out of the park. Among them are characters played by Dalí and Rucar, Buñuel's fiancée at the time of the film. They are shown walking away from the camera.
