In the Heat of the Night - actors, characters and roles

All actors and their roles in the film "In the Heat of the Night"
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Timing: 1:49 (109 min)
In the Heat of the Night - TMDB rating
7.6/10
1013
In the Heat of the Night - Kinopoisk rating
7.584/10
6867
In the Heat of the Night - IMDB rating
7.9/10
91000

Actors and characters

Photo Sidney Poitier #64967Photo Sidney Poitier #64968Photo Sidney Poitier #64969Photo Sidney Poitier #64970

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier
Character Virgil Tibbs
Photo Rod Steiger #88625Photo Rod Steiger #88626Photo Rod Steiger #88627Photo Rod Steiger #88628

Rod Steiger

Rod Steiger
Character Police Chief Bill Gillespie
Photo Warren Oates #91825Photo Warren Oates #91826Photo Warren Oates #91827Photo Warren Oates #91828

Warren Oates

Warren Oates
Character Deputy Sam Wood
Photo Peter Whitney #141599
Peter Whitney
Character Deputy Courtney
Photo Lee Grant #39259Photo Lee Grant #39260Photo Lee Grant #39261Photo Lee Grant #39262

Lee Grant

Lee Grant
Character Mrs. Leslie Colbert
Photo Anthony James #79875Photo Anthony James #79876

Anthony James

Anthony James
Character Ralph
Photo William Schallert #59023Photo William Schallert #59024

William Schallert

William Schallert
Character Mayor Schubert
Photo Scott Wilson #43158Photo Scott Wilson #43159

Scott Wilson

Scott Wilson
Character Harvey Oberst
Photo Larry Gates #119579Photo Larry Gates #119580Photo Larry Gates #119581

Larry Gates

Larry Gates
Character Eric Endicott
Photo James Patterson #141702Photo James Patterson #141703Photo James Patterson #141704

James Patterson

James Patterson
Character Mr. Purdy
Photo Quentin Dean #141705
Quentin Dean
Character Delores Purdy

Kermit Murdock

Kermit Murdock
Character Henderson
Photo Larry D. Mann #99492
Larry D. Mann
Character Watkins
Photo Matt Clark #54041

Matt Clark

Matt Clark
Character Packy
Photo Beah Richards #141706Photo Beah Richards #141707

Beah Richards

Beah Richards
Character Mama Caleba
Photo Arthur Malet #44132Photo Arthur Malet #72258

Arthur Malet

Arthur Malet
Character Ulam
Photo Fred Stewart #141708
Fred Stewart
Character Dr. Stuart
Photo Timothy Scott #83656
Timothy Scott
Character Shagbag
Photo William Watson #103729
William Watson
Character McNeil
Eldon Quick
Character Charles Hawthorne

Jester Hairston

Jester Hairston
Character Endicott's Butler
Photo Stuart Nisbet #54584
Stuart Nisbet
Character Shuie
Khalil Bezaleel
Character Jess
Phil Adams
Character 1st Tough
Nikita Knatz
Character 2nd Tough

Sam Reese

Sam Reese
Character Clerk
Jack Teter
Character Philip Colbert (uncredited)
Photo Alan Oppenheimer #31034Photo Alan Oppenheimer #31035

Alan Oppenheimer

Alan Oppenheimer
Character Ted Appleton (uncredited)
Photo Clegg Hoyt #141709
Clegg Hoyt
Character Deputy (uncredited)
Buzz Barton
Character Conductor (uncredited)

What's left behind the scenes

  • A film adaptation of John Ball's "A Hot Night in Caroline".
  • Sidney Poitier insisted on filming in Illinois, remembering how he and Harry Belafonte (singer, actor, and activist) were nearly killed by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi. The film was shot in Illinois, but the filmmakers once had to travel to Tennessee because there were no cotton plantations in Illinois where they could shoot some scenes. During filming in Tennessee, Poitier slept with a pistol under his pillow. Local racist organizations issued threats, and the film crew quickly returned to Illinois.
  • The first major, full-color Hollywood project that took into account the participation of an actor with dark skin. Understanding that conventional lighting would inevitably cause glare on the skin of such actors, cinematographer Haskell Wexler (1922-2015) reduced the lighting in scenes with Sidney Poitier.
  • The scene in the sheriff's house used dialogue that was improvised by Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger (1925-2002) themselves.
  • The film is set in Mississippi in the summer, but was shot in Illinois in the fall. Therefore, the actors had to hold ice cubes in their mouths and spit them out before filming each take so that steam from their breath wouldn't be visible on screen during night scenes.
  • A film adaptation of John Ball’s “A Hot Night in Carolina”.
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