The Poseidon Adventure - actors, characters and roles

All actors and their roles in the film "The Poseidon Adventure"
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Timing: 1:57 (117 min)
The Poseidon Adventure - TMDB rating
7.096/10
847
The Poseidon Adventure - Kinopoisk rating
7.098/10
5470
The Poseidon Adventure - IMDB rating
7.1/10
54000

Actors and characters

Photo Gene Hackman #37299Photo Gene Hackman #37300Photo Gene Hackman #37301Photo Gene Hackman #37302

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman
Character Reverend Scott
Photo Ernest Borgnine #56007Photo Ernest Borgnine #56008Photo Ernest Borgnine #56009Photo Ernest Borgnine #56010

Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine
Character Mike Rogo
Photo Red Buttons #89767Photo Red Buttons #89768Photo Red Buttons #89769

Red Buttons

Red Buttons
Character James Martin
Photo Carol Lynley #207444Photo Carol Lynley #207445Photo Carol Lynley #207446Photo Carol Lynley #207447

Carol Lynley

Carol Lynley
Character Nonnie Parry
Photo Stella Stevens #101386Photo Stella Stevens #101387Photo Stella Stevens #101388Photo Stella Stevens #101389

Stella Stevens

Stella Stevens
Character Linda Rogo
Photo Shelley Winters #89770Photo Shelley Winters #89771Photo Shelley Winters #89772Photo Shelley Winters #89773

Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters
Character Belle Rosen
Photo Jack Albertson #30099Photo Jack Albertson #30100

Jack Albertson

Jack Albertson
Character Manny Rosen
Photo Leslie Nielsen #44142

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen
Character Captain Harrison
Photo Pamela Sue Martin #207462Photo Pamela Sue Martin #207463

Pamela Sue Martin

Pamela Sue Martin
Character Susan Shelby
Photo Eric Shea #107830

Eric Shea

Eric Shea
Character Robin Shelby
Photo Fred Sadoff #101991

Fred Sadoff

Fred Sadoff
Character Mr. Linarcos
Roseann Williams
Character Woman
Photo Arthur OPhoto Arthur OPhoto Arthur OPhoto Arthur O

Arthur O'Connell

Arthur O'Connell
Character John, the Chaplain

Sheila Allen

Sheila Allen
Character Nurse
Photo Jan Arvan #118859

Jan Arvan

Jan Arvan
Character Doctor
Photo Byron Webster #108051

Byron Webster

Byron Webster
Character Purser
Photo John Crawford #62904

John Crawford

John Crawford
Character Chief Engineer
Photo Bob Hastings #86478

Bob Hastings

Bob Hastings
Character M. C.
Erik L. Nelson
Character Mr. Tinkham
Photo Charles Bateman #207464Photo Charles Bateman #207465Photo Charles Bateman #207466
Charles Bateman
Character First Officer Larsen
Ruth Foster
Character Passenger
Photo Maurice Marsac #118861Photo Maurice Marsac #118862
Maurice Marsac
Character French Naval Officer
Paul Stader
Character Martin

What's left behind the scenes

  • Paul Gallico (1897-1976) wrote the source novel while inspired by a cruise on the transatlantic liner Queen Mary. Once, during breakfast, the liner was hit by a huge wave, sending people and furniture flying to the opposite end of the dining room. Another source of inspiration for Gallico was an incident aboard the Queen Mary that occurred during World War II (1939-1945). The ship was carrying parts of the US Army to Europe when it was hit by a wave in the North Atlantic. Had the ship tilted even slightly more, it would have capsized, as happened with the Poseidon.
  • The prototype for 'Poseidon' is the real British transatlantic liner Queen Mary.
  • The scenes of the film were shot in order, as it was convenient considering that the main characters' clothes became increasingly dirty and torn, and they themselves sustained injuries – some according to the plot, and some not.
  • Preparing for the role of a former swimmer and numerous sports achievement award winner, Shelley Winters (1920-2006) trained with an Olympic swimming team coach.
  • The famous scene inside the ship as it capsizes was filmed in two stages. First, the special set was tilted to a 45-degree angle using hydraulics. Then, the cameras were turned off, and everything on the set was rearranged (what was originally on the floor was moved to the ceiling, and vice versa). After that, the actors were brought back onto the set, and it was tilted even further.
  • It was previously believed that rogue waves only occurred once every 10,000 years, but a 2004 study of satellite footage showed that they occur much more frequently – several hundred every ten years.
  • After the film's theatrical run, ABC paid $1 million for the right to broadcast it on television. At the time, this was the largest sum in history ever paid for the television rights to any film.
  • A significant portion of the exterior shots of 'Poseidon' involved filming a model built from the original blueprints of the liner. The model is on display at the Maritime Museum in the Port of Los Angeles. The liner itself is docked in the city of Long Beach nearby.
  • The start of filming was postponed twice for financial reasons.
  • The scene where Gene Hackman's character saves Robin was filmed with a camera mounted on rails on a set that was slowly tilting into a large pool. When the set was halfway submerged, it was supposed to stop tilting, but it didn't due to some technical malfunction, and soon the entire crew along with the equipment were in the water. The film reel was urgently sent to the lab for development, and it turned out, fortunately, that the film hadn't gotten wet.
  • According to the original script, Gene Hackman's character was supposed to assign a task to Mrs. Rosen, during which she would get trapped underwater, and he would go to rescue her. It was Hackman who noticed that his character would never assign such a thing to a woman and suggested reversing the situation. The director agreed with him, and together they subsequently convinced Shelley Winters.
  • Initially, it was planned to show the sinking ship surrounded by lifeboats in the finale, but there wasn't enough money to film this scene. At the studio, they only filmed a helicopter lifting off from the ship's hull with six survivors, and this scene was filmed by pointing the camera straight up to prevent nearby buildings from appearing in the frame.
  • The "Poseidon" prototype is the real British transatlantic liner Queen Mary.
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