Airplane! - actors, characters and roles

All actors and their roles in the film "Airplane!"
Airplane! (1980)
Timing: 1:28 (88 min)
Airplane! - TMDB rating
7.31/10
4998
Airplane! - Kinopoisk rating
7.414/10
54607
Airplane! - IMDB rating
7.7/10
286000

Actors and characters

Photo Robert Hays #51533Photo Robert Hays #51534Photo Robert Hays #51535

Robert Hays

Robert Hays
Character Ted Striker
Photo Julie Hagerty #48177

Julie Hagerty

Julie Hagerty
Character Elaine Dickinson
Photo Leslie Nielsen #44142

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen
Character Dr. Rumack
Photo Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #12996Photo Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #12997

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Character Roger Murdock
Photo Lloyd Bridges #51536Photo Lloyd Bridges #51537Photo Lloyd Bridges #51538Photo Lloyd Bridges #51539

Lloyd Bridges

Lloyd Bridges
Character Steve McCroskey
Photo Peter Graves #49240Photo Peter Graves #49241Photo Peter Graves #49242Photo Peter Graves #49243

Peter Graves

Peter Graves
Character Capt. Clarence Oveur
Photo Robert Stack #51544

Robert Stack

Robert Stack
Character Captain Rex Kramer
Photo Jill Whelan #51559Photo Jill Whelan #51560Photo Jill Whelan #51561Photo Jill Whelan #51562

Jill Whelan

Jill Whelan
Character Lisa Davis
Photo Ann Nelson #51574

Ann Nelson

Ann Nelson
Character Hanging Lady
Photo Jim Abrahams #73390

Jim Abrahams

Jim Abrahams
Character Religious Zealot #6
Photo Jonathan Banks #34362Photo Jonathan Banks #34363

Jonathan Banks

Jonathan Banks
Character Gunderson
Photo Stephen Stucker #51545

Stephen Stucker

Stephen Stucker
Character Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs
Photo Frank Ashmore #51546
Frank Ashmore
Character Victor Basta
Photo Craig Berenson #51547
Craig Berenson
Character Paul Carey
Photo Lee Bryant #51549

Lee Bryant

Lee Bryant
Character Mrs. Hammen
Photo Joyce Bulifant #51550Photo Joyce Bulifant #51551Photo Joyce Bulifant #51552

Joyce Bulifant

Joyce Bulifant
Character Mrs. Davis
Mae E. Campbell
Character Security Lady
Photo Ethel Merman #51553Photo Ethel Merman #51554Photo Ethel Merman #51555Photo Ethel Merman #51556

Ethel Merman

Ethel Merman
Character Lieutenant Hurwitz
Photo Jimmie Walker #51557Photo Jimmie Walker #51558

Jimmie Walker

Jimmie Walker
Character Windshield Wiper Man
Photo Nora Meerbaum #51563
Nora Meerbaum
Character Cocaine Lady
Photo Kenneth Tobey #51564Photo Kenneth Tobey #51565Photo Kenneth Tobey #51566Photo Kenneth Tobey #51567

Kenneth Tobey

Kenneth Tobey
Character Air Controller Neubauer
Photo James Hong #13250Photo James Hong #13251Photo James Hong #13252Photo James Hong #13253

James Hong

James Hong
Character Japanese General
Photo Michelle Stacy #51570

Michelle Stacy

Michelle Stacy
Character Young Girl with Coffee
Photo David Leisure #51571Photo David Leisure #51572Photo David Leisure #51573

David Leisure

David Leisure
Character First Krishna
Photo Al White #50770

Al White

Al White
Character Second Jive Dude
Photo Nicholas Pryor #6160

Nicholas Pryor

Nicholas Pryor
Character Mr. Hammen
Photo Cyril O

Cyril O'Reilly

Cyril O'Reilly
Character Soldier
Ted Chapman
Character Airport Steward
Jesse Emmett
Character Man from India
Norman Alexander Gibbs
Character First Jive Dude
Amy Gibson
Character Soldier's Girl
Photo Marcy Goldman #51576Photo Marcy Goldman #51577
Marcy Goldman
Character Mrs. Geline
Bob Gorman
Character Striped Controller
Rossie Harris
Character Joey
Maurice Hill
Character Reporter #3
David Hollander
Character Young Boy with Coffee
Howard Honig
Character Jack
Photo Gregory Itzin #51578Photo Gregory Itzin #51579

Gregory Itzin

Gregory Itzin
Character Religious Zealot #1
Howard Jarvis
Character Man in Taxi

Michael Laurence

Michael Laurence
Character Newscaster
Zachary Lewis
Character Religious Zealot #3
Barbara Mallory
Character Religious Zealot #2
Mary Mercier
Character Shirley
Len Mooy
Character Reporter #1
Laura Nix
Character Mrs. Hurwitz
Photo John O

John O'Leary

John O'Leary
Character Reporter #2
Bill Porter
Character Hospital Contortionist
Photo Conrad E. Palmisano #65259

Conrad E. Palmisano

Conrad E. Palmisano
Character Religious Zealot #4
Mallory Sandler
Character L.A. Ticket Agent
Photo Robert Starr #51582
Robert Starr
Character Religious Zealot #5
Photo Barbara Stuart #51583
Barbara Stuart
Character Mrs. Kramer
Lee Terri
Character Mrs. Oveur
Photo William Tregoe #51584
William Tregoe
Character Jack Kirkpatrick
Hatsuo Uda
Character Japanese Newscaster
Photo Herb Voland #51585

Herb Voland

Herb Voland
Character Air Controller Macias
John David Wilder
Character Second Krishna
Windy
Character Horse
Photo Jason Wingreen #51586Photo Jason Wingreen #51587

Jason Wingreen

Jason Wingreen
Character Dr. Brody
Louise Yaffe
Character Mrs. Jaffe
Charlotte Zucker
Character Make-up Lady
Photo David Zucker #73104Photo David Zucker #73105

David Zucker

David Zucker
Character Ground Crewman #2
Photo Jerry Zucker #73391

Jerry Zucker

Jerry Zucker
Character Ground Crewman #1
Photo Kitten Natividad #51588Photo Kitten Natividad #51589

Kitten Natividad

Kitten Natividad
Character Bouncy Topless Woman on Plane (uncredited)
Photo Larry Blake #72969

Larry Blake

Larry Blake
Character Upside-Down Man (uncredited)
Photo Paula Moody #73392
Paula Moody
Character Girl Scout In Bar (uncredited)
Photo Sandra Lee Gimpel #70257

Sandra Lee Gimpel

Sandra Lee Gimpel
Character Girl Scout In Bar (uncredited)
Photo Henry Wills #44264
Henry Wills
Character Commuter on Baggage Carousel (uncredited)
Photo Joyce Mandel #51590
Joyce Mandel
Character Woman on Flight (uncredited)
Photo Gene LeBell #43506

Gene LeBell

Gene LeBell
Character Religious Zealot (uncredited)
Susan Breslau
Character Ticket Agent (uncredited)

What's left behind the scenes

  • The scene depicting an argument between employees making announcements in the airport building featured actual announcers from Los Angeles International Airport.
  • The only airline that purchased the film for in-flight entertainment was Mexican airline Aeromexico.
  • Leslie Nielsen's (1926-2010) role as the doctor in "Airplane!" was his first comedic role. He later said he was very happy when he was offered the part, as he feared he was reaching an age where he could only be counted on for "old man" roles on screen. The studio wanted Dom DeLuise (1933-2009) for the role of the doctor, but directors Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams insisted on their choice. Filming in this movie opened a new chapter in Nielsen's acting career. He began to play in comedies, particularly in other films by the Zucker and Abrahams directors.
  • The actors improvised the street slang conversation between the two Black passengers from beginning to end, as the rest of the cast and crew simply did not know the slang of "the Black neighborhoods."
  • A parody of Hall Bartlett's drama "Zero Hour!" (1957).
  • The model of the airplane used in the film is now located in a museum in Las Colinas, a district of the city of Irving in the state of Texas.
  • Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty rehearsed the dance they perform to The Bee Gees' song Stayin' alive (1977) for a whole month.
  • A newspaper published a photograph of a boy with the caption "A child locked in a refrigerator ate his own leg." This is a photograph of Billy Koch, who was the grandson of film producer Howard W. Koch. The grandfather once called the boy and asked him to bring him the photograph. Billy only learned what it was needed for when the film was released.
  • The mandatory copyright notice at the end of the film concludes with the phrase "Something like that."
  • A DVD of the film states in one section that the abortion debate between the announcers in the airport building was taken from a "cheap novel." In reality, it was taken from the 1968 novel *Airport* by American writer Arthur Hailey (1920-2004), based on which George Seaton filmed a movie of the same name in 1970.
  • The air traffic controllers are playing the game *Basketball* (1978) on an Atari 2600 video game console.
  • The film's action takes place mainly inside a jet airplane, however, the sound of propellers can be heard in the passenger cabin. Studio executives insisted on using a jet passenger plane in the script.
  • Julie Hagerty's debut role.
  • The interior of the dispatch tower was filmed at the Combat Control Center for ballistic missiles, built in 1954 to protect the United States from attack by the USSR. At the time, it was the largest computer system in the world. It weighed 6,000 tons and occupied an entire floor of a fortified bomb shelter. When the system was removed from active duty, its components were put up for sale. They were mainly bought by film companies, who were attracted by the equipment, which was futuristic for its time, despite being released in the 1950s.
  • In the Italian release, the slang conversation between the Black actors was dubbed into the Neapolitan dialect. In the German release, it was dubbed into the Bavarian dialect (with subtitles in standard German).
  • The Boeing 707 used in the film is a repainted aircraft from the American airline TWA.
  • Filming took just over a month.
  • Initially, Marci Goldman was considered for the role of Mrs. Hammond, but she eventually played Mrs. Jelline.
  • In the final credits, expressions like "The guy who was responsible for a lot of things" appear before the names of the crew members.
  • Sigourney Weaver auditioned for the role of Elaine Dickinson.
  • Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr. Rumack. He called it "a big mistake" in his autobiography.
  • Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were considered for the role of Ted Striker.
  • In the scene where a sick woman's husband gives her oxygen, a bearded man is visible in the background. The script called for the beard to be blown off by the wind, but the adhesive proved too strong. The man is seen "making faces" in the hope that the beard will come loose.
  • Teenage girls fighting in the bar were played by men.
  • Directors Jerry Zucker and David Zucker made a cameo appearance in the film. They play ground crew workers who direct a plane on the taxiway straight towards the airport building.
  • While telling an elderly woman on the adjacent seat about how he met Elaine, Stryker says he served in the Air Force. However, the flashback shows him in a Navy uniform.
  • Robert Hayes and Julie Hagerty rehearsed the dance they perform to The Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" (1977) for a whole month.
  • Leslie Nielsen’s (1926-2010) role as the doctor in “Airplane!” was his first comedic role. He later said he was very happy when he was offered the role, as he feared he was reaching an age where he could only be counted on for “old man” roles on screen. The studio wanted Dom DeLuise (1933-2009) for the role of the doctor, but directors Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams insisted on their choice. Filming in this movie opened a new chapter in Nielsen’s acting career. He began to play in comedies, particularly in other films by the Zucker and Abrahams directors.
  • The actors improvised the street slang conversation between the two Black passengers from beginning to end, as the rest of the cast and crew simply didn't know the slang of the 'Black neighborhoods'.
  • A parody of Hall Bartlett's drama “Zero Hour!” (1957).
  • The newspaper featured a photo of a boy with the caption “Child locked in refrigerator ate his own leg.” This was a photograph of Billy Koch, who was the grandson of the film’s producer, Howard W. Koch. His grandfather once called the boy and asked him to bring him the photograph. Billy only found out what it was needed for when the film was released.
  • The mandatory copyright notice at the end of the film concludes with the phrase “Something like that.”
  • The DVD of the film states in one section that the argument about abortion taking place between the announcers in the airport building is taken from a “cheap novel.” In reality, it is taken from the novel “Airport” (1968) by American author Arthur Hailey (1920-2004), based on which George Seaton made a film of the same name in 1970.
  • Air traffic controllers are playing the game "Basketball" (1978) on the Atari 2600 video game console.
  • The Boeing 707 used in the film was a repainted aircraft from the American airline TWA.
  • In the end credits, before the names of the crew members, there are phrases like "The guy who was responsible for a lot of things."
  • Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr. Rumack. He called it "a big mistake" in his autobiography.
  • In the scene where the sick woman's husband gives her oxygen, a bearded man is visible in the background. The script called for the beard to be blown off by the wind, but the glue was too strong. You can see the man "making faces" hoping the beard will come loose.
Did you like the film?

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