The Cast of Witness

Harrison Ford (John Book)
After starring in The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom back to back, Ford needed a change of pace. This film certainly gave it to him. Many people began finally taking him seriously as an actor after this film and his role as the hardened cop forced to hide out among the Amish earned him an Academy Award nomination. The following year, he re-teamed with director Weir for The Mosquito Coast.

 
Kelly McGillis (Rachel Lapp)
Her film debut was opposite Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben. Two years later, her role in Witness brought her to the attention of most movie goers. She soared to even greater heights opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Several years passed before she received notice once again for her role in The Accused with Jodie Foster. Since then she has appeared in a number of television movies. One of her more recent roles was in At First Sight with Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino.

 
Lukas Haas (Sammuel Lapp)  
Before Witness, Lukas Haas had roles in two television movies, including the heartrending Testament. He also had starring roles in The Wizard of Loneliness and Lady in White as well as playing the title character in the tv movie The Ryan White Story. He began branching out into more adult roles in such films as Convicts and Rambling Rose. He can also be seen in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! but not in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, where all his scenes ending up on the cutting room floor.

 
Alexander Godunov (Daniel Hochliefner)
A respected dancer from the Soviet Union, he defected to the US in 1979. Along with this film, he is probably best known as one of the villains who battled Bruce Willis in Die Hard. He could also be seen in The Money Pit and Waxwork II. He died in 1995.

 
Jan Rubes (Eli Lapp)
A well known Canadian actor, he has appeared in such movies as One Magic Christmas, Dead of Winter, Something About Love, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick (and subsequent tv series Max Glick), The Kiss, Class Action,  and the soon to be released Snow Falling on Cedars. He has also had tv roles in episodes of Due South, E.N.G., The X Files, and ER.

 
Josef Sommer (Paul Schaeffer)
Starting out in feature films with a role in Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, his career has seen him in such films as The Stepford Wives, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Silkwood, Chances Are, Nobody's Fool, Moonlight and Valentino, and Patch Adams.

 
Danny Glover (McFee)
Perhaps best known for his role opposite Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series, Glover has a respected acting career that branches out far beyond his Roger Murtaugh character. Some of his more memorable roles can be found in such varied movies as the depression era drama Places in the Heart, the western comedy Silverado, Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, the tv movie Mandela, To Sleep With Anger, Predator 2, Grand Canyon, Bopha!, Beloved, and Antz.

 
Brent Jennings (Carter)
Angus MacInnes (Fergie)
Patti Lupone (Elaine)


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