In Where Eagles Dare, Richard Burton plays Major John Smith, Clint Eastwood plays Lieutenant Morris Schaffer, and Mary Ure plays Mary Ellison. This classic 1968 war film follows a daring mission to rescue a captured US general from an…
Main cast
- Major John SmithRichard BurtonMain
- Lieutenant Morris SchafferClint EastwoodMain
- Mary EllisonMary UreMain
Supporting cast
- Colonel Wyatt TurnerPatrick WymarkSupp
- Captain James Rollins (as Richard Beatty)Richard BeattySupp
- Sergeant HarrodRobert BeattySupp
- Lieutenant Anne-Marie Kernitz (the original ‘Mary’ contact)Ingrid PittSupp
- General RosemeyerAnton DiffringSupp
Guest & voice
- Colonel KramerDerren NesbittGuest
- Major von HapenFerdy MayneGuest
- Admiral RollandMichael HordernGuest
- General Paul A. Knapp (the captured officer)William SquireGuest
- Sergeant Jock MacPhersonJack WatsonGuest
- Major Johann Schmidt (Gestapo officer)Peter BarkworthGuest
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About this cast
Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 British-American war film directed by Brian G. Hutton, based on Alistair MacLean’s novel. The story follows a small Allied team parachuted into the Bavarian Alps to extract a captured American general from a seemingly impregnable Nazi castle, with Martin Landau and Donald Houston among the key supporting cast.
FAQs
Who plays the lead role of Major John Smith in Where Eagles Dare?
Richard Burton plays Major John Smith, the British intelligence officer who leads the mission.
Who plays the American lieutenant Morris Schaffer?
Clint Eastwood plays Lieutenant Morris Schaffer, the American with whom Smith teams up.
Is Where Eagles Dare based on a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction written by Alistair MacLean, though it draws on real wartime espionage and commando tactics.
Where was Where Eagles Dare filmed?
The film was shot on location in Austria (notably the Hohenwerfen Castle) and at MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood, England.
Who wrote the screenplay for Where Eagles Dare?
Alistair MacLean wrote both the original novel and the screenplay himself.
Sources & where to watch: IMDb · Wikipedia · Where to watch (JustWatch UK) · Updated June 2026