A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C.
house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the
world except what he has learned from television. After a run in with a limousine, he ends up a
guest of a woman (Eve) and her husband Ben, an influential but sickly businessman.
Now called Chauncey Gardner, Chance becomes friend and confidante to Ben,
and an unlikely political insider.[IMDB]
Directed by
Hal Ashby
Writing credits
Jerzy Kosinski (novel)
Jerzy Kosinski (screenplay)
Robert C. Jones uncredited
Cast (in credits order) verified as complete
Peter Sellers ... Chance
Shirley MacLaine ... Eve Rand
Melvyn Douglas ... Benjamin Rand
Jack Warden ... President 'Bobby'
Richard Dysart ... Dr. Robert Allenby
Richard Basehart ... Vladimir Skrapinov
Ruth Attaway ... Louise
David Clennon ... Thomas Franklin (as Dave Clennon)
Fran Brill ... Sally Hayes
Denise DuBarry ... Johanna
Oteil Burbridge ... Lolo
Ravenell Keller III ... Abbaz
Brian Corrigan ... Policeman
Alfredine P. Brown ... Old Woman (as Alfredine Brown)
Donald Jacob ... David
Ernest McClure ... Jeffrey (as Ernest M. McClure)
Kenneth Patterson ... Perkins
Richard Venture ... Wilson
Arthur Grundy ... Arthur
W.C. 'Mutt' Burton ... Lewis
Henry B. Dawkins ... Billings
Georgine Hall ... Mrs. Aubrey
Nell P. Leaman ... Constance
Villa Mae P. Barkley ... Teresa
Alice Hirson ... First Lady
James Noble ... Kaufman
Timothy Shaner ... Presidential Aide
William F. Williams ... Presidential Aide
William Dance ... Presidential Aide
Jim Aar ... Presidential Aide
William Lubin ... Presidential Aide
Gerald C. McNabb Jr. ... Woltz
Hoyt Clark Harris Jr. ... Riff
Ned Wilson ... Honeycutt
Stanley Grover ... Baldwin
John Harkins ... Courtney
Katherine De Hetre ... Kinney (as Katherine DeHetre)
William Larsen ... Lyman Stuart
Jerome Hellman ... Gary Burns
Arthur Rosenberg ... Morton Hull
Sam Weisman ... Colson
Fredric Lehne ... TV Page
Gwen Humble ... Annie Lawson
Laurie Jefferson ... TV Reporter
Allen Williams ... Other Reporter
Janet Meshad ... Other Reporter
Paul Marin ... Other Reporter
Melendy Britt ... Sophie
Hanna Hertelendy ... Natasha Skrapinov
Elya Baskin ... Karpatov
Than Wyenn ... Ambassador Gaufridi (as Thann Wyenn)
Richard McKenzie ... Ron Stiegler
Sandy Ward ... Senator Slipshod
Danna Hansen ... Mrs. Slipshod
Mitch Kreindel ... Dennis Watson
Richard Seff ... Pallbearer
Terrence Currier ... Pallbearer
Leon Greenberg ... Pallbearer
Austin Hay ... Pallbearer
Mark Hammer ... Pallbearer
Maurice Copeland ... Pallbearer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hal Ashby ... Man at file cabinet at the Washington Post (uncredited)
Basil Hoffman ... Man in Commercial (uncredited)
Jerry Jensen ... General (uncredited)
Alexandria Walsh ... Court reporter (uncredited)