- Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill
- Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall
- James Mason as Phillip Vandamm
- Jessie Royce Landis as Clara Thornhill
- Leo G. Carroll as The Professor
- Josephine Hutchinson as "Mrs. Townsend"
- Philip Ober as Lester Townsend
- Martin Landau as Leonard
- Adam Williams as Valerian
- Edward Platt as Victor Larrabee
- Robert Ellenstein as Licht
- Les Tremayne as Auctioneer
- Philip Coolidge as Dr. Cross
- Patrick McVey as Sergeant Flamm
- Edward Binns as Captain Junket
- Ken Lynch as Charlie
Uncredited cast
- Maudie Prickett as Elsie the Maid[12]
- Malcolm Atterbury as Man at the crossroads[13]
- Tol Avery as State Police Detective[12]
- John Beradino as Sergeant Emile Klinger[14]
- Ned Glass as Ticket Seller[12]
- Doreen Lang as Maggie, Roger's Secretary[12]
- Nora Marlowe as Anna, the housekeeper[12]
- Ralph Reed as Bellboy[12]
- Olan Soule as Assistant Auctioneer[12]
- Frank Wilcox as Herman Weitner[12]
- Robert Shayne as Larry Wade[12]
- Patricia Cutts as Hospital Patient
- Sara Berner as Telephone Operator (voice)[12]
Hitchcock's cameo appearances are a signature occurrence in most of his films. In North by Northwest, he is seen getting a bus door slammed in his face, just as his credit is appearing on the screen.[15] There has been some speculation as to whether he made one of his rare second appearances, this time at around the 45-minute mark in drag as a woman in a turquoise dress on the train,[16] but in fact, the woman was played by Jesslyn Fax, who went on to appear in many episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She had previously appeared in Rear Window.
