People of the ghetto
- Charlie Chaplin as a Jewish barber in the ghetto, the main protagonist. The barber was a soldier during World War I and loses his memory for about 20 years. After having rescued Schultz during the war, he meets his friend again under radically changed circumstances.
- Paulette Goddard as Hannah, the barber's neighbor. She lives in the ghetto next to the barber shop. She supports the barber against the Tomainian stormtroopers.
- Maurice Moscovich as Mr. Jaeckel, an elderly Jew who befriends Hannah. Mr. Jaeckel is the renter of the barber salon.
- Emma Dunn as Mrs. Jaeckel
- Bernard Gorcey as Mr. Mann
- Paul Weigel as Mr. Agar
- Chester Conklin as the barber's customer
People of the palace
- Charlie Chaplin as Adenoid Hynkel, the main antagonist. Hynkel is the dictator, or "Phooey",[9] of Tomainia (a parody of Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Nazi Germany)[10] and attacks the Jews with his stormtroopers. He has Schultz arrested and has his stormtroopers hunt down the Jewish barber. Hynkel is later arrested by his own soldiers in the woods near the border, who mistake him for the Jewish barber.
- Jack Oakie as Benzino Napaloni, the Diggaditchie of Bacteria (a parody of Benito Mussolini, Il Duce of Italy and a reference to French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte).[10]
- Reginald Gardiner as Commander Schultz, a Tomainian who fought in World War I, who commands soldiers in the 1930s. He has his troops abstain from attacking Jews, but is arrested by Hynkel, after which he becomes a loyal ally to the barber. He later leads the invasion of Osterlich and helps the barber pretend to be Adenoid Hynkel in his (successful) attempt at saving Osterlich.
- Henry Daniell as Garbitsch, a parody of Joseph Goebbels,[10] and Hynkel's loyal and stoic Secretary of the Interior and Minister of Propaganda.
- Billy Gilbert as Herring, a parody of Hermann Göring,[10] and Hynkel's Minister of War. He supervises demonstrations of newly developed weapons, which tend to fail and annoy Hynkel.
- Grace Hayle as Madame Napaloni, the wife of Benzino who later dances with Hynkel. In Italy, scenes involving her were all cut out of respect to Benito Mussolini's widow Rachele until 2002.
- Carter DeHaven as Spook, the Bacterian ambassador.
Other cast
- Stanley "Tiny" Sandford as a comrade soldier in 1918
- Joe Bordeaux as ghetto extra
- Hank Mann as stormtrooper stealing fruit
Also featuring Esther Michelson, Florence Wright, Eddie Gribbon, Robert O. Davis, Eddie Dunn, Nita Pike and Peter Lynn.
