* Spencer Tracy as Dr. John Prentice, a liberal white man.
* Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton, John's wife, also liberal.
* Sidney Poitier as John Prentice Jr., Christina and John's daughter's fiancé.
* Catherine Houghton as Joanna Drayton, John and Christina's daughter.
* Beah Richards as Mrs. Prentice, John's mother.
* Isabell Sanford as Tillie, the family's maid.
* Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Ryan, a family friend.
The film explores themes of racism and prejudice in a time when interracial relationships were still taboo.