conversational skills and force of personality. Sam Jaffe was cast as Simonides on April 3, 1958, primarily because he had become famous for his roles as a wise old patriarch in a number of films. Finlay Currie was cast as Balthasar the same day as Jaffe. Wyler had to persuade Jack Hawkins to appear in the film, because Hawkins was unwilling to act in another epic motion picture so soon after The Bridge on the River Kwai. Wyler's efforts at persuasion were successful, and Hawkins was cast on March 18, 1958. Hugh Griffith, who gained acclaim in the post-World War II era in Ealing Studios comedies, was cast as the comical Sheik Ilderim. Finlay Currie had worked with Zimbalist before on Quo Vadis, playing St. Peter, was cast as Balthasar. Out of respect for the divinity of Christ, and consistent with Lew Wallace's stated preference, Wyler decided before the production began that the face of Jesus would not be shown. The role of Jesus was played by Claude Heater, who was uncredited for the role. Heater was an American opera singer performing with the Vienna State Opera in Rome when he was asked to do a screen test for the film. In casting, Wyler placed heavy emphasis on characterization rather than looks or acting history. For example, he cast a British actor for the role of the centurion who denies Judah Ben-Hur water at Nazareth. When the actor demanded higher pay, the first assistant director selected a different actor. Wyler, who believed the centurion's reaction to his confrontation with Jesus Christ was critical, shut down the production at a cost of $15,000 while the original actor was retrieved from Rome. MGM opened a casting office in Rome in mid-1957 to select the 50,000 individuals who would act in minor roles and as extras in the film. The studio announced that casting for leads in the film was complete on September 12, 1958, when Kamala Devi was cast as Iris, Sheik Ilderim's daughter. However, neither the character nor the actress appeared in the film. A total of 365 actors had speaking parts in the film, although only 45 of them were considered "principal" performers. According to The New York Times, only four of the actors (Heston, O'Donnell, Jaffe, and Scott) had worked in Hollywood. Production Cinematography Robert L. Surtees, who had filmed several of the most successful epics of the 1950s