final mission on May 17, 1943, and that over a quarter of a million aircraft saw action over Western Europe during World War Two, with 200,000 airmen losing their lives and the film being dedicated in theirs and every serviceman's honour. Cast Matthew Modine as Captain Dennis Dearborn, pilot: A humourless and socially inept perfectionist. Tate Donovan as 1st Lt. Luke Sinclair, co-pilot: The carefree former lifeguard believes himself to be undervalued by Dearborn. D.B. Sweeney as 1st Lt. Phil Lowenthal, navigator: Lowenthal is nervous before their final mission and convinced that he is doomed to die. Billy Zane as 1st Lt. Val Kozlowski, bombardier: While everyone believes the confident, self-assured Kozlowski to be a doctor, it is later revealed he attended only two weeks of medical school before enlisting. Eric Stoltz as Staff Sgt. (T/3) Danny "Danny Boy" Daly, radio operator: An earnest Irish-American, Daly was editor of the school paper, a valedictorian, and joined up right after graduating college. Reed Diamond as Staff Sgt. (T/3) Virgil "Virge" or "Virgin" Hoogesteger, top turret gunner and flight engineer: Hoogesteger worked for his family's restaurant and plans to open a chain of identical restaurants after the war despite his crew-mate's warnings that such an unheard of enterprise could never succeed. Sean Astin as Staff Sgt. Richard "Rascal" Moore, ball turret gunner: The diminutive, often crude gunner considers himself a ladies' man and delights in teasing his crewmates. Courtney Gains as Staff Sgt. Eugene "Genie" McVey, right waist gunner. A Catholic Irish-American from Cleveland. Neil Giuntoli as Sgt. Jack Bocci, left waist gunner: A hot-tempered Chicago hoodlum, Bocci appears to look out only for himself but proves surprisingly kind to his fellow waist gunner McVey. Harry Connick Jr. as Staff Sgt. Clay Busby, tail gunner: After his father lost the family farm in a poker game, the laconic Busby earned money playing the piano in a New Orleans cathouse. David Strathairn as Col. Craig Harriman John Lithgow as Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer Jane Horrocks as Faith Mac McDonald as Les Production Five real B-17 warbirds were used in the filming of Memphis Belle, out of eight B-17s that were airworthy during the late 1980s. Two were located in the United States ( and ), two were in France (, which was destroyed in a takeoff accident and The Pink Lady), and one was in England ( Sally B). The original Memphis Belle