Anthony Huston) Kirk Douglas as George Brougham / Mr. Pythian Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Karoudjian Herbert Marshall as Sir Willfrid Lucas Marcel Dalio as Max Karoudjian Bernard Archard as Insp. Pike Ronald Long as Carstairs (credited as Roland Long) Bernard Fox (actor) as Lynch (uncredited) John Roberts Running boy (uncredited) Cameo appearances: Tony Curtis as street organ player Robert Mitchum as Slattery Frank Sinatra in cameo (Avatar's trainer) Burt Lancaster in cameo (unnamed lady protesting against fox hunting) Director John Huston also gives an uncredited cameo near the film's end, as Lord Ashton. Commentary The List of Adrian Messenger is a relatively modern Golden Age type of mystery with an additional gimmick that was featured prominently in its advertising. A number of famous Hollywood actors were advertised to appear in the film heavily disguised in make-up designed by John Chambers: Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, and Robert Mitchum. During an epilogue the stars appear on-camera removing their disguises and revealing their identity. Curtis is revealed to have portrayed a street organ player; Lancaster removes the disguise of a female fox-hunt protester; Sinatra doffs the make-up of a gypsy horse-trader; Mitchum removes his disguise as the victim Slattery; and Douglas sheds one of his make-ups at the close of a montage of several of the killer’s personas. In actuality, only Curtis, Mitchum, and Douglas performed in the body of the film. Lancaster and Sinatra only appear during the unmasking coda; their parts were portrayed by uncredited performers. Similarly, several of Douglas’ character’s disguised personas were performed instead by character actor Jan Merlin, who was hired in secret and labored with the Universal make-up artists for nearly a year before shooting began, under sometimes painful conditions and with no attribution. Merlin later incorporated his experiences working on this production into a thriller novel, Shooting Montezuma (). Production There were several screenplay drafts, one by Vertigo co-writer Alec Coppel, before the final draft by Anthony Veiller, who receives sole screen credit. Elizabeth Taylor was scheduled to be one of the guest stars hidden under make-up in a disguised role. She demurred after word was conveyed to her about the grueling process that applying and removing the disguise would involve. Accolades The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: Nominated Mystery Film Home media The List of Adrian Messenger was released on Region