<Ul> <Li> Duane Jones as Ben : An unknown stage actor , Jones ' performance depicted Ben as a `` comparatively calm and resourceful Negro '' ( a distinguished gentleman and former university professor , in real life ) , according to a movie reviewer in 1969 . Casting Jones as the hero was potentially controversial in 1968 : it was not typical for a black man to be the hero of an American film when the rest of the cast was composed of white actors at the time , but Romero said that Jones simply gave the best audition . He was in a few other films after Night of the Living Dead and continued working as a theater actor and director until his death in 1988 . Despite his other film roles , Jones worried that people only recognized him as Ben . </Li> <Li> Judith O'Dea as Barbra Blair : A 23 - year - old commercial and stage actress , O'Dea once worked for Hardman and Eastman in Pittsburgh . O'Dea was in Hollywood seeking to enter the movie business at the time of audition . Starring in the film was a positive experience for her , she remarked in an interview . She admitted that horror movies terrified her , particularly Vincent Price 's House of Wax ( 1953 ) . Besides acting , O'Dea performed her own stunts , which she jokingly claimed amounted to `` lots of running '' . `` I honestly had no idea it would have such a lasting impact on our culture '' , assessing Night of the Living Dead . She was just as surprised by the renown the film brought her : `` People treat you differently . ( I 'm ) ho - hum Judy O'Dea until they realize ( I 'm ) Barbra from Night of the Living Dead . All of a sudden ( I 'm ) not so ho - hum anymore ! '' </Li> <Li> Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper : One of the film 's producers ( alongside Streiner ) , Hardman is also the voice of the newscaster heard on the radio of Johnny 's car . </Li> <Li> Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper : Eastman also played a female ghoul eating an insect . </Li> <Li> Keith Wayne as Tom </Li> <Li> Judith Ridley as Judy : Ridley later co-starred in Romero 's second feature There 's Always Vanilla ( 1971 ) . </Li> <Li> Kyra Schon as Karen Cooper : Hardman 's 11 - year - old daughter , Schon also portrayed the mangled corpse on the house 's upstairs floor that Ben drags away . </Li> <Li> Charles Craig as TV Newscaster / Ghoul </Li> <Li> Bill Hinzman as Ghoul : Hinzman was the zombie encountered by Barbra and Johnny in the cemetery . He reprised the role in new scenes that were filmed for the 30th - anniversary edition of the film . </Li> <Li> George Kosana as Sheriff McClelland : Kosana also served as the film 's production manager . </Li> <Li> Russell Streiner ( uncredited ) as Johnny Blair : Streiner later served as an executive producer of the 1990 remake of the film , in which he makes a cameo appearance as Sheriff McClelland . </Li> <Li> Bill `` Chilly Billy '' Cardille as a WIIC - TV Channel 11 news reporter : Cardille was well - known in Pittsburgh as a TV presenter who hosted a horror film anthology series , Chiller Theatre , on late Saturday nights in the 1960s and 70s . Cardille would later make a cameo appearance as the TV news reporter in the 1990 remake . </Li> </Ul>
<Ul> <Li> Duane Jones as Ben : An unknown stage actor , Jones ' performance depicted Ben as a `` comparatively calm and resourceful Negro '' ( a distinguished gentleman and former university professor , in real life ) , according to a movie reviewer in 1969 . Casting Jones as the hero was potentially controversial in 1968 : it was not typical for a black man to be the hero of an American film when the rest of the cast was composed of white actors at the time , but Romero said that Jones simply gave the best audition . He was in a few other films after Night of the Living Dead and continued working as a theater actor and director until his death in 1988 . Despite his other film roles , Jones worried that people only recognized him as Ben . </Li> <Li> Judith O'Dea as Barbra Blair : A 23 - year - old commercial and stage actress , O'Dea once worked for Hardman and Eastman in Pittsburgh . O'Dea was in Hollywood seeking to enter the movie business at the time of audition . Starring in the film was a positive experience for her , she remarked in an interview . She admitted that horror movies terrified her , particularly Vincent Price 's House of Wax ( 1953 ) . Besides acting , O'Dea performed her own stunts , which she jokingly claimed amounted to `` lots of running '' . `` I honestly had no idea it would have such a lasting impact on our culture '' , assessing Night of the Living Dead . She was just as surprised by the renown the film brought her : `` People treat you differently . ( I 'm ) ho - hum Judy O'Dea until they realize ( I 'm ) Barbra from Night of the Living Dead . All of a sudden ( I 'm ) not so ho - hum anymore ! '' </Li> <Li> Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper : One of the film 's producers ( alongside Streiner ) , Hardman is also the voice of the newscaster heard on the radio of Johnny 's car . </Li> <Li> Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper : Eastman also played a female ghoul eating an insect . </Li> <Li> Keith Wayne as Tom </Li> <Li> Judith Ridley as Judy : Ridley later co-starred in Romero 's second feature There 's Always Vanilla ( 1971 ) . </Li> <Li> Kyra Schon as Karen Cooper : Hardman 's 11 - year - old daughter , Schon also portrayed the mangled corpse on the house 's upstairs floor that Ben drags away . </Li> <Li> Charles Craig as TV Newscaster / Ghoul </Li> <Li> Bill Hinzman as Ghoul : Hinzman was the zombie encountered by Barbra and Johnny in the cemetery . He reprised the role in new scenes that were filmed for the 30th - anniversary edition of the film . </Li> <Li> George Kosana as Sheriff McClelland : Kosana also served as the film 's production manager . </Li> <Li> Russell Streiner ( uncredited ) as Johnny Blair : Streiner later served as an executive producer of the 1990 remake of the film , in which he makes a cameo appearance as Sheriff McClelland . </Li> <Li> Bill `` Chilly Billy '' Cardille as a WIIC - TV Channel 11 news reporter : Cardille was well - known in Pittsburgh as a TV presenter who hosted a horror film anthology series , Chiller Theatre , on late Saturday nights in the 1960s and 70s . Cardille would later make a cameo appearance as the TV news reporter in the 1990 remake . </Li> </Ul>
who starred in night of the living dead
who starred in night of the living dead
Duane Jones Judith O'Dea
Duane Jones Judith O'Dea