The Day After - Cast

Cast

Many newcomers or obscure actors were cast for the film. Jason Robards and John Cullum were the best-known actors in the production. Bibi Besch was a relative unknown, recently thrust into the spotlight as Dr. Carol Marcus in Meyer's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Steve Guttenberg, who went on to considerable success, was at the time known for the 1982 Barry Levinson comedy Diner. Stephen Furst was known primarily as Flounder in National Lampoon's Animal House. George Petrie, a stock player on several incarnations of Jackie Gleason's television series and the Ewing family lawyer in Dallas, had a small role as a doctor. Cullum and Besch later played Holling Vincoeur and Maggie O'Connell's mother on Northern Exposure.

Locals filled smaller supporting roles. Jeff East, who played Bruce Gallatin, was a local Kansas City actor who had appeared in Superman as the young Clark Kent. Doug Scott and Ellen Anthony, who played the younger Dahlberg children, were found in Lawrence (Anthony was the daughter of the film's Kansas casting director Jack Wright). Arliss Howard (who played an Airman) went on to major films, but at the time was a local thespian. Charles Oldfather, Herk Harvey and Charles Whitman, all at one time professors at The University of Kansas, were cast as farmers.

John Lithgow, JoBeth Williams and Amy Madigan were relative newcomers. Williams had recently starred in Poltergeist and Lithgow in The World According to Garp, earning an Academy Award nomination. He soon appeared 1983's eventual Best Picture Terms of Endearment and was nominated again. Madigan would star in films such as Field of Dreams.

The Oakes

• Jason Robards as Dr. Russell Oakes
• Georgann Johnson as Helen Oakes
• Kyle Aletter as Marilyn Oakes

The Dahlbergs

• John Cullum as Jim Dahlberg
• Bibi Besch as Eve Dahlberg
• Lori Lethin as Denise Dahlberg
• Doug Scott as Danny Dahlberg
• Ellen Anthony as Joleen Dahlberg

Hospital staff

• JoBeth Williams as Nurse Nancy Bauer
• Calvin Jung as Dr. Sam Hachiya
• Lin McCarthy as Dr. Austin
• Rosanna Huffman as Dr. Wallenberg
• George Petrie as Dr. Landowska
• Jonathan Estrin as Julian French

Others

• Steve Guttenberg as Stephen Klein
• John Lithgow as Joe Huxley
• Amy Madigan as Alison Ransom
• William Allen Young as Airman First Class Billy McCoy
• Jeff East as Bruce Gallatin
• Dennis Lipscomb as Reverend Walker
• Clayton Day as Dennis Hendry
• Antonie Becker as Ellen Hendry
• Stephen Furst as Aldo
• Arliss Howard as Tom Cooper
• Stan Wilson as Vinnie Conrad
• Harry Bugin as Man at phone
• Janet Reutter survivor